I had no idea that the RPO’s new maestro, Ward Stare, would
be conducting this free lunchtime concert when my friend Martha asked if I was
interested in attending with her, but I accepted the invitation anyway, just to
have a chance to hear (and see…) the RPO in a more informal setting
(brown-bagging lunch is encouraged, and the concert lasts under an hour).
The atmosphere was indeed relaxed, and it was fun to run
into other friends in the audience, as well as to see young children, and even
a couple of babies! (Yes, one was
probably heard on the broadcast.)
I was surprised that the orchestra was dressed in concert black, since
none of the radio listeners would know if they were wearing tuxes or jeans (I
recall being at a broadcast ago of Lake Wobegon decades ago, when Garrison
Kiellor described for the listeners, in meticulous detail, the uniforms of the
on-stage band, only they were wearing no such thing!) The orchestra seats were reasonably full, despite the
difficulty of parking in that area on a weekday, and it was weird finally
seeing the WXXI host, Mona Seghatoleslami, in person (of course, I recognized
her voice immediately).
The orchestra played two extremely familiar pieces (the
overture to Rossini’s Barber of Seville,
and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 “Italian”), and I could hear a woman behind me humming along.
Ward Stare was such a joy to watch conduct, as he danced to the beat of the
Rossini. Martha, who was seeing him for the first time, remarked, “Oh my God,
his energy is amazing!”
As much as I enjoy watching the conductor and musicians from
the orchestra seats (principal violist, Melissa Matson, was particularly fun to
observe, as her head hypnotically followed Stare’s baton at one point when the
violas were silent), I wished that I had sat on the far side of the balcony,
where I could have seen Stare’s face as he conducted, and viewed him almost
from the perspective of the orchestra itself. Note to myself for next time!
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