A good concert

 

Downtown Seattle was bustling yesterday. It was a summer-like afternoon and the Mariners were playing a big home game. Did you hear our baseball team finally made the playoffs after a 21 year drought (a pitiful MLB record.) That sure brings out Seattle's fair weather baseball lovers. Cubs fans we are not.

Anyway, things felt almost like normal again. Masks are "strongly recommended" in the hall, but perhaps a third of the symphony members and audience bothered.

Proof of vaccination is no long required to enter Benaroya Hall, so we breezed into the lobby and then waited in line to buy a $3 coffee cup for the self-service carafe. The bartender said it was on the house. Maybe we looked like we needed some caffeine.

Along with the rather heavy Dvořák Symphony #7, we heard Esa-Pekka Salonen's Cello Concerto, written several years ago with Yo Yo Ma in mind. The 30 minute piece was inspired by science fiction and outer space, chaos and comets. It was not "tuneful" as a lady at intermission commented, but interesting with electronic feedback loops on the cello and conga drums.

Our 4th row seats aren't that great for piano soloists (unless you like looking at shiny shoes) but perfect for watching string soloists up close and personal. 

The very intense German-French cellist Nicolas Altstaedt (above) wore huge black harem pants. His hair was much longer than in this picture.  As he flipped it around, I was afraid it might get tangled in his instrument. John said he was barefoot, but I was so caught up in the strange sounds I missed that detail. 

But he came back out on the stage in stocking feet for the standing ovation and did a more "tuneful" Baroque encore. He seemed to be a big hit with the matinee audience-- we might be old but we're not uptight.