A night at the Philharmonic

Last night, John Corigliano presented his Red Violin concerto at Avery Fisher Hall. Joshua Bell played the solo violin. The music and his playing were wonderful. The composer and violinist worked together in creating the piece. In the discussion beforehand, Corigliano discussed composing for 'Altered States' and 'The Red Violin'. Joshua Bell and the orchestra performed segments of the music during the talk.

The piece opened with delicate layers of sound - rather like light on leaves above a sunlit quick flowing stream. It moved into something that felt prickly and soft-solid like a boiled wool scarf lined with chiffon. I imagined it in colors rahter like a bomb pop after they have bled together a bit. As he plays, Joshua Bell moves, dips and curves, and seems very aware of the orchestra. When the music moved to the close it slows and advances, prickly, light and fast.

I sat in a box, just above stage. It was a lovely night, and I look forward to the rest of the performances in the series.