However, nothing has quite compared to last nights NSO performance. Mary had two tickets and graciously asked me to come along. I excitedly got dressed up and drove to the Kennedy Center. I was ready to have a peaceful night full of exquisite music. The first piece was VERDI: Overture to I vespri siciliani. It was the perfect mix of melancholy and whimsy. The second piece was PAGANINI: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6. It was good, a bit long, but the violin soloist was extremely talented. However, she did not wear shoes on stage.
The third piece was....well there is only one phrase that describes it... A Beautiful Disaster (coined by Mary.)
Imagine yourself: You are sitting in the Kennedy Center, enjoying the beautiful music and scenery. Then a woman (see below) enters in a ballgown. "Oh, this is exciting" you think. You read that she will be singing the Arias from the courtroom scene from Alice in Wonderland. Interesting, one might think.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO. Painful.
She read the entire courtroom scene and acted out all of the parts. That was actually quite impressive. She was very animated. However, the arias were a beautiful disaster. In one part, the orchestra was going crazy and she was screeching very loud and very high. It was so bad that the little old man next to me had to cover his ears. It was so frightening that a little girl behind us was afraid and kept hitting the back of our seats. People were walking out. I was dumbfounded. These were my thoughts throughout the 1 hour that this went on:
1- This is like taking the Mona Lisa out of the frame and using it to sop up Koolaid. Then crunching it into a ball and throwing it into the waste basket for two points.
2- I am pretty sure this is what purgatory sounds like.
Well, least to say, I left the symphony much more anxious than when I came. That is not supposed to happen. As I think about it today, I just can not help but laugh. Seriously, Mary, thanks for taking me with you!
Public Service Announcement # 97: Just in case you are interested.
2 comments:
It is true. I was quite impressed with the arias- and at the same time I disliked it... but still, impressed. Talent was there.
That said, up until last night, those arias had not been heard for over 20 years (and for good reason).
yeah, that alice in wonderland stuff is pretty wild! I had to sing some of it as an undergrad and it was out of control hard!
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