All I can say is, wow. The New York Philharmonic gave life to all the repertoire they performed last night. An unbelievable amount of artistry filled up the full house of Hill Auditorium on Friday, October 9, the first concert of their five-year residency at the University Musical Society.
The New York Philharmonic makes orchestra playing sound easy. As a musician myself, I can assure you it’s not. Each phrasing was done naturally, each note was given different colors in appropriate timings, and each melody had so much life. Maestro Alan Gilbert handled the intricacies of Beethoven’s works with such grace, and the musicians responded with their virtuosic skills. In addition to that, Mr. Inon Barnatan, the soloist for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15, glided through the keys to express the various characters in the piece with composure and meticulous technique. It was quite a show to see.
Another reason that made this night’s concert special was the surprise after the program. After receiving standing ovation from the entire audience, Maestro Alan Gilbert goes backstage, and comes back on stage with a Michigan hat. Although I was all the way up in the balcony, I could see the block M on his hat. Then, he takes the baton and conducts the special arrangement of “The Victors” as an encore. It was such a treat — there was even a section that made “The Victors” sound like another movement from Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony that they had performed right before! Although I must say, it was weird leaving Hill Auditorium singing “The Victors” to myself instead of Beethoven 7; it was probably the least amount of maize and blue I saw in the audience while listening to this song, too.
Speaking of what people wore to the performance, many people were dressed fancily — the dresses, ties, and neatly ironed shirts were quite nice to see. However, I am happy with what I wore to the performance: a comfortable top with a scarf, skinny pants, and casual boots. I’d say it was somewhere between casual and business casual.
I did this on purpose. I wanted to really take on the words posted on the UMS website:
UMS has no formal dress code and we encourage you to wear whatever you feel comfortable in. Jeans and tennis shoes are perfectly acceptable, although some patrons prefer to dress more formally.
I’m a student. While I like dressing up, I can’t afford to dress up for every concert that I go to — and I’m sure I’m not the only one. I think the beauty of the performances at Ann Arbor is how younger and older audiences come to the same performances. Alongside the old couples with upscale clothing, I see students coming right out of class with backpacks and sneakers. Readers, take note — you do you, as long as you don’t distract others in the audience. Arts at Ann Arbor are more accessible than you may think.
