Percussion rocks!

The show is not over... well not for another 2 weeks, but last night's (Wednesday 27th May) display of technical mastery should be blogged about while I remember.

My Mom and I were graciously gifted season tickets to the 2009 Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra Second Symphony Season. I've always had an affinity for classical music and went through a stage of listening to nothing else. Then I went through a "it isn't cool for someone your age" phase and now I'm back to loving it and I remain unaffected by what people may think or say to that fact. Part of loving the experience of the weekly concerts is the visualisation of a style of communicating that is traditionally auditory. There is so much to see, hear, feel - real food for the senses.

Last night's theme was works from Russian composers.
BORODIN: Prince Igor: Overture
PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto, no.3, op.26, C major with the soloist being Ayano Shimada who was trained in Japan and France with many laurels of competition wins and solo appearances around the world.
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade, op.35
Conductor: Emil Tabakov

While the music was not really my taste, the performance was one of technical mastery from both soloist and the orchestra as a whole. The soloist appeared in a passion purple gown contrasting violently against the black and white formality of the orchestra members. And then with little adieu clicked and whirred in harmony with the brass and strings and percussion and woodwinds to create a cohesive flowing story. Her dexterous and impassioned skill was awe inspiring with hands blurring confidently over the keys. In her encore, of course we wanted an encore, her movements were lithe and flowing and purposeful and sensual, gently stroking the ivories into life in a distinct contrast of theme and style to the concerto.

The orchestra carried this momentum forward after interval into the Scheherazade - an emotive fantasy in 4 parts with literary inspiration from Tales of the Arabian Nights. In the first movement, the sea-sawing of the cellos to imitate "The Sea and Sinbad's ship" was even more evident with unfocussed (soft) eyes where the musicians deftly bowing the strings in contradictory to-&-fro motions, matching the pushing and pulling of the waves on the high seas. The theme of the Sultana sensual and exotic and fragrant and colourful [1] expertly portrayed by the first violinist and orchestra leader. The first cello, oboe, bassoon, clarinet and flute making regular expressive contributions to the symphonic work, with the harp contributing a sense of mystery and fantasy. And then in the forth movement the Festival of Baghdad, the sea and the shipwreck where all the emotions of the story unfurl in regimented tympanic glory!

I left there feeling the music. Not just seeing or hearing it this week - a wonderful sensory experience. I think I'll do it again sometime.

For the record Mom admits to being in a "Russian phase" and said that this week's concert was her best. And she wants to come back in her next life as a tympanist.

[1] Rimsky-Korsakov is reported to have been a synesthate where tonal keys had colour. Here is a comparative table between his perception of colour and key and that of another Russian composer Alexander Scriabin (Harrison, 2001:123). And here is an article about synesthesia.