Back in Chicago
This week — working with the Hubbard St. Dance Company and the CSO, and doing Mahler 1 with Civic. The orchestra (Civic) has been prepared for me. That’s a first!
Used some of the hotel downtime to catch up with some friends. Had an awesome conversation with Owen Lee, who is principal bass of the Cincinnati Symphony, and my stand partner from Santa Monica High School. He describes himeself as an “enthusiast” and it’s always fun to hear what he’s raving about.
One thing (person) he’s really into is Paavo Järvi, his orch’s music director. Paavo invited him to play some Beethoven Symphonies with his German orchestra, the Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, at Carnegie a little while ago. He loved it, and he turned me on to this YouTube clip from a concert in Japan.
Damn.
Ok, it’s fast — but the focus, virtuosity, and instensity of the orchestra — the sforzandi in particular — are stunning. It’s like listening to Count Baise. Or James Brown. Why don’t more orchestras play like this? According to Owen, Paavo’s doing great work in Cincinnati too. I’d love to hear that orchestra again, it’s been a while.