Joyce Yang and Rachmaninov

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We went to the symphony last night. We noticed when they were tuning up, that they had moved the sections around. The basses went from the left side, to the back right. Second violins moved from just behind the first violins on the left, to the front on the right. The horns and percussion moved as well. I thought this was all a bit strange, since I always justified the layout of the strings, saying that bass sound is not directed, and therefore the instruments can face away from the audience if necessary. When the conductor came onstage, he took the mic and explained the changes. First, he said the basses now face the audience, because he's always felt that the whole feel of an orchestra is enhanced by the vibrancy of its bass sound. There was quite a difference in the sound of the basses, that's for sure. Conversely, I was not able to pick out the sound of the second violins, though I'm not sure how much a difference this made in last night's performances. The conductor explained that there should be a greater separation between the two violin sections. I'm sure that makes a big difference for those on or near the stage. The other sections were moved in relation to each one's need for interaction with other sections. Like the horns need to be near the brass and the woodwinds.

The first piece was Rachmaninov's first symphony. I thought it was interesting, especially the first movement. The last movement was too intense all the way through.

The second piece was one of Rachmaninov's piano concertos. Joyce Yang was the soloist. She was amazing. At the MSO, a soloist always gets three curtain calls. When she was called back a fourth time, she played a fairly lengthy encore. Then she was called out one more time. The audience reluctantly gave up the applause after that.