Betsy's View

The Boston Symphony Orchestra opened its129th season by paying tribute to the majesty of music.

I’d never been to opening night at the Symphony, but when I learned who was on the program for the Boston Symphony’s 2009-2010 season opener, I was more than anxious to attend.

World renown Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin would be marking his only Boston appearance with the BSO this season by performing at the BSO’s Opening Night Gala Concert on September 23rd.  Having previously heard Kissin perform Brahms with the BSO, I knew the evening was a must!

Kissin was not, however, the only soloist for the evening.  The BSO’s own harpist Ann Hobson Pilot was being honored by the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Laureate Conductor and Composer John Williams. Hobson Pilot, a 40-year veteran of the Boston Symphony, retired from the BSO in August 2009.  To honor her long career and retirement from the BSO, Composer John Williams was commissioned by the BSO to write a piece for her.

Under the leadership of Maestro James Levine, for Opening Night the Boston  Symphony Orchestra would be performing Berlioz’ Roman Carnival Overture, Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Evgeny Kissin on piano, Williams’ On Willows and Birches Concerto for Harp with Ann Hobson Pilot on harp, and Debussy's La Mer.

Until recently, I always had the impression that going to the symphony was for elite and mature patrons.  Having now been to a half dozen BSO performances, I can confidently say that while my preconceptions were not unfounded, the Boston Symphony organization has made great effort and accommodation to bring a diverse audience to Symphony Hall.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra Web site is the single highest visited orchestra Web site in the United States.  And with more than 7 million annual visitors, the BSO has the unique opportunity to reach and educate an audience that may not otherwise have the ability to connect with an orchestra, its performances, its musicians and the vast library of works that classical performers have at their fingertips.

Through the BSO Web site, visitors can learn about different conductors, BSO musicians, where to hear the BSO, the Boston Pops, or the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, and what and who they all are.  There are programs catered to students of all ages, resources for teachers, and youth and family concerts.  The BSO makes education and community outreach a priority.

The BSO brings music inside the homes of millions each year in a way that my grandmother never could.  The BSO makes music, particularly classical music, accessible.  With the BSO’s “Under 40 = $20” program, and College Card (sure wish I had one of those!) the BSO also makes going to the symphony affordable to its younger demographic.  Today, the BSO is not just for the elite and it is no longer just for mature audiences.  With its affordability and accessibility, the real question is why don’t we see a younger crowd at Symphony Hall? Simply put, I think the answer is that attending a symphony just isn’t part of today’s culture.

The BSO is trying to change that. Today the BSO is tweeting, it has a respectable 3,800 followers on Facebook and is now also on YouTube.  Social networking is one of the best ways to reach today’s under 40 crowd and the BSO is reaching out.  But the BSO is missing one very important element in its outreach.  It lacks a voice.

Tweeting, Facebooking and YouTubing are all fine and great.  But they are all very simple ‘updates’.  Yes, the BSO is performing this week, but tell me…tell me, the classical music neophyte, what makes the upcoming performance unique.  Tell me what makes it special.  Tell me about the artists. Tell me what I should be listening and looking for, and then tell me why I should come to the symphony.

And with that, let ME tell YOU why I think you should come to the symphony, what made Levine, Kissin, Hobson Pilot, Williams and the Boston Symphony Orchestra so spectacular this Opening Night and why I want to go back for more!

Two years ago, I knew very little about the symphony or classical music.  I was just being introduced to this world of orchestras, composers, instruments and compositions and it was, and still is, a very overwhelming task trying to understand its history and place in today’s music .  I was very familiar with a particular piece, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1, and as fate would have it, Evgeny Kissin would be performing this majestic piece of work right here in Boston’s Symphony Hall.  I had to go.

That night, I simply fell in love.  I sat mesmerized by Kissin’s performance.  It was clear that Evgeny Kissin was a master pianist, one of the best in the world, and there he sat performing this Brahms Piano Concerto.  He played with power, passion and beauty, and I was breathless.  After Kissin’s Brahms performance, he then performed a number of encores, perhaps 3 or 4, and all I could think about was seeing him perform again one day.

