Friday, January 29, 2010

Music at Nova

There was a concert today at Nova Hall, Tsukuba.

About fifty amateur musicians played the following pieces with their gleaming instruments - 
  • St. Paul's Suite - Gustav Holst
  • Hayao Miyazaki - Animation Medley arranged by Masahiro Joya
  • "Nabucodonosor" Sinfonia - Giuseppe Verdi
  • "Pomp and Circumstance" March (No.1 Op.39) - Edward Elgar
What struck me was that not one of the musicians betrayed any signs of enjoying what they were doing. Not one smile or a sparkle-in-the-eye...even when they were playing the Tonari-no-Totoro animation medley!

Is there some rule that you have to wear a grim face while playing classical music?
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Links - for a rough idea of what the music sounds like...

    St. Paul's Suite - Gustav Holst -
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIunGiJbuUE

    "Nabucodonosor" Sinfonia - Giuseppe Verdi
    http://www.giuseppeverdi.it/Inglese/page.asp?IDCategoria=162&IDSezione=580&ID=19747
    http://www.classicalarchives.com/work/57944.html

    "Pomp and Circumstance" March (No.1 Op.39) - Edward Elgar
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moL4MkJ-aLk

    No comments: