demilo goes to the san francisco symphony
we couldn’t miss itzhak perlman doing bach, elgar and tchaikovsky. when travis’ brother jesse decided he wanted to attend this concert for his birthday, we were overjoyed.
i hadn’t been to see live classical music for a year or two, and i am always astounded how reinvigorated i am by such a performance. i grew up in the sound booth at the california center for the arts with my dad at the helm, and i have many blissful aural memories of the classical concerts that poured through.
the first piece at this event was bach’s violin concerto no. 2, for which a harpsichord was brought on stage. it’s a rare occasion to hear one live, and it gave a very medieval feel to the beginning of the show. the acoustics in the venue were pristine, and we had first tier seats! (thanks to amy & roy beauchamp!)
the second piece “introduction and allegro” was by edward elgar, with whom we were all previously unfamiliar. it was an atheletic piece that required 47 musicians (for bach, only 28 were present, and those mostly violins, cellos, the harpsichord and 2 upright bass). both travis’ brother jesse and i were interested to research more of elgar’s work afterwards.
the last piece, and possibly the most iconic of the three, was tchaikovsky’s symphony no. 6, pathetique. neither a failure nor a success when it debuted in tchaikovsky’s own time, the piece contains a lot of empty space and sombre bassoon and oboe solos that, while innovative, leave the audience unsure as to the piece’s direction. it was the biggest number, with almost 90 onstage musicians, including the timpani and cymbal men who didn’t get to do much but made big impressions when they did. it was right up my alley.
definitely the best result of the evening was getting to see itzhak perlman live. the audience held its breath as he slowly made his way on hand crutches to get to his conductor’s position, and then giggled as he pretended to inspect the violin and bow handed to him by a fellow musician. none of the pieces afforded him the impressive first violin playing of his past, but his conducting during the tchaikovsky piece showcased his talent well.
what a fun and inspiring event! during intermission, i told travis that if ever i complain of being bored, he should remind me to take oboe lessons.
–aimes
bonne soiree at bon iver
last night, travis and i went to see bon iver at the fox theater in oakland—and it was incredible.
if you haven’t been to this theater, put it top of list. what a pleasant surprise after so many of the new york concert halls i frequented (webster hall, with its blown out speakers and terrible acoustics, has to take the shit cake).
not so with the fox. besides being beautiful, the place tunnels the sound straight into your brain. the low hanging balconies were perfectly designed for eargasms. we sat at the very top balcony, which at first glance looked too far from stage, but ended up being aurally perfect.
i knew bon iver would blow us away, but it was travis who found the right descriptor for the sound: “other-worldly.” justin vernon’s haunting tenor silenced the entire place. he even stunned the drunks in the back.
as a nice contrast to the very serious music, both vernon and the lead singer of the opening band, megafaun, found ways to sneak in playful, self-deprecating comments.
bon iver: “um, we’re kind of reaching the end of the 9 or so songs we know…after this tour, we’re gonna take a break to write some more.”
megafaun: “justin’s playing bass on this song. and i think it’s his live debut. so, uh, after the show, if you want, please write down on a piece of paper the word ‘bass’ and the grade you’d give him and, uh, submit it at the merch table.”
bon iver expanded upon songs from “for emma, forever ago” with very tight, unexpected jams: one or two of the outros showed potential for the mind-blowing noise-rides jonny greenwood takes radiohead fans on; with only slightly less perfection in the execution.
the characteristic innovation of the night was to get everyone from both bands around one directional mic. i was reminded of the a cappella days as men with guitars, fiddles, banjos, drums, harmonicas and mandolins snuggled up close and the audience leaned in to hear. the eight man-strong killer chorus vocals drew gasps from my seatmates. it was intense and unforgettable glory.
for the most part, the band was true to the record. but there was a hint of bluegrass in the live performances that enhanced the overall sound.
my favorite bit was the percussion. bon iver didn’t hold back the drums. on “the wolves,” justin invited the audience to join in singing the refrain “what might have been lost,” which got us all involved and sounded amazing. with three other band members on toms, bass and snares, the result boomed.
you know the way fireworks feel in your chest on the fourth of july? like that.
take away for demilo: more drums.
for a few of my covers inspired by the vern, check out our myspace.
-aimes
