As a musician there are great artistic moments that inspire
and inform our imaginations and give birth to our ever expanding aesthetic. Sometimes these come in the form of a project
on which we work but mostly they are given to us in the gift of a performance. I am confident when I say our experience on
Saturday evening was transformative for all of us.
Traveling by S-Bahn, we headed west to the 1936 Olympic Stadium, departed the train and walked down Jesse Owens Boulevard. Our purpose was to attend a
performance given by the Berlin Philharmoniker (Berlin Philharmonic), one of
the world’s premier orchestras. As the
music teacher, I was beyond thrilled to finally have the opportunity to hear
this famed ensemble that I studied in college but I must admit I was skeptical
that kids would share my enthusiasm.
Actually, I thought we might be greeted with a traditional eye roll and
a joint petition to leave at intermission.
Once we had arrived at Waldbüne (Woodland Stage), an
original amphitheater of the Olympic complex, we were amazed by the size of the
audience. The concert was completely
sold out to a house of 22,000 and so we made our way to section K, found our
seats and nestled in for the evening.
Being American, we of course chuckled at the notion of getting a crowd
of this size to be quiet for this performance, noting that at our school it is
impossible for our audiences to comply with a no cell phone policy, we could
not imagine that 22,000 people would ever be quiet for a two hour concert. We were sorely wrong.
As the lights came up, Martin Hoffman and Maestro Sir Simon
Rattle took the stage and immediately the audience went completely silent. Without delay, the void was filled with the
lovely sound of Flex Mendellson-Bartholdy’s Violin Concert in e minor, op.
64. Martin Hoffman’s performance was of
this three movement work was nothing short of breathtaking and his treatment of
the credenza was masterful. It was such
a delight to sit in this historic place, listening to some of the greatest
musicians in the world. What was equally
impactful was the inter-generational audience’s response to this event- they
were present in the moment. Sitting
still, barely a muscle moved and as I glanced around, the level of engagement
was unreal. Berliners of all ages were
enthralled and displayed a childlike wonder at this music and clearly displayed
that classical music is not boring or for the older generation but rather it
still holds a relevancy for the youth of today.
There was an incredibly different sense of community at Waldbüne
that evening. There was great joy and
cheer and as intermission approached and it became dark, the people of Berlin
shared candles. Placing them on the
walls and holding them in small cups, the “house” began to glow with a certain
warmth.
Following intermission, the full orchestra took to the stage
and glorious sounds of the Beethoven Symphony 9 in d minor, op. 125 began to
rise from the players. The excitement
and energy in the air was palatable and we were all quickly caught up in the
majesty of this work. Normal, there is
no applause between movements in a large orchestral work, but instinctively the
crowd was carried by its appreciation and offered a hearty ovation following
the Allegro and the Molto vivace movements.
Then before movement
three, Camilla Tilling (soprano), Nathalie Stutzmann (alto), Joseph Kaiser
(tenor), and Dimitry Ivashchenko (bass) and the Rundfunkchor Berlin entered the
stage. The singers were greeted with a
warm enthusiasm from the crowd, for the audience knew they were there to
deliver the familiar strains of the powerful Ode to Joy of the fourth and final movement.
The moment arrived when the downbeat of the Presto was
given, the cellos began to the familiar theme and it was soon followed by the
powerful Ivanshchenko’s bass and the might of the chorus. I was enraptured! It may sound trite, but I wanted to cry when
the climax of Beethoven’s masterpiece arrived.
This iconic work, composed after he was completely deaf was thrilling to
experience in the forest setting of Berlin.
When the work cadenced, the crowd erupted! It was like the Berlin Philharmonic had won
the Super Bowl. In the roar of ovation,
Arman immediately popped from his seat and lead our section in a standing
ovation. Down the row, Eliana, Perri and
Abby had been given sparklers by some Berliners and eagerly shared in the
celebration of a fantastic concert.
Seven curtain calls later, we took the stairs to leave.
As we were climbing the staircase, the encore of
…..began. Being good Berliners, all in
the crowd knew exactly how and when to whistle.
It was awesome! But what was more
amazing with the response of the students.
They were all so excited and bounding out of the front gates singing and
discussing what they had just experienced.
It was a great demonstration of the power of music experienced in the
confines of community. Our night ended
with a lovely dinner under the night sky, with our imaginations filled and our
creativity sparked.
Mr. Strunk
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