Musicwhore.org Music and memory

After Sturgill Simpson’s November 2016 concert at the Paramount, I knew my days of rock music concert-going were waning. That was two hours on my feet, and I recognized I had little of the stamina that got me through those kinds of shows in my 30s.

So in 2018, I limited my concerts to classical events. Mostly.

Seattle Symphony, Stravinsky: Funeral Song, Benaroya Hall, Jan. 6

The most interesting piece on the program wasn’t the west coast premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s Funeral Song — it was Gyorgi Ligeti’s Violin Concerto.

Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Shostakovich: Quartet for Strings No. 8, Benaroya Hall, Jan. 27

This performance was the second time I heard the Shostakovich Eighth Quartet at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival. The second movement gets me every time.

Seattle Symphony, John Luther Adams: Become Desert, Benaroya Hall, March 31

Pretty much a single chord for an hour, but it was surprising to hear the choirs enter from behind me.

Seattle Symphony, [untitled 2], Benaroya Hall, April 27

I’ve been attending untitled concerts since their inception in 2012. Not all of the programs sink in, and I can’t honestly remember what the Nikoleav and Rastakov pieces on the program sound like.

Seattle Symphony, Sibelius: Kullervo, Benaroya Hall, June 2

The premiere of Andrew Norman’s Cello Concerto was postponed, and the replacement pieces on the program didn’t interest me. So I traded my ticket for Kullervo.

UW School of Music, Composition Studio, Music Building 213, June 5

I performed at this concert! And I premiered one of my own pieces! It’s called Feldman and Messiaen at the Airport with Eno, and it’s scored for violin, ukulele, melodica and piano. I gave myself the violin part, which consisted of playing a single note for 8 counts every few seconds.

Seattle Symphony, [untitled 3], June 15

I must have been exhausted after the spring I’ve had because I don’t remember a single note played that evening.

Sam Smith, Key Arena, Sept. 8

Based on his studio albums thus far, you would think Smith would be something of a sad sack, but he made those songs of heartbreak sound positively rousing at Key Arena. I just wished the teenagers sitting next to me didn’t shine their phone screens in my face.

Seattle Symphony, [untitled 1], Benaroya Hall, Oct. 12

Even if I don’t rush out and learn about every piece that gets programmed in the [untitled] series, I still like the sense of discovery that comes with seeing unfamiliar music performed live. That said, Hans Abraham’s Schnee was quite the memorable performance.

St. Lawrence String Quartet, Meany Hall, Oct. 25

I didn’t know St. Lawrence String Quartet did a TED Talk on Haydn’s “Sun” quartets, so I wasn’t prepared for the night’s performance to include a lecture. I also didn’t anticipate that I would immediately get into Haydn.

Brooklyn Rider, Meany Hall, Nov. 13

The first half of Brooklyn Rider’s concert featured new works by women, all dealing with the theme of healing. The second half was Beethoven’s op. 132. I bought a CD to help the quartet fund a recording of the pieces featured on the evening’s program.

Tags: brooklyn rider, concert edition, sam smith, seattle chamber music festival, seattle symphony, st lawrence string quartet, university of washington