Right Down the Fairway

In an earlier post, I wondered if the RPO’s Carmina Burana would have the proper impact, given the acoustics of the Eastman. Well, I’m pleased to report that it was loud enough, at least it was in the center of the 11th row. During the week leading up to the show, I wanted to find out more about the work so I went online. Brenda Tremblay’s interview with Christopher Seaman was great, but Alex Ross was less helpful. I searched his blog and unfortunately clicked on a link he provided to a “toweringly brilliant” English translation. (You need to hit refresh to get it to synch.) It’s a testament to the RPO and the ROS that, for the most part, I was able to keep lines like “Oh four tuna... bring more tuna” out of my head.

Anyway, the show kind of reminded me of playing golf with my Dad. I went once years and years ago and had a miserable time, making crappy shot after crappy shot despite my best effort. Then, on the second to last hole, I somehow made a solid connection on the tee and the drive just sailed up. It was beautiful and thrilling. That moment made me understand why people get so crazy about golf. After repeated attempts to “get” classical music, the show Saturday was a nice shot right down the fairway.

Quite a different scene played out after the show just a block away. Instead of over two hundred performers there were just three. A trio of Eastman students played at Havana Moe’s and, for me, communicated just as much as Carl Orff. The drummer in particular was terrific. They play every Saturday for free.