It was this past Thursday, I believe, while driving to the bank that I heard the ad. The Milwaukee Symphony was going to be performing Franz Liszt's Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major for piano and orchestra and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor. I pressed number two on my cell phone, my speed dial short cut to Superdad's office, and said we should go. After all, the Milwaukee Symphony, while a good symphony, is not known for its excellent discernment in musical selections; they're a bit too fond of newer composers and infusing a choral component into all of their concerts to please my purest palette. But this-- well, this sounded good!
So Superdad snagged us two tickets. All I had to do was snag us a babysitter. No problem. Thumbing through our church directory, teeming with child-loving teenagers, I began making my calls. No. No again. An no again. And again and again and again... local homecoming festivities, it appeared, were robbing me of all possible babysitters.
Saturday came and we still didn't have a babysitter. I then suggested to Superdad that he take Madeleine to her first symphony concert. We had a few concerns, namely the late hour of the concert (it began at bedtime) but we assured ourselves that if she hated it or was too tired they could always just leave at intermission.
Madeleine happily dressed in her fanciest attire and even more happily posed for pictures.
Madeleine arrived home at 10:30 p.m., bright eyed and brimming with excitement.
"Did you like it, Madeleine?" I asked as she raced into my arms.
"Oh, yes, Mom, I loved it!"
Superdad would tell me later that other concert goers kept smiling at her and telling Superdad how good she was throughout the evening. He did confess he witnessed a bit of impatience during the second half, but overall his impression was that she was very interested in everything, especially the conductor practically jumping off his podium at different moments.
I'm still sorry I missed it, but am thrilled for Madeleine having seen, and loved, her first symphony.
If you're curious, here's a You Tube clip of the Liszt piece.
Monday, October 08, 2007
First Concert
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4 comments:
What a fun night! Madeleine just loved the whole experience. She really was mesmerized by the music and seeing the instruments in action. It was fun to watch her reaction to the changes in tempo, volume, string to brass to piano. She was a bit startled by the beginning of the Liszt piece.
During the Mahler selection she drifted a bit and became fascinated with the ceiling of Uihlein Hall. After a few minutes of studying the ceiling, she lead over and whispered excitedly, “this is the same place I saw the Nutcracker!” I think she felt like an experienced patron of the arts after that realization.
What a wonderful experience that she will NEVER forget. I still remember my first experience with the Symphony. Amazing!!
Cheers for the MSO (and MSO too!)
It is memories like those that she will cherish forever.
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