Tonight was our opening concert in Silva Concert Hall of Eugene.
The space! Apparently it was built with the festival in mind. It is a 2500 seat, four tiered hall with green curves that outline each level. The walls have a basket-weaving pattern which Dara says is to honor the Native American design of this area.
The music! Tonight we sing Bach's Magnificat; the opening work of our summer's theme "Honoring Women." Outside of the five choral movements, there are are a series of solos, a duet, and a women's trio. I'd say my favorite movement to sing is the first movement "Magnificat" with (a theme that reappears at the final "Gloria"). It is the definition of the Baroque style I have had to soak up in these short few days. Detached, light, and without vibrato. This way of singing is actually quite nice on my voice, and I haven't been having too many issues since getting major allergy drugs. Listen to the final movement from a previous recording by Helmuth Rilling's singers- you get a great idea of his style.
The players! Parts of the OBF orchestra joined us for the Magnificat, a group which includes members of Helmuth Rilling's family, members of the Minnesota Orchestra, and members of other fine orchestras around the country. It is quite something to hear this music from those people who play it best. A violinist from Minnesota said that he takes two weeks without pay to come out every summer because it's such a wonderful experience. They played an unrecorded work, Golijov's "Azul," in essence a cello concerto, which had a 30 minute setup and featured full orchestra. The music was also scored for accordion, electronic mixer (which seemed to sample and play back or distort some of the sounds it was also recording), and a series of probably 50-60 percussion instruments: ethnic drums, shakers, a two-sided mesh frame full of jingle bells, bird whistles, and things that chattered like squirrels and flapped like hawks' wings. The music created incredible atmospheric colors and had was built on scale harmonies. At one point every string instrument was playing without bowing, fast, slow, and in between on the same note. The effect was more visual than aural- it felt like I was watching water. And the cellist...
Yo Yo! I was starstruck for the first time yesterday before rehearsal. He was exactly as I pictured him, gentle and charismatic and gracious. Members from Schola Cantorum were yanking him around, getting pictures with their arms tight around him. Cellists from the orchestra were standing close. He had moments with friends he held by the shoulders. It wasn't a mob of autographs and photos, but it was clear that the guy in the blue button up was a big deal. During the performance he greeted multiple people in the orchestra, giving the concert-mistress double kisses on the cheek instead of a standard hand shake. He played with ferocity and beauty and love of the art. At one point he looked all around the orchestra, during that water-bowing part, almost as if to say "come on!" We stood in the back of the hall and watched the sold out show.
But wait! After we left to beat the rush, the wild applause died down and after a few minutes no one was coming out. Paul and I rushed into the main floor doors to find him just beginning his encore. My first OBF concert ended fittingly with Bach. The slow Sarabande from the 6th cello suite in D. The dance was intimate and graceful. The huge audience completely silent, instrumentalists heads bowed, and me feeling so fortunate, watching.
The space! Apparently it was built with the festival in mind. It is a 2500 seat, four tiered hall with green curves that outline each level. The walls have a basket-weaving pattern which Dara says is to honor the Native American design of this area.
The music! Tonight we sing Bach's Magnificat; the opening work of our summer's theme "Honoring Women." Outside of the five choral movements, there are are a series of solos, a duet, and a women's trio. I'd say my favorite movement to sing is the first movement "Magnificat" with (a theme that reappears at the final "Gloria"). It is the definition of the Baroque style I have had to soak up in these short few days. Detached, light, and without vibrato. This way of singing is actually quite nice on my voice, and I haven't been having too many issues since getting major allergy drugs. Listen to the final movement from a previous recording by Helmuth Rilling's singers- you get a great idea of his style.
The players! Parts of the OBF orchestra joined us for the Magnificat, a group which includes members of Helmuth Rilling's family, members of the Minnesota Orchestra, and members of other fine orchestras around the country. It is quite something to hear this music from those people who play it best. A violinist from Minnesota said that he takes two weeks without pay to come out every summer because it's such a wonderful experience. They played an unrecorded work, Golijov's "Azul," in essence a cello concerto, which had a 30 minute setup and featured full orchestra. The music was also scored for accordion, electronic mixer (which seemed to sample and play back or distort some of the sounds it was also recording), and a series of probably 50-60 percussion instruments: ethnic drums, shakers, a two-sided mesh frame full of jingle bells, bird whistles, and things that chattered like squirrels and flapped like hawks' wings. The music created incredible atmospheric colors and had was built on scale harmonies. At one point every string instrument was playing without bowing, fast, slow, and in between on the same note. The effect was more visual than aural- it felt like I was watching water. And the cellist...
Yo Yo! I was starstruck for the first time yesterday before rehearsal. He was exactly as I pictured him, gentle and charismatic and gracious. Members from Schola Cantorum were yanking him around, getting pictures with their arms tight around him. Cellists from the orchestra were standing close. He had moments with friends he held by the shoulders. It wasn't a mob of autographs and photos, but it was clear that the guy in the blue button up was a big deal. During the performance he greeted multiple people in the orchestra, giving the concert-mistress double kisses on the cheek instead of a standard hand shake. He played with ferocity and beauty and love of the art. At one point he looked all around the orchestra, during that water-bowing part, almost as if to say "come on!" We stood in the back of the hall and watched the sold out show.
But wait! After we left to beat the rush, the wild applause died down and after a few minutes no one was coming out. Paul and I rushed into the main floor doors to find him just beginning his encore. My first OBF concert ended fittingly with Bach. The slow Sarabande from the 6th cello suite in D. The dance was intimate and graceful. The huge audience completely silent, instrumentalists heads bowed, and me feeling so fortunate, watching.
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