So, I’ve discovered how brilliant the Friday evening concerts are. It’s perfect, you get off work, make a quick stop at the store for a bottle of wine and some snacks, then you meet up on the lawn with friends. You chat a bit, have a glass of wine and some cheese, then when the concert starts your friends with tickets head inside, but you get to meet up again at intermission. Absolutely fabulous!
Tonight’s concert was a great mix of pieces. First was Friandises by Christopher Rouse, then Prokofiev’s 2nd Violin Concerto, and last, Brahms’ 3rd Symphony. Friandises is a new work that I hadn’t heard before. To be honest, I haven’t even heard of Rouse before, but the piece was really neat. It was written as ballet music, but all the movements are dances, so it was really an interesting twist. I’m sure that Rouse composed it somewhere else like New York, or London, but something about it just sounds like Aspen. The sarabande especially, has this great string texture that feels like the sunshine and breeze hitting the aspen trees around the tent.
The Prokofiev was amazingly well performed by tonight’s soloist, Cho-Liang Lin, or Jimmy, as he is more commonly known. He attended the school years ago, and has gone on to perform around the world. This is one aspect of the Festival I really enjoy… it’s really like a family. Students come and perform in orchestras, and a couple years later come back in recitals and as soloists, and everyone remembers them from years ago. It’s a really amazing community.
The conductor tonight was another alum, Marin Alsop. Alsop is huge because she’s the highest profile woman composer in the world, and, from what I saw tonight, for very good reason. She’s got a great grasp of the music, but she’s also wonderful to watch. Really eloquent conducting style. And, might I add, good fashion sense too! She was wearing this gorgeous asian-style long white coat instead of trying to match the traditional male jacket. Very chic.