Beethoven and puppets

Yesterday afternoon at the Symphony, we heard Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 played by Horacio Gutierrez, followed by Stravinsky's Petrouchka ballet score in the second half.

In December 1808, Beethoven played the newly composed No. 4 and conduced an entire concert that included premiers of his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, the Choral Fantasia, Op. 80 for solo piano and several other works. The Vienna hall was freezing, the orchestral was unrehearsed, the audience was baffled, and Beethoven was probably in a bad mood. The entire concert was described as a "famous disaster," and the 4th Piano Concerto wasn't played again in Beethoven's lifetime. We're talking about shivering through many hours of music. It's hard to imagine it, sitting in a comfortable concert hall on a warm spring afternoon in Seattle.
Here's John at intermission, getting a bit of fresh air on the outdoor deck at Benaroya Hall. We enjoyed seeing our seat pals Betsy and Paul, and getting caught up on family news.
In the second half, we heard Stravinsky's Petrouchka ballet. This is the story of three puppets who come to life and then act out a sad, human story. Listening to ballet scores can drag at the symphony, but this score was exciting even without the beautiful dancers to act out the drama. It was easy to imagine the fantasy love triangle of Petrouchka, the Ballerina and the Moor.

It was a nice afternoon of music, then we went home and ate turkey enchiladas for dinner. And another weekend bites the dust...