It has been a great autumn for classical music in Knoxville. Following the fabulous opening performances of the Knoxville symphony in September, the October concert, featuring the Elgar Cello Concerto was stunning. And the Knoxville opera put on a fabulous performance of Bizet’s Carmen. I didn’t write about either of those performances, not because I didn’t love them, but because other things, mostly having to do with my battered right foot were competing for my attention.
Last week however I was feeling a little more up to snuff, and I was lucky enough to attend two fabulous concerts on the same day.
In the morning I was lucky enough to attend one of the symphony’s “Young People’s Concerts” which are sponsored by my friend Sheena McCall. In the Knoxville Civic Auditorium, surrounded by a few thousand elementary school children, we took a musical road trip around the United States. The program was well chosen, diverse, and fabulously performed. When we were in New Orleans, we all got to stand up and march together to “When the Saints Go Marching In”. I couldn’t help but dance a little while I marched.
I liked that the screen alternated between showing scenes of the areas we were visiting and close ups of the musicians playing. As we turned back east from the west coast, we all sang “This Land is Your Land” together. The children weren’t the only ones’ having a great time. The song reminded me of my own childhood, and of life with George, who was a Woody Guthrie fan. I almost cried from joy while we sang.
The concert ended with a return to Knoxville, with a fabulous performance of “Rocky Top” and the sound of thousands of children singing the words with glee as they bounced in their seats, screaming with delight. What could be happier?
After that concert we went off to hear a chamber concert by the Knoxville Symphony’s Principal Quartet,
where we heard a fabulous program of Schubert and Beethoven. Both. pieces were beautifully performed and I love the way this concert series feels so close and personal. I love Beethoven’s middle quartets, and this one in particular. Once again, I was trying not to dance in my seat, not because dancing to the music is bad, but because I didn’t want to distract those behind me.
I did not take a very good photograph of the musicians, although I really wanted to do better. Next time. Kathryn Gawne gave a wonderful talk about the Beethoven before the performance and her talk had me thinking about the music, and what I adore about chamber music and how big of a role Beethoven played in the development of a type of sound I now take for granted.
It was a truly enjoyable performance. I often feel like Beethoven is part of my DNA, I grew up listening to it, and I know a huge swath of Beethoven’s repertoire by heart. This can sometimes be a problem because like most people I have preferences and biases, but I truly loved this performance — it both aligned with my expectations and was at the same time enlightening, allowing me to hear the music differently and make new musical and mental connections. For me that is the sign of a fabulous concert, when the listener comes out seeing something about music and the world differently.
I spent the remainder of the afternoon humming and thinking about music.