Father-Daughter date with LRL

BBL is off on her high-seas adventure with her mother and sisters, leaving LRL stag on a Saturday night. And that simply wouldn't do. So LRL and I went to watch D play at the Foothills Philly concert. It's been a LONG time since I've been on a father-daughter date and I enjoyed it very much!


We were on row C and I could have gotten some awesome shots but photographs were strictly verboten. D managed to snap one during intermission. He didn't play the second half of the program so he was able to join us.


My favorite piece was the Overture for the Opera Der Freischutz by Carl Marla von Weber. LRL enjoyed the Brahms Variations better. All three of us agreed that the Tchaikovsky pieces were excellent.

I usually sit on the violin side of the orchestra, but D picked out seats on the cello side this time. I really enjoyed the change. Cello is my favorite stringed instrument. A few years back I had a dalliance with Vivaldi and thought it was the violin, but that's over now. When I look in iTunes most of my favorited score pieces are ones that are full of the deep, dark tones of the celli.

Everytime I attend one of D's concerts I am reminded how fantastic a live performance of music really is. There are so many details that you pick up live that are missed when you just listen to a performance on CD. Like the 1st Cellist who plays so passionately she actually rocks her instrument a little as she plays, like she's dancing with it. Or the nods and smiles between soloist and conductor as they lead the way through a piece.

GR wonders so close to edge of the podium when he conducts - it always heightens the dramatic tension when I think he's going to fall off! In fact, I told LRL that was what inspired me to write Orchestral Black in the first place.

Watching the orchestra also gives you a fuller understanding of the skill it takes to play the music. Mr. Hutton was playing notes on the Cello that were so high, he was actually off the fingerboard entirely. It was amazing. I know for a fact that I would not have an appreciation for that skill if I had not seen it.

Afterwards we went to Ruby Tuesdays to eat. We ran into part of our clan there. I finished my salad but was too full to finish my quiche. I think it will reheat just fine.