The opening concert of the new CBSO season last night. We left it a little later than usual to get our tickets so were sitting in a different place from the usual, but actually found the change quite refreshing! Sitting in our "normal" place, up in the balcony, we get a fine view of everything but sometimes feel a little remote from the happenings on stage. Here in the main body of the hall, the sound quality was far more immediate but this came at the expense of the view. In the second half, I found myself looking at a member of the orchestra who appeared to be doing nothing for at least two movements of the symphony. I worked out he was probably a woodwind player - suspected a piccolo which was confirmed later in the final movement. But until he picked up his piccolo and began to play, that still little face amongst all the other musicians playing their hearts out was quite a distraction and rather strange!
When Symphony Hall rigs up a floating basket hovering somewhere central in the auditorium, we'll be in it! Until then, I think we are already committed "upstairs" for the next few concerts at least.
It was a cracking concert and the first sell-out we've seen in ages. Die Meistersingers followed by Brahms Piano Concerto #2 and then Beethoven's 5th. Wow. We weren't the only ones to be thrilled by the whole performance - had we been on the other side of the Atlantic, the whole audience would have been on their feet immediately, but being British, only a couple of people stood to applaud whilst the rest of us simply clapped as enthusiastically as we do for rather longer than usual.
Of course, we hummed all the way home as well.
