First evening in Seattle and tickets to the Seattle Symphony at the Benaroya Hall just two blocks from my hotel. It was a lovely evening, too!
The concert itself was amazing. The featured work was Scheherazade, Opus 35 by Rimsky-Korsakov. The concert began with Summer Night in Madrid (Spanish Overture #2) by Glinka. But the middle number and its featured soloist brought the house down! A Seattle golden boy, Augustin Hadelich performed the Violin Concerto in D Major, Opus 35 by Tchaikovsky. Hadelich had just won the 2016 grammy for best solo performance for his CD Dutilleux which he recorded with the Seattle Symphony. The audience flew to its feet in a standing ovation and Hadelich performed an encore of a piece by Musorsky--and again another rousing standing ovation and he obliged with a second encore of a Partita by Bach solo. When it was announced that he would be signing the grammy winning CD's at intermission--I knew I had to get one!
At intermission, I ended up buying two of the CD's, and got them signed as I know a certain violinist who I hope
will enjoy one of them. The line to purchase was separate from the line to get
them signed, and it was very confusing where it started in the crowded foyer. A
man in front of me took it upon himself to gently point out to people who cut
in front of others where the line actually started. As we approached the
counter to buy, another couple stepped up between myself and the friendly
enforcer. I waited for one of them to look around and realize their mistake,
but they seemed completely incurious about the world around them--in
particular, the line stretching behind them. So I said, "Excuse me,
sir." He turned around sharply and said, "What? I'm just looking! Is
it a crime to just look?" Well! I didn't have time to even think of what
to say, when the original enforcer turned around and stepped up to my defense.
He said, "He didn't mean anything, it's just confusing where the line
is...." and the guy cut him off--"I'm NOT cutting! I'm not the kind
of person who would cut, you asshole! Ah shit, why don't you BOTH just go to
HELL!" and he stormed away.
That's when I introduced myself to Lou, the man who was
standing in front of me. And I did get to make it through the second line and
get my CD's signed by the artist as well as express my sincerely appreciation
of his brilliant performances--he projected an unaffected sincerity in our
brief encounter.
As to the second half the Rimsky-Korsakov's
"scheherazade" Opus 35 was also marvelous. All the buzz before the
concert in the lobby was centered around the principle violinist, and she was
exceptional--but the first Clarinetist's solo's stole my heart. Again, at the
end a massive ovation. Seattle loves it's symphony and I am so glad that I got
to experience it first hand. The audience was quite a mixed bag of older people
and younger--even a fare sprinkling of the stereo-typically Seattle Goth crowd.
In spite of the "he-doth-protest-too-much" I'm not
a cutter guy, it was an amazing evening.
