Classical Musician at a Rock Show

I had the unbelievably good fortune to attend two brilliant performances today (Sunday, March 11, 2012 - although this will likely be posted on a different day). The first performance was of violinist Ray Chen and pianist Julio Elizalde performing the following works:

Mozart: Sonata for Violin and Piano in B flat major, K 454; Brahms: Sonata for Violin and Piano no 3 in D minor, Op. 108; Ysaÿe: Sonatas (6) for Violin solo, Op. 27: no 2 in A minor "Obsession"; Saint-Saëns: Havanaise for Violin and Orchestra in E major, Op. 83; and Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo capriccioso in A minor, Op. 28. Chen and Elizalde played one encore: John Williams' "Schinder's List".

Chen was vibrant onstage and moved freely and passionately. Technically he is astonishingly precise, but he also featured a mature musicality. The Brahms was the centerpiece for me; the second movement was played with an unbridled emotion that left my heartstrings tugged at every phrase. The concert could have consisted of only that movement and I would have been left satisfied. Fortunately, I was treated to the full Brahms Sonata as well as the other piece that captured me: Ysaÿe's Solo Sonata no.2 ("Obsession").

The Q&A with the artists after the show was slightly disappointing as the performers did not speak as articulately as they played. Then again, they had just performed an intense concert and were likely tired...

But the concert I attended this evening was one that will remain in my mind as one of my fondest musical experiences. In the fulfillment of a dream that was been over 10 years in the making, I finally saw my favourite band on the planet: RADIOHEAD.

I first started listening to Radiohead when I bought the album Big Shiny Tunes 2 in 1997, which was a compilation of popular hits from that year. The Radiohead song featured was "Paranoid Android". I fell in love with the rich texture of the music, the contrasting sections, the funky lyrics - I would listen to that song over and over again. Maybe a year later, when my parents finally got cable and I started watching MuchMusic, did I receive exposure to Radiohead's over songs. Through a Spotlight on Radiohead, I saw several of their music videos including "High and Dry", "Street Spirit" and "Just". A fan was born. I went out and bought The Bends and OK Computer immediately and listened to them non-stop.

When Radiohead came out with Kid A and then Amnesiac, my mind was blown. "Everything in Its Right Place" entranced me the moment I heard the opening notes. I remember listening to those CDs in my Discman and staring out a van window at a changing landscape as my family drove across Canada to visit relatives.

Update/Downdate

Well, it's certainly been a minute, hasn't it? What's happened since March 2012...let's see: I've played a lot of music - Masters recitals in April, 2012; May, 2013; February, 2014; chamber music concerts galore with groups at UMKC, Regina Summer Strings, Black House Collective, Classical Revolution KC, etc; I got engaged, October 2012; I gained family - welcoming my little nephew, Noah, in October 2012; I lost family - bidding adieu to my wonderful Aunt Anne in September 2014; I gained friends - too many to name!; I lost friends - accepting reality when my friend and talented colleague Matt Siegel fell from a university parking garage in October, 2014; I got married on May 10, 2013, and organized a celebratory bash with family and friends a year later; I've been to familiar places (Regina, Calgary, Ottawa, Tenaga, PEI) and new places (NYC, Chicago, Montreal, Valparaiso, Hartford, Portland); and now I'm trying to make life work as a freelance musician. There seems like a lot to say and, at the same time, nothing to say at all. Life is life, and life has kept on going despite me not making huge announcements to the world via this blog. Is my commentary on what's happening out there important? Do my travel experiences and stories matter? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe people who blog really just do it for themselves...and anyone who happens upon this little online journal-of-sorts gets a brief peek inside my life before moving back into their own world. Blah blah blah Ciao for now