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Classical Classical at The San Diego Symphony Orchestra
A concert I didn't know I needed
Beethoven
The San Diego Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday, November 9, was the concert I didn’t know I needed. To be honest, the program looked a bit boring on the surface. It was only Mozart, Haydn, and early Beethoven. It was an all-classical classical music concert, and it was perfect. For those who have forgotten their Music Appreciation 101 course, the classical period of music is roughly 1750-1820.
This first piece was Mozart’s Overture to *The Magic Flute*. How many times have I heard this thing? It feels like thousands but I’d never heard it conducted by Bernard Labadie. Maestro Labadie specializes in music from the classical period and it was evident in the excellent playing of the orchestra. It was light and nimble but certainly not precious. The new acoustic of The Jacobs Music Center did its part as well. It made every phrase and articulation evident.
Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 followed. This was more of the same because, from what I could tell, Jonathan Biss was the perfect pianist for this piece. His approach mirrored that of Labdie. Beethoven’s music floated but had weight. It was a heavier-than-air dirigible. The first movement cadenza was a phenomenal display of technical ability and musical acumen. The entire performance was based on the enlightening quality of knowledge. This music was known by the performers.
As the first half of the concert concluded, I felt free and relaxed and that isn’t always the case. I then realized that something was missing. There was no struggle session with some modern monstrosity of dubious musical value. Apparently is it possible to have a successful concert without some piece of cultural Marxism.
Mozart’s Overture to La Clemenza di Tito started the second half of the concert. This is prime Mozart. The entire opera is musically better than its frequency of performance would suggest.
The final piece was Haydn’s Symphony No. 103, the “Drum Roll”. Maestro Labadie addressed the audience before the performance with an informative and engaging overview of Haydn’s life after he was released from his service to Count Esterhazy. The performance continued the night of excellence.
The timing of this concert was uncanny. All four pieces were composed in the 1790s which was the height of The Enlightenment. In 1787, the ultimate document of The Enlightenment, The US Constitution, was signed and we had just had another divisive election.
What is not divisive are the ideals of The Enlightenment that this music embodies. Those would be reason, individual liberty, progress, natural rights, religious tolerance, skepticism, universality, and deploying the scientific method in an attempt to understand the world. The music reflects these qualities with the clarity of its structure and texture and its balanced proportions.
Video:
Haydn: Symphony No. 103
Here's something you might be interested in.
Classical Classical at The San Diego Symphony Orchestra
A concert I didn't know I needed
Classical Classical at The San Diego Symphony Orchestra
A concert I didn't know I needed
Beethoven
The San Diego Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday, November 9, was the concert I didn’t know I needed. To be honest, the program looked a bit boring on the surface. It was only Mozart, Haydn, and early Beethoven. It was an all-classical classical music concert, and it was perfect. For those who have forgotten their Music Appreciation 101 course, the classical period of music is roughly 1750-1820.
This first piece was Mozart’s Overture to *The Magic Flute*. How many times have I heard this thing? It feels like thousands but I’d never heard it conducted by Bernard Labadie. Maestro Labadie specializes in music from the classical period and it was evident in the excellent playing of the orchestra. It was light and nimble but certainly not precious. The new acoustic of The Jacobs Music Center did its part as well. It made every phrase and articulation evident.
Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 followed. This was more of the same because, from what I could tell, Jonathan Biss was the perfect pianist for this piece. His approach mirrored that of Labdie. Beethoven’s music floated but had weight. It was a heavier-than-air dirigible. The first movement cadenza was a phenomenal display of technical ability and musical acumen. The entire performance was based on the enlightening quality of knowledge. This music was known by the performers.
As the first half of the concert concluded, I felt free and relaxed and that isn’t always the case. I then realized that something was missing. There was no struggle session with some modern monstrosity of dubious musical value. Apparently is it possible to have a successful concert without some piece of cultural Marxism.
Mozart’s Overture to La Clemenza di Tito started the second half of the concert. This is prime Mozart. The entire opera is musically better than its frequency of performance would suggest.
The final piece was Haydn’s Symphony No. 103, the “Drum Roll”. Maestro Labadie addressed the audience before the performance with an informative and engaging overview of Haydn’s life after he was released from his service to Count Esterhazy. The performance continued the night of excellence.
The timing of this concert was uncanny. All four pieces were composed in the 1790s which was the height of The Enlightenment. In 1787, the ultimate document of The Enlightenment, The US Constitution, was signed and we had just had another divisive election.
What is not divisive are the ideals of The Enlightenment that this music embodies. Those would be reason, individual liberty, progress, natural rights, religious tolerance, skepticism, universality, and deploying the scientific method in an attempt to understand the world. The music reflects these qualities with the clarity of its structure and texture and its balanced proportions.
Video:
Haydn: Symphony No. 103