review by Mike Templeton
3/17
If a person has the privilege of attending a performance of
the Boston Symphony Orchestra, (BSO)they will have the honor and pleasure of
observing true mastery at its best. The home of the BSO is the great Symphony
Hall in Boston, MA. This Orchestra performs with such beauty and flawlessness
and it is the equivalent to watching 2 hours of inhuman perfection and master
of craft without any room for error. The
evening was comprised of three symphonies by three very unconventionally
different composers each in their unique style. The one symphony which stood
out from the other two works simply because of the immense power and distinct
building of sound in this piece which was different then others. This was
Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A. Being familiar with one particular movement of
this work it is understood to be a work which tells a story.
This story is carried out over the course of three distinct
movements. The first movement is very bright and cheerful and descends into
darkness and into more depressing tones which is the feeling of the third
movement of the piece which starts relatively quiet and builds in distress and
tension to the ultimate climax. Sitting in the audience and watching a piece of
music with such tension and emotion made me think that in order to recreate the
perfection of a true masterpiece the orchestra needs to be flawless or else the
work would not be conveyed in the correct way. The BSO however was perfect
because of the incredible number of the musicians on stage. This was in
combination with the number of instruments which provided so many beautiful
sounds and harmonies which has the ability to deeply impact the audience in the
enormous Symphony Hall with some of the best acoustics and sound dynamics. This
was another factor which made this performance so perfect.
The feeling which is produced from hearing a symphony in a
large space such as the Symphony Hall is so evocative to say the least. This
was particularly noticeable in two of the evening's works. In Claude
Debussy's Nocturnes there is a
moment which features a Women's choir sharing the stage with the BSO. To hear
the dynamic of the voices and the instrumentalists on stage in that space is
spectacular and to then see upwards of 150 people on that massive stage
creating something of such perfection is just mind boggling. The second moment
in which the acoustics of the space had a lasting effect on the music was
Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. This piece conveys such a wealthy emotion that can
only be noticeable in such a large space such as a large concert hall. The
amount of practice and perfection required to perform music at that level so
innocently is so admirable and entertaining to experience live and in
person. To have the privilege to watch
an evening of true perfection is one thing, but to take time to appreciate the
true talent and dedication of some of the greatest unknown musicians in the
country is one of the most memorable experiences a person can witness. The
power of true beauty.
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