One City, One Symphony

Saturday night was lovely. I went to One City, One Symphony, a Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert that "encourages our entire community to come together through music." Or so their PR campaign said. In the weeks preceding the concert, the CSO held free "listening parties" in which either a symphony musician or--if you were really lucky--the brand spanking new conductor himself--would introduce you to the two pieces that would be played at the concert and lead a discussion about the music. Cool idea, but I never made it to one of those, so that's the extent of my knowledge on that piece of the event. I can talk about the concert, though. A little warning first. I don't know a darned thing about music. True to form, though, that won't keep me from talking about it here.

First, the home of the CSO is the magnificent Music Hall, built in 1878. I love this building, but this was the very first time I was there that I didn't have the symphonic equivalent of nose bleed seats. My friend, Wanda, and I sat on the main floor. Here's a link to some lovely Music Hall photos: http://cincinnatiarts.org/musichall/photos

The highlight of the evening, of course, was the music. The CSO played two pieces without an intermission: Arnold Schoenberg's A Survivor from Warsaw, Opus 46 and Ludwig Van Beethoven's Symphony Number 9 in D Minor, Opus 125, Choral. Wow! The Schoenberg piece is only seven minutes long, but, man, is it powerful. Schoenberg was a Jew who got out of Germany before the Holocaust. After the war, as stories of the horrors emerged, he was moved to write the the work about the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto. Here's a link to the powerful lyrics to the choral portion of the work: http://www.lyrics59.com/ARNOLD-SCHOENBERG-A-SURVIVOR-FROM-WARSAW-LYRICS/70909/

The second work was Beethoven's 9th, also a stunner. This symphony was completed in 1824, and it includes the vey well known Ode to Joy, an interesting contrast to Schoenberg's work. The lyrics were written by Friedrich Von Schiller, and as the CSO says, "the sentiments of Schiller's lines may seem quaint to a world that has known Hitler and Stalin, that has seen Auschwitz, Bosnia and Rwanda, but Beethoven's interpretation of those words remains a beacon of hope." I'm just finishing up my Holocaust lit class, so I was especially moved by the night's program.

Of course, my favorite parts of things are frequently a little "off topic." I loved watching the new CSO conductor, a Frenchman named Louis Langree. He was in perpetual motion, as conductors are, but there was something about being so close to him that made his fluid movements mesmerizing. That man never needs to go to the gym, I can tell you that. His in-show aerobics are workout enough. Another part of the fun of going to an event like the symphony is to do some fancy (or dumpy) people watching. I saw women in furs and jewels and men in tee-shirts and jeans, so it was a mixed bag of interesting! Afterwards, Wanda and I headed to the Hilton Netherlands for a drink in their fancy Art Deco bar before heading home. It was a nice night--one that was way more cultured than my usual fare.

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