Posted on 05/24/2005 9:58:17 PM PDT by ForGod'sSake
Off-Topic: Steve, the Nakamatsu concert on Sunday was incredible! I just know you would have appreciated it every bit as much as we did. Fellow FReeper snopercod (who is currently on self-imposed hiatus from the forum :) and his wife will be hearing the same performance in July right in his own neighborhood. I’ve already e-mailed him and babbled on (no doubt incoherently) about what they can expect. :)
It was only the second time we’ve heard him play (heard him perform the Rach 3 in Reading a few years ago), and, to my humble ear, he was flawless both times. This performance of the Rach 2 was incredible – choked me up more than I have ever been affected by hearing it anywhere, live or on CD. The tears were flowing embarrassingly, long before the applause erupted.
There was not a weak moment in the entire performance. Dynamics were exquisite. Technique was flawless. Every note, even in the most delicate trills or difficult runs, was crystal clear, and perfectly placed, rhythmically. And the power and passion in the majestic parts were breathtaking. (I was able to speak with him briefly during the intermission, and was once again deeply impressed by his humility – almost bordering on shyness. He signed a CD of his Rach 3 performance, recorded with the Rochester Philharmonic, ‘for Joanie – Best to you always! J.N.’ No, I wouldn’t stoop to being classified as a groupie, but you can bet that this particular signature is high on my list of most prized material possessions. :) To me, he is one of those rare artists whose gift seems almost to be ‘super-human’ in its breadth, depth, and power.
As if that weren’t enough, the Delaware Symphony Orchestra went on to perform Holst’s ‘The Planets’ in its entirety. I have a wonderful old CD of a performance by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra/Susskind that I have played nearly to wearing out, but the Delaware performance was even more intense and passionate. I sat there, wishing I could somehow ‘re-wind’ portions so as to pay more specific attention to each section of the orchestra in the extraordinarily delicate parts, and the most powerful, brutal parts as well. I was totally enrapt for the entire hour (the orchestra included a bass oboe and a celesta – and I don’t believe I’ve ever heard either one played lived before. They were just beautiful.)
Will send more in an e-mail, once my feet find their way back to ground level (been walking two inches off the ground for the past couple of days, and somehow don’t relish coming back down to ‘physical world reality’. :)
~ joanie
BTTT - ALL THIS UNITY
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