DSO (my former hometown orchestra) came to Orlando (Northland Distributed Church) last night as part of their Florida tour. Too bad we couldn't give them better weather.
They were EXQUISITE!!! I was so proud of them.
Wasn't sure going in how I would feel about the relatively modern music they played, but found that I loved the Concertato for "Moby Dick" by Peter Mennin. You could hear/feel the ocean waves and sense the whale.
Cellist, Sol Gabetta was absolutely wonderful. Beautiful young women (I think she is 27 or 28) but played beyond her years. Reminded me of Jacqueline Du Pre, not that I have any basis to make the comparison other than the movie "Jackie and Hillary", but her mannerisms seemed similar. She played Barber's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 22. I would have preferred Dvorak or Haydn, but was OK. I think Phil slept through the Andante movement.
I had binoculars with me, fortunately, as my eyesight is horrible from hbot and was able to watch, up-close and personal the entire cello concerto. Loved her dress (darkish aqua and a beautiful copper color that matched her cello perfectly). She seemed to have a nice connection with the first violinist.
In spite of loving the cellist, highlight was the Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27. Will buy this on iTunes or CD. It was such a pleasure to hear this orchestra. They were flawless, expressive. Leonard Slatkin was very easy to follow and doesn't seem to suffer any affects from his heart attach last year.
Northland Distributed Church is a beautiful facility/venue. Tons of room, very friendly feel. Not real sure about the acoustics for this type of concert; sure it is great for church services, etc. but the sound seemed slightly muffled. Seating was really strange. Our tickets were not numbered to correspond to the actual seat numbers, so it took Phil and I awhile to find our seats as we were not seated next to our friends. Next year, all the Festival of Orchestra venues will be here; still haven't decided if I want to get a season subscription (not after horrible Moscow State Radio Orchestra experience)!
Only negative was the bleeding episode I had at the beginning of the intermission; think I got too excited about Sol Gabetta and was talking too much to my friends. Fortunately I was able to get into a "family style" bathroom and get the bleeding under control. Got some strange looks from fellow attendees as I kept a wash cloth to my mouth (hopefully fairly discreetly) during the second half. OK now; will take it easy this weekend; not too much talking and keep the dial setting lower on my water pic as I'm sure that didn't help. Really glad the surgery is coming up next week.
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