Beethoven's 9th

When I was young, living in Boise, there was one spot in the middle of the living room floor that would have the square of sunlight on it from the front window. On a Sunday afternoon, I would lie in that square of sunshine with Blacky next to me reading the funny papers and listening to the old console stereo. I remember listening to Beethoven's 9th symphony on many a Sunday afternoon in this position on the living room floor.

Last night, the DH and I went to hear the Seattle Symphony and Chorale perform Beethoven's 9th. It brought back that memory quite vividly. What also struck me, was that I must have heard the first side of the record more often than the second side. The first and second movements were very familiar to me, but the third and forth not quite as much. I just love the way that music rises and falls with so much emotion. The quiet making you listen for more and the loud reminding you that you're alive.

Dulcet Tones

On Friday, last week, the DH and I went to see Renee Fleming at Benaroya Hall. I wouldn't say she's my idol, but just about as close as you can get when it comes to multiplying the vocal talent. She is breathtaking.

The program included a bunch of 20th century pieces in the first half. Although I appreciate the skill required to perform those (and it is a lot of skill), it's not music that I enjoy listening to. Perhaps that just speaks to my laziness, but I enjoy a good melody.

The second half started with a group of Strauss lieder and it was exactly what I wanted to hear. Every note was perfection. By the time she'd gotten through the songs, I was so happy that we'd come to hear her.

If you're interested in hearing classical vocal pieces, I highly recommend Renee Fleming. She is likely the most talented soprano performing right now. What a delight that I got to listen in person.

Music Monday -- Because It Feels Like Monday

The DH and I spent some time at Bumbershoot over the weekend. One of the acts we watched/listened to was Kristen Ward. We both really liked what we heard. What we saw was also very entertaining, but really not so much about the music. Bumbershoot brings a very eclectic audience together, so the people-watching is outstanding!

The YouTube video is from Bumbershoot and not great quality. The album, however, is great. The style is AltCountry and Kristen's voice is great. It reminds me a little of Mary Chapin Carpenter. She also has a great guitar player with some really good riffs. Take a listen here, but if you like it even a little, go take a listen on iTunes where the quality is much improved.

Natalie MacMaster is Pregnant

You may not care that Natalie is pregnant, but I do. I was very disappointed to find out. Normally, I'm all about the baby love. Pregnancies are exciting and fun (for everyone but the mother in some cases). But Natalie is a performer in the Cape Breton style that includes step dancing while fiddling. It's just not the same when she's pregnant.

I saw Natalie MacMaster for the first time at Bumbershoot several years ago. It was one of the most spirited live performances in memory. She played a variety of folk tunes and danced the whole time. The entire audience was mesmerized and we had a fantastic time. So, about a year and a half ago, she was here again and playing with the symphony. I convinced the DH that he'd love hearing and seeing her and we went to the performance with high expectations. The music was wonderful, but Natalie was pregnant, so the dancing was not quite as lively. We had a great time, but I was a tad bit disappointed that she wasn't able to give that amazing performance that I remembered.

So, this year Natalie is on tour again and I really want to see the full show with the DH. We got tickets and as we were walking toward the Kirkland Performance Center, I told the DH, "she just better not be pregnant." We got there and she came out on stage -- visibly and obviously pregnant. OY! She had several outstanding performers with her and we got to see a bit of dancing with the playing, but Wow! That girl is all about making the babies. This is number three and they're each only 18 months apart. This may be the last time we see her live. If she comes back later, I need to figure out how to ensure that she's NOT pregnant when I buy tickets.

Symphony of a Thousand

Last night, the DH and I enjoyed an evening at the symphony care of Ken. We love Ken and he's a great friend. He also loves Mahler. So for the DH's birthday (which isn't until November, but the Mahler symphony was in September, so go with it), his friend bought us tickets to his favorite symphony.

To be honest, I wasn't convinced this was going to be too great. Mahler lived in the late 1800' to early 1900's and it's just not my favorite period of symphonic music. There's too much dischord there and it can be hard to listen to.

The first 10-15 minutes of Mahler's 8th symphony was about what I was expecting. Then it started getting better and just kept on improving. I looked at my watch an hour and 15 minutes into it and couln't believe how fast the time had flown.

The piece builds and builds until it almost explodes off the stage. There were over 300 voices, strings, woodwinds, horns, percussion, and more. There was organ, piano, and harp. And the ending was so grand and beautiful that it brought me to my feet.

I'm not a standing ovation kind of gal, but this actually brought me to my feet without any thought. It was one of the most enjoyable evenings of music I can remember in a long time. It's not often that you're carried away by the music, but this was one of those nights.


This isn't the Seattle Symphony, but it can give you a taste for the scale of the ending.

Seattle Summer Music

In addition to the mad pickin' skillz we witnesses a couple of weeks ago, we've also enjoyed some outdoor concerts over the last few weeks. I love the outdoor venues in the area and we're definitely taking advantage of them this Summer. We saw Ringo Starr and his All Stars at Chatteau Ste. Michelle winery and it was really fun. All the artists played songs they were famous for and then some not-so-famous songs. They were all fantastic musicians and you could tell they were all having a really good time. That's part of the fun of live music for me. I enjoy watching musicians who love performing.

We also went to one of the Zoo Tunes concerts at Woodland Park Zoo. We saw Emmylou Harris and she was wonderful. I love her music and also enjoyed the collection of musicians she brought with her. It's also a great venue for enjoying the people and we had almost as much fun seeing the families and folks who went to the concert as we did watching the concert.

We're looking forward to a few more event this Summer. They're not all at the outdoor venues, but we're definitely looking forward to Boz Skaggs and (totally unrelated) the opera Aida.

Mad Pickin' Skillz

Last night, the DH and I saw some amazing musicians at Benaroya Hall. The symphony put on a Summer concert series and last night was the final performance of the series. The musicians were the Sparrow Quartet, with Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck making up half of that group, and Earl Scruggs and his family band. You might know Earl best for the song that you'll be singing the rest of the day. He wrote the theme song for the Beverly Hillbilies. That's right. Ol' Jed's a Millionaire, and now you've got that song in your head.

I'm not the biggest blue-grass fan, but I have to say that those were some amazing musicians and I really enjoyed the evening of live music. Earl is 84 now, so his son did most of the talking and introduced the band. I was amazed at how fast they could all play. The one just played faster than the next. Of course, I enjoyed the dobro and the mandolin more than the banjo, but the banjo sure was a lot of fun.