In the evening today, Lily, Lydia, Eli and I went to the most unbelievable concert of young musicians who played concerto pieces with the Utah Symphony Orchestra. It was the most unbelievable evening. Some of the things we got to witness were:
- Friends who were born on the same day and looked similar who performed violin together
- A young woman who played the cello magnificently
- Violin players, an amazing harpist, and beautiful piano pieces
- A flawless performance of Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto
My favorite part was the Tchaikovsky violin concerto. That is one of my all-time favorite classical music pieces. The story behind it is amazing. Tchaikovsky wrote it with the help of his friend/lover shortly after his divorce, which completely devastated him. He didn’t dedicate it to his friend because of how socially unacceptable it was to be gay in Russia (especially at that time). That seemed to have caused a rift between him and his friend, because they didn’t talk again until his friend was dying. He then dedicated the piece to someone else, who rejected the piece and said it was too difficult to play. I think it took about a year for someone to come around who would and could play the piece. It is that difficult to perform! Yet, a teenager (the last performance) performed it perfectly (as far as I could tell). Even without any of the backstory, it would be an incredible piece. It is so melodic and alive, yet also a bit chaotic and fun. I just love it.
Everyone had an incredible time. We were all blown away by the talent.
