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last classical May 21, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : appreciation/criticism, music, the orchestra world, add a comment

This is a bit on the late side, I know, but I promised that I’d give myself a small breather after the last set of classical series concerts before I wrote about them.

First, Olivier Messiaen’s L’Ascension for orchestra. It’s not a work that I was familiar with before the rehearsals began, and it was a bit of an odd pill to swallow. Not unrewarding, not un-beautiful, just different, I guess. It’s enigmatic when you want (or expect) it to proclaim. Part of it is the way it is structured from the point of view of a performer.

The first movement, Majesty of Christ Asking Glory from his Father, is basically a slow, long, series of trumpet calls, with a few winds sprinkled in amongst the massive brass orchestrations. So we in the string sections start the piece by sitting around listening to really slow music for close to 10 minutes. If you’re the least bit tired, as I was on Saturday night, it can be excruciating sitting still in front of 2000+ people and struggling not to fall asleep on stage! (more…)

oso carmina burana - going fast! April 29, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : music, the orchestra world, add a comment

If you’re interested in attending the last OSO classical series concerts of the season - Messiaen’s  Ascension and Orff’s Carmina Burana - on May 17-19, you might wish to get your tickets sooner than later (as in NOW).

Sales are going briskly, and there will be no musician comp tickets for these concerts (a relatively rare event lately).

Get your tickets either here online or by calling the OSO box office at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343.

quartet for the end of time October 4, 2007

Posted by Charles Noble in : Uncategorized, add a comment

I was watching the last installment of the PBS series “The War” when they came to a segment about the liberation of the death camps across Europe.  The music chosen for this was Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time.

How appropriate - this music which largely ignores the concept of human time, and goes for the inexpressible language of Eternity.

I’ve been hearing the cello/piano movement in my head - “Louange à l’Éternité de Jésus” (Praise to the eternity of Jesus) today.

So ecstatically slow (a metronome marking of 44 to the sixteenth note) that time seems to stop.  Like for those poor souls consigned to the camps, like those of us waiting for news of a desperately ill friend, colleague, loved one, daughter, sister, aunt.

Time is in suspension - we almost dare not draw a breath, for that would move time forward - we will our hearts to stop, for time to really stop.

So the inevitable will be rendered moot.

It is times like this that remind me why personkind invented religion.  We need a way to make the infinite, inevitable, instinctual, ineffable somehow manageable.

Pax tibi in vitam aeternam