Music

The meaning of life

It only took me a week of being in Vienna to find my means of transportation to the sublime – at the beautiful Konzerthaus Wien.

I’m sure this won’t be the last time my blog contains musical chapters, but here is my first. For a mere five Euros, I was privileged to attend this morning a concert rehearsal by Concerto Copenhagen, the premier period instruments ensemble of Scandinavia, led by its director, Lars Ulrik Mortensen. The program was one piece: Georg Friedrich Händel’s oratorio, Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (The Triumph of Time and Truth). You can read below a brief description I found online.

While I do love Baroque music, I claim no particular knowledge of, or even affinity for, vocal music, but today’s experience was truly transcendental. Mortensen’s kinetic energy was riveting as he pulled, pushed, swayed and cajoled the musicians into brilliant playing and moving interpretation.

I often feel a deficit of musical appreciation, because my training does not include extensive theory or expertise. I miss a million subtleties, nuances and compositional genius because of this. And I certainly cannot objectively critique a performance. But on a morning like this, I just drank up the sheer beauty of the sounds and knew that music must be the only meaningful thing in this world (aside, of course, from love!).

The soprano’s voice (my favorite) was like clear, glistening spring water, rippling and rushing in a stream. The first violinist’s technical skill and dynamics were a marvel. And since this was a rehearsal, I was able to observe the amazing work that goes into making really, really good music. Yet how the director could know the work so completely, and hear so well each note played and sung, so that he could articulate his desired improvements … that kind of gift is so beyond me, I simply have no words.

I managed to record a few excerpts (this was the first time I’d ever used the video feature on my camera), but unfortunately I couldn't upload them to the blog. Instead, try clicking on these links:

http://www.youtube.com/v/13d1vuhJHpI?hl=en&fs=1 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9md7BDKvs0 

But if all that weren’t enough, after an hour and a half, the orchestra took a break, and we (the guests with the women’s group I joined) were treated to complimentary Viennese coffee and cake. Does it get any better? Well, yes it does. While I enjoyed this treat, I watched out the window to see the locals enjoy ice skating in a rink right next door.  Wunderschön. Then it was back for another hour of delicious music!

For an mini-clip, click here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPHrrifTypg

As I headed down the stairs to leave, I heard a cacophony of music, and realized that during the rehearsal a market of sorts had been set up in the lobby for vendors of Baroque instruments, predominantly recorders of all shapes and sizes. What a sight! 

Then home on the Ubahn to walk Scout (the weather was actually balmy today), and a late lunch (or early dinner) of knockwurst and salad.

And that was my day today.

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Il Trionfo del Temp e del Disinganno

There are 5 characterizations: Beauty, Time, Deceit, Pleasure, and Counsel or Truth. Beauty, admiring herself in a mirror, wishes she could arrest the passage of Time, whereupon Pleasure promises that her charms shall never fade. Counsel advises Beauty to follow Truth, warning that youth does not last. At this, Pleasure initiates a trial: Who shall give the victory, Pleasure, Beauty, Time or Counsel? In the midst of the arguments, Deceit intervenes. It's quite entertaining and not difficult to follow, and the music is delightful as Handel can be most of the time.