BSO

Saturday evening we double dated with our daughter and her sweetheart at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. We heard the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra play Rachmaninoff's Symphony Number 2. It was wonderful. I can't remember the last time I heard a real symphony orchestra perform. Most of the music I have heard in recent years has been presented in school cafeterias by elementary and middle school orchestras. Although I appreciated the effort these kids made to learn their music, it was never really very good. Saturday night was something entirely different.

The Meyerhoff is a stunning concert hall with perfect acoustics. The conductor. Marin Alsop , introduced the concert by telling us about the music we were about to hear. Her explanation reminded me some of “Peter and the Wolf” with the different instruments demonstrating their part, making the music much more understandable. Then the symphony began. I closed my eyes and music wrapped around me and filled me up. There were moments of soaring triumph where I could visualize the sun rising to greet a glorious new day. There were episodes of dark sadness and fear followed by joyous, lilting romance and playfulness. For just over an hour the music carried us into a wonderful place filled with music that spoke to my soul.

When was the last time you enjoyed a beautiful symphony?