Last weekend my family attended what was our third Young People's Family Concerts performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.Overall, we've greatly enjoyed our time. It gives us a chance to dress up a bit and listen to something other than hyper-sexualized drivel. They've played quite a bit of different pieces: the meat and potatoes of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart (my favorite was the piece from Bach's Brandenburg Concerto) as well as Copland, Stravinsky, Britten, and even Williams' Star Wars Suite (over which my son swooned).
The conductor, Teddy Abrams, is light and clear in his explanations of setting up each piece and how the orchestra works--though I think he sells it a bit too much when he has told us three times now what a "great audience" we were. I am a highly satisfied patron.
It's funny the affection I feel for classical/orchestral music. I didn't grow up in a household that listened to it. I was subjected to either Oldies or whatever was popular during the 70s and 80s. Most likely, my heart was taught to love classical by Bugs Bunny. Those old cartoons (they were already old when I was a child) that either used snippets or produced full on parodies of the masterpieces somehow sneaked into my spirit and kept an ember burning somewhere inside. From Kronos Quartet to Arvo Part (where's an umlaut when you need one?), Gorecki, and Taverner, I truly enjoy that abstract emotional push and pull of this music. My default is usually contemporary rock/pop/alt-country/roots/whatever, but I find the effect of classical usually much more otherworldly.
All I can say is: Thanks Warner Bros. (and all those fantastic composers and performers, too.)
It's funny the affection I feel for classical/orchestral music. I didn't grow up in a household that listened to it. I was subjected to either Oldies or whatever was popular during the 70s and 80s. Most likely, my heart was taught to love classical by Bugs Bunny. Those old cartoons (they were already old when I was a child) that either used snippets or produced full on parodies of the masterpieces somehow sneaked into my spirit and kept an ember burning somewhere inside. From Kronos Quartet to Arvo Part (where's an umlaut when you need one?), Gorecki, and Taverner, I truly enjoy that abstract emotional push and pull of this music. My default is usually contemporary rock/pop/alt-country/roots/whatever, but I find the effect of classical usually much more otherworldly.
All I can say is: Thanks Warner Bros. (and all those fantastic composers and performers, too.)
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