neophyte

Last week I attended the Dallas Symphony's Russian Romance program. It was my first time at the symphony, and an incredible experience for me.

I grew up watching Disney movies, and particularly loved the musical ones: The Jungle Book, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast. I also relished musical movies, animated or not: Annie, The Rescuers, The Wizard of Oz. As i grew older I found that artists who recorded the songs I loved most sang pop opera, classical crossover and Broadway: Charlotte Church, Josh Groban, Sarah Brightman.

I found myself exploring opera recordings. I love Maria Callas and Renee Fleming. I have yet to attend a live performance, but I've watched many DVDs.

And yet, through it all, the orchestra was always just, I'm embarrassed to say, background noise. Sure, I might tune in to the local classical radio station when the mood hits me. But classical music on film and radio had always been a complement, never center-stage. Until now.

That night I was awash in a sea of pure, unadulterated emotion, wave after wave crashing against me, breaking me apart, breaking me open to beauty and splendor. It's one thing to listen to a recording, and quite another to be in a concert hall with the artists performing right in front of you, in a room full of people hanging on to each note. Each breath, each handstroke a new note, an intricate tapestry weaving itself before you of thin air, magically teasing and transporting you.

I was completely lost, and it was utterly glorious. I could barely tell who was playing what and when: i couldn't see the flutes from my seat, and can barely identify instrument tones anyway. There was one part that was kind of a cello and harp duet, a conversation even, one i found beautiful and romantic.

I feel utterly ignorant, not knowing who or what i was listening to, or whether or not they were any good. I know that the conductor was Hans Graf from Houston, it was 25-year veteran Dallas concertmaster Emmanuel Borok's last performance, and Milwaukee's Frank Almond was guest concertmaster that evening, playing the Lipinski Stradivari. As first nights go, I think I was incredibly lucky.

I hope to further explore this strange new world, and educate myself to appreciate it more and more.