It's nice that we let the colonials come to our capital to play our music...
It was all right, but nothing special. Bit of Elgar, bit of Vaughan Williams. Elgar cello concerto was played by Ralph Kirshbaum. At the end, the woman next-door-but-one to me said to her companion, on my immediate left "Bring back Jacqueline du Pre" I felt like tapping her on the shoulder and saying "You know she carped it a good while back," but didn't. A bit uncharitable in her judgement, but the performance failed to move me.
I haven't a clue what makes a good conductor or a bad conductor, other than an instinct. That instinct told me that tonight's conductor, Joseph Swenson, was really nothing special. And I mean, really.
The music was okay, but I did feel a little bit like I was applauding out of good manners, rather than enthusiasm. Which was a shame, because the music as written - Elgar's Introduction and Allegro for Strings, and Cello Concerto in E minor, and Vaughan Williams' Symphony in D major (no. 5) are very pleasant, lyrical pieces. I just think they could have been performed with a bit more feeling.
Or maybe it was just me; maybe everyone else really enjoyed it. Maybe it's my fault that the music didn't speak to me. I suspect I wasn't alone, though.
Still, I'd far rather spend an evening hearing pleasant tunes being played in a mediocre fashion than sitting at home staring at walls.
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