Pictures at an Exhibition

Jan 12, 2008 4:28 AM

Alle von Leben ist lediglich eine Chance, eine Koinzidenz, eine Fingerfertigkeit, alle gefüllte mit freudig kleinen Momenten des glücklicher Zufall.

All of life is merely a chance, a coincidence, a sleight of hand, all filled with fun little moments of serendipity.

I went to see a Red Violin, and ended up seeing Pictures at an Exhibition
(a play on words :)

Samuel Barber : Essay No. 2, Opus 17
John Corigliano : Concerto for Violin and Orchestra ("The Red Violin")
Mr. Bell
Modest Mussorgsky : Pictures at an Exhibition

Superb! After the concert, Mr. Corigliano, Mr. Bell and the conductor Leonard Slatkin
had a discussion for the audience about music and The Red Violin.

While Mr. Bell was outstanding, I would be remiss if I did not say that I really liked the performance of Pictures at an Exhibition by Mr. Slatkin and the members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Bell may have been the star, but the orchestra was all of the heavens combined, raveled all around the concert hall, with symphonic flourishes and real live stereophonic experience, complete with the best basses you've ever heard!

I could listen to this orchestration over and over again. From the program notes: "In the present concerts we hear a new edition of Ravel's score by Leonard Slatkin, which Mr. Slatkin introduced at the Hollywood Bowl last summer."