Firsts: recital, concert, lesson

In the last day and a half I got to do what I came here for, starting with a piano/flute recital presented by my teacher and his wife.  The recital was part of a mid-day series at the Merchant House, a charity building with a nice hall for chamber music.  The concert included: Bach Sonata in B minor, Schubert Variations on Trockne Blumen, and Poulenc Sonata for Flute and Piano.  It was a great program in a beautiful room.  In introducing the Schubert, the pianist read the poem on which the original song was based.  The song is part of a cycle about unrequited love and this poem tells of the weeping flowers that will bloom when the narrator is dead and his love will still not notice him.  The flutist became quite emotional as he read the poem and it was clear in her playing that she felt connected to the poem and the work as a whole.  The Poulenc Sonata was the best on the program with a lot of excitement and great unity between both performers.  The flutist had a French teacher who played with Poulenc so it was cool to hear a close link to the composer.  They pointed out that often the published markings are only one version of the composers intentions and in practice the composer changes much of what is written.

In the evening, I saw the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the Grand Hall of the City Halls, a complex with a few performance venues.  The hall was a typical "shoebox" style, mostly white with some decoration around the edges; not very large like many American halls and not gold-leafed and pretentious like the Musikverein.  The acoustics were great with just enough reverb, good contrast between loud and soft, and good ability to hear solos.  The men in the orchestra did not wear tuxedos, just all black suits, shirts, and ties so it was uniform and unassuming.  The audience was very well mannered and mostly only coughed between movements, which was nice.  There was no standing ovation either.

The program was: Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3, and Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony; three standard pieces that I have heard live before.  The conductor was a Chinese woman named Xian Zhang, not a first for me but still quite rare to see a woman conductor.  The pianist was a young Russian named Denis Kozhukhin who will be performing the complete cycle of Prokofiev concertos with this orchestra during this season.  Overall, the string sound was amazing, reminding me of the orchestras I heard in Vienna, where each section plays so perfectly together that they sound as one.  The cello section sounded particularly unified, especially in the opening and lyrical theme of the Schubert.  The Prokofiev was speedy and accurate with lots of enthusiasm.  The pianist played with clarity and virtuosity and balanced the orchestra.  I heard this same Tchaikovsky symphony just two weeks ago in Nashville so it was fitting that it would in the first concert I heard in Glasgow.  The conductor was very animated making the loud, brilliant, fast sections contrast greatly with the softer and more lyrical ones.  It was an exciting performance with a roaring brass section that put me in a great mood as it finished.  After the program the pianist came back out with a few of the principal players to perform Prokofiev's Overture on Hebrew themes, a fun chamber piece and great opportunity to hear the orchestral players in soloistic passages.  I also happened to be sitting amidst a group of people that play in a community orchestra and are preparing some of the pieces on the program for their next concert.  It was fun to talk to them a bit and know that so many people here appreciate this great music.  I can't wait to here some more orchestra concerts!

This morning I had my first lesson and it was a great start!  It was a bit shorter because he had meetings on either side but I have another on Tuesday and he promised some extra time.  He was very positive about my playing and had a number of helpful suggestions for getting the most out of the piece, like not shying away from the bigger and rougher sounding sections and to maintain continuity in my sense of time, as well as some wrist and arm techniques that will help my sound.  I look forward to working with him and getting my repertoire in top shape.

Merchant's House Recital Hall

City Halls: Grand Hall