it has always been in my bucket list to attend a live orchestra concert, i am not even choosy with regards to what music they will be playing as long as i see the orchestra play with my own eyes. this has finally been ticked off of my bucket list.
how it started
one day, housemate jb mentioned of an orchestra concert just a few meters away from home. it was the perfect venue, anything further away would probably cause my other housemates to not pursue this event. and the ticket prices were very affordable, 2000 yen (less than 14 usd) is a very reasonable price for a concert, i think. well i have never been into one before so i really wouldn't know, but that price sounds very reasonable to me. i guess my other housemates also felt the same, 4 of us booked tickets. this was a first for us 4, all excited but quite unsure of how the day would even go. we weren't even sure how to dress up for the event. i was clueless but very excited. that was around a month ago, and now the event has finally come.
preparations
till that very morning, i was still not sure how to dress for the event. how do people experience an orchestra concert? i just grabbed a dressed down formal wear, something i could pull off and not be a sore thumb whichever way the audience would dress up. in my head, people would not be looking at me anyway as i would certainly not be focusing on them as well, i was here for the music.
the main concert starts at 3 pm, the doors open at a quarter after 2. we were there at sunpearl arakawa, the venue, at 5 minutes past the opening time. even at a very leisurely pace, it was but a 15 minute walk from home. i could still remember how i had my 2nd covid booster vaccine in this building but i had no idea that they had a big hall in it as well. at 2:30 this string quartet performed. this got my heart pumping, a great introduction of what is to happen next.
at just a few minutes before 3, they finally moved the piano up front; i was wondering about this at the start for it was originally at the very side of the stage. i also witnessed how it had a mid body support which was carefully removed, and how they checked if the keys tuning were not affected. some orchestra members also came up and started tuning their instruments.
the lights dimmed and all the members came up on stage. welcome to the world of beethoven!
the world of beethoven
the concert consisted of two pieces, a piano concerto and a full length symphony. a well respected and acclaimed 21 year old pianist, a well respected female conductor, and the japan philharmonic orchestra, these were the stars of this concert. allow me to share my average person's thoughts of the music.
piano concerto no. 5
this piece was composed in 1809 in vienna with the first public premiere on 1811 in leipzig. it was also known as emperor although beethoven did not name it as such.
the very first notes by the orchestra followed by a very playful but intentional piano was really overwhelming. this was my very first live orchestra after all, and i was very glad it was. i had to keep my emotions on check for a lot of times during this piece. hearing this grand music first hand was an adventure by itself, it was like i was on a conquest, a very fitting first for me. and the solo pianist was really something else, those fingers and hand gestures gave extra feeling to this very grand music.
and just when i thought that this was an adventure music, i was whiplashed by the second movement's sad undertone. at least to my untrained ears it was a very sad part, like how after the excitement of conquering a new place you suddenly felt anxious of what is to happen next. i felt the loneliness in those piano keys. i was so immersed that my eyes began to well, i too was shocked by this development.
i was just glad that the third movement was a victorious one. this pianist performed the whole 40 minute piece by memory, without any sheets. if that is how it normally goes then forgive me, but i was really impressed. the back and forth play between the piano and the rest of the orchestra was very tastefully done.
symphony no. 7
composed between 1811 and 1812 in the spa town of teplice in the czech republic, this piece had its premiere in 1813 in vienna. beethoven himself remarked that this was one of his best works.
this piece no longer had a piano part, the conductor herself is now very visible up front; she was very much blocked in sight in the first music played. i will get to witness her baton style not that she has to prove anything at all after that very successful first piece.
now this piece of music was full of surprises. the first movement was quite familiar to me, i could recall this piece from the anime nodame cantabile of 2007. i was so happy to relive the movement, i could still imagine how the anime went in my head. but i am pretty sure these live musicians won't act as boisterous as the anime. the movement was a very exciting and victorious part, like the joy of discovering something new. the flutes and clarinets stood out to me the most.
then came the mysterious and brooding 2nd movement. there were lots of string plucking this time, lots of soft playing.
the very fast paced 3rd movement surprised me. it was like a play of catch with a part of the melody played by different instruments one after the other. i definitely recognized that jaws musical score in this movement. it was so fun to hear and the image of the shark kept coming every time the "dun dun" part was played.
the fourth and last movement was so fun to watch. the timpani player had the best time for sure, and one of the bass players was so into the music with his exaggerated bowing. it was also very fun to witness the interaction of the conductor with the cello and viola. this was a very fun and exhilarating piece; i was catching my breath the whole time.
the end
when the applause did not stop, an encore was played. it was a piece by schubert. why him? the conductor explained that schubert was a devotee of beethoven's music that he even requested that upon his death he would like to be buried beside beethoven.
that was a very well spent time for sure. i have surely climbed up a culture ladder this time. but kidding aside, i really hope this is not the last though. it was so fun!
as always, AMPING KANUNAY!
all content is by yours truly unless otherwise specified
all photos are taken with a galaxy s23 ultra