How would you like to look at a bunch of flowers for an hour and a half? Or how would you like to look at a bunch of trees for an hour and a half? What about listening to the wind for an hour and a half.
Alright, I’ve given you a few ideas of what I had to put up with today.
A few days ago, I visited a ticket distribution sight on the Internet (what a racket this is), to buy a ticket for a classical piano recital. The pianist was Paul Lewis from Britain.
What did I know about Mr. Lewis? Very little, but I decided to take a chance on this concert since it was promoted by the Vancouver Recital Society (they invite the best of the best from all over the world!).
Paul Lewis seems to have a very good reputation and deservedly so. His tone is gorgeous and his phrasing is borderline perfect. He records for one of the best classical labels, Harmonia Mundi. I have no complaints about the pianist.
My complaint is his program. Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert.
The music itself is quite pleasant to listen to. Schubert tends to use a lot of triplets patterns and develops one idea over and over. The theme(s) of the music is (are) used over and over and over again. Maybe that’s what put me to sleep. Plus the combination of Mr. Lewis’s lovely playing which tends to be rather hypnotic.
Maybe I’ve been listening to too much jazz where the melodies are developed on the spot and modified in extreme ways. This could be the reason for not enjoying the music as much as I could.
This was my first classical concert in Vancouver in quite a while (over a ten year absence).
The performance was held at the Chan center. The acoustics were acceptable. My seat on the balcony was comfortable enough (I had ample leg room). Ninety percent of the customers were seniors and almost all “white”. The ticket costed $35 which included a service charge.
Maybe I chose the wrong concert to go to. I’m sure Schubert fans were foaming at their mouths but I can’t say I’ll be going to a concert like this again.
Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schubert, Schuber