Opening Night at the BSO this season would be that ‘one day’ and I could barely contain my excitement.  Kissin chose one of Chopin’s only Piano Concerto’s with orchestra, Piano Concerto No. 2.  Kissin is quite famous for his Chopin performances, and I looked forward to his mastery.  I was not disappointed.  His speed in the first movement was matched only by his beauty and delicacy during the second.  He performed beautifully and he received a resounding applause and standing ovation.

But Kissin was not quite finished. After Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Kissin again sat down at the piano and performed an encore, the Shubert-Liszt Soirees de Vienne, Valse Caprice No. 6. He was marvelous.  There are many great pianists in the world, but with Kissin you can’t help but be drawn in by his quiet passion.  As Michelangelo's canvas was the Sistine Chapel, Evgeny Kissin’s canvas is the piano.

Why should you go to the symphony? To bear witness to a great artist like Evgeny Kissin.

If you don’t know who John Williams is, you probably don’t live in Boston or Los Angeles and you probably haven’t seen a movie since 1975. John Williams has composed some of the greatest film scores of the past 35 years, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Patriot, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, E.T., Jaws and Superman.  Williams was also the Conductor of the Boston Pops from 1980-1993 and is currently the Boston Pops Laureate Conductor. He has 45 Academy Award nominations and shelves of Oscars, Grammys, Emmys and Gold Records.

Williams has also written concertos and symphonies, and was most recently commissioned by the BSO to compose a piece celebrating the retirement of BSO harpist Ann Hobson Pilot.  What an honor!

Ann Hobson Pilot plays an instrument that most often, in my mind, elicits a dreamy or heavenly thought.  When I hear the harp, I think of Gods, ancient times and mythology.  The harp is delicate, ethereal and poetic.

John Williams composed On Willows and Birches and the piece was beautiful.  Hobson Pilot performed the piece with class and splendor, and it seemed as if she was playing from the heavens. Harp concertos are infrequently performed and I can only imagine the many harpists around the country who are anxious to see and hear Hobson Pilot’s performance with the Boston Symphony.

The harp is an amazing instrument with varying numbers of strings and pedals. A concert harp has 47 strings, 5 octaves, 7 pedals and weighs upwards of 85 pounds.  I thought that a piano was complex, and now I’ve discovered that the harp is just as!

Why should you go to the symphony? Where else can you see a world famous composer creating uncommon works that you can see performed 15 feet in front of you?

The two additional pieces on the program for Opening Night at the Boston Symphony were Berlioz’ Roman Carnival Overture and Debussy’s La Mer.  Roman Carnival was bold, energetic, and non-stop entertainment!  It was, after all, composed to depict a carnival scene.  I loved its energy, and the woman sitting next to me was absolutely giddy with delight, giggling and laughing out loud throughout the piece!

As the orchestra played, I was struck by the fact that there were two musicians playing the tambourine.  I don’t typically see two tambourines; in fact I rarely see the tambourine at all.  And as the Carnival pushed fervently to the end, all of a sudden those two tambourines turned into four!  What fun!  And what a way to begin the evening!

The BSO closed its Opening Night program with Debussy’s La Mer.  The Boston Symphony has performed this work on many occasions and first performed it in 1907, two years after Debussy’s completion.  Listening to La Mer, or The Sea, I imagined oceans and thunderous crashing waves.  It is a gorgeous piece filled with imagery and color. I look forward to hearing it again.

This season's Opening Night at the Boston Symphony was wonderful!  The soloists were magnificent and the orchestra sounded superb.  The BSO is an amazing organization and attending a performance is a great gift for the spirit.

The symphony is for everyone  and I regret not knowing more about the symphony as a younger adult.  I’ve loved each performance I’ve been to, some more, some less.  But each performance has been a great joy, and after each concert, I feel I’ve learned something more about music, the performers, the instruments, the composers, and the conductor.  I feel just a little more in tune with the world of music.

Why should you go to the symphony? Because you can.  And that is the best reason of all.  I, for one, am anxious for more!

BSO logo and professional photos courtesy of BSO.org