Hanging With The Cleveland Orchestra.....
This weekend was a treat for me as far as watching excellence. On Saturday night I got to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lebron James perform like few players can. He scored 44 points, dominated the game, and scored whenever it was needed. He is one of the greatest in the history of his sport. It is a treat to watch him perform live. But how did Lebron get so good? Because of talent, practice, and dedication.
On Sunday I was privileged to watch and listen to the world renowned Cleveland Orchestra perform a holiday concert. The music was familiar, but the sound was stunning. I had never before seen the Cleveland Orchestra perform at Severance Hall. The music felt like a wave. Gentle at times, powerful at others. But this group of world class musicians performed as one for an amazing result. But how did this group of musicians get so good? Like Lebron, because of talent, practice, and dedication.
I was looking forward to going to the concert today. I had been to the historic Severance Hall many years ago, but it wasn't for a musical event. I didn't get a chance to look around. Severance Hall was opened as the home of the Cleveland Orchestra in 1931. It was restored in 2000. To say this place is ornate would be a great understatement. It is grand and beautiful. If you wore jeans inside this place, I think they would automatically disintegrate in shame.
The hall has been restored, but not necessarily modernized. We took an elevator to our floor. The elevator had a formal elevator operator. I don't mean like the mope's that push buttons for you at Quicken Loans Arena. This elevator had a big brass gate with an ornate ceiling.. To operate it the operator would move some large stick shift looking arm. If I had to figure it out myself, I'd still be waiting there. Our seats were way up in the balcony. Way up. But the hall was just spectacular. It has a silver guilt ceiling. with clean lines. Imagine that you're sitting at the end of a huge megaphone. The ceiling and walls gently expanded.
When the show actually started, I was mesmerized. The sound was like nothing I'd heard before. I could hear every section and note clear as a bell. Way better than a recording. The Orchestra was joined by their Chorus and a Children's Chorus. Their rendition of "Oh, Holy Night" was brilliant and moving.
While this was the first time I had seen the Orchestra, I was glad it was a holiday concert, rather than music I wasn't too familiar with. This way I knew what to expect and was surprised by the nuances and sonic clarity.
The hall was beautifully decorated for the season also. After the concert, we took some pictures.
Is there a huge difference between watching Lebron, a world class athlete perform with mastery in a basketball game, or a world class orchestra perform. Both are immensely talented. Being a professional athlete or a professional orchestral musician is an extremely rare opportunity. Both can give you a thrill.
I think the bottom line is this. - We pay money to watch these people do their art. We pay money because they can do something rare and beautiful. They can enhance our lives in a way. At least I'm more in a Christmas spirit now!
This weekend was a treat for me as far as watching excellence. On Saturday night I got to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lebron James perform like few players can. He scored 44 points, dominated the game, and scored whenever it was needed. He is one of the greatest in the history of his sport. It is a treat to watch him perform live. But how did Lebron get so good? Because of talent, practice, and dedication.
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| Severance Hall - Home of the Cleveland Orchestra. |
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| Just another lobby. |
The hall has been restored, but not necessarily modernized. We took an elevator to our floor. The elevator had a formal elevator operator. I don't mean like the mope's that push buttons for you at Quicken Loans Arena. This elevator had a big brass gate with an ornate ceiling.. To operate it the operator would move some large stick shift looking arm. If I had to figure it out myself, I'd still be waiting there. Our seats were way up in the balcony. Way up. But the hall was just spectacular. It has a silver guilt ceiling. with clean lines. Imagine that you're sitting at the end of a huge megaphone. The ceiling and walls gently expanded.
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| Looks great - sounds better! |
While this was the first time I had seen the Orchestra, I was glad it was a holiday concert, rather than music I wasn't too familiar with. This way I knew what to expect and was surprised by the nuances and sonic clarity.
The hall was beautifully decorated for the season also. After the concert, we took some pictures.
Is there a huge difference between watching Lebron, a world class athlete perform with mastery in a basketball game, or a world class orchestra perform. Both are immensely talented. Being a professional athlete or a professional orchestral musician is an extremely rare opportunity. Both can give you a thrill.
I think the bottom line is this. - We pay money to watch these people do their art. We pay money because they can do something rare and beautiful. They can enhance our lives in a way. At least I'm more in a Christmas spirit now!
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