I got up early yesterday morning, packed up my bass and caught a train to Gothenburg. It took three hours to get there and once I got there, it took me a little bit to find the concert hall cause someone at the train station sent me in the wrong direction at first. But I eventually found it and met up with Charlie for lunch. We went to a sushi place near the concert hall, it was the first time I've had sushi since I've been here in Sweden. It was pretty good, very fresh. After lunch, I had a lesson with Charlie which was great! It was really nice to see Charlie again, we figured out that it has been 4 years since we last saw each other.
I went to get a cup of coffee and a muffin while Charlie got ready for the concert. My seat for the concert was in the front row, and I had a perfect profile view of Dudamel. The concert was breathtaking. They played Mahler 9, and it was amazing! It was amazing how Dudamel was able to get so much emotion out of the orchestra. The piece itself is great, but the passion Dudamel brought to the music was so exciting. Being that close to him was also great because I could see the expressions on his face. During the last part of the last movement, an old man got up and slowly walked out of the hall. Some of the orchestra members said that it was fitting- like Mahler leaving.... After the last note of the piece, Dudamel held the silence for almost two whole minutes before lowering his arms- it was extremely powerful. It was as if the entire audience was holding their breath. Looking up at Dudamel, I could see how intensely he feels the music. It was beautiful. Once he lowered his arms, the audience exploded into applause! They gave a standing ovation, and Dudamel came out to bow 5 times. One of the things that I admire about him is that he bows from within the orchestra, not in front of them.
Charlie after an amazing concert! After the concert I went backstage with Charlie to the musician bar (yes, the musicians have their own bar backstage...). We chatted with some of the other musicians for a while, there are a lot of musicians from all over the world in the orchestra. It was really fun to talk to some young international musicians. After a little while, Dudamel came to the bar to hang out with some of the musicians. It was cool to see him interact with the musicians, he is so comfortable and interested in other people. I was standing around talking with a group of bass players when he came over to say goodbye to people. He said bye to the bass players and then shook my hand and I told him how much I loved the concert.
We went out with some of the other musicians from the orchestra, and I got to practice my Swedish (as limited as it is) as well as some Spanish with a bass player from Spain.
Charlie took this for me right before I walked back to the train station this morning. This is how I travel with my bass here, it is fairly easy and I get some great looks!
I got up early yesterday morning, packed up my bass and caught a train to Gothenburg. It took three hours to get there and once I got there, it took me a little bit to find the concert hall cause someone at the train station sent me in the wrong direction at first. But I eventually found it and met up with Charlie for lunch. We went to a sushi place near the concert hall, it was the first time I've had sushi since I've been here in Sweden. It was pretty good, very fresh. After lunch, I had a lesson with Charlie which was great! It was really nice to see Charlie again, we figured out that it has been 4 years since we last saw each other.
I went to get a cup of coffee and a muffin while Charlie got ready for the concert. My seat for the concert was in the front row, and I had a perfect profile view of Dudamel. The concert was breathtaking. They played Mahler 9, and it was amazing! It was amazing how Dudamel was able to get so much emotion out of the orchestra. The piece itself is great, but the passion Dudamel brought to the music was so exciting. Being that close to him was also great because I could see the expressions on his face. During the last part of the last movement, an old man got up and slowly walked out of the hall. Some of the orchestra members said that it was fitting- like Mahler leaving.... After the last note of the piece, Dudamel held the silence for almost two whole minutes before lowering his arms- it was extremely powerful. It was as if the entire audience was holding their breath. Looking up at Dudamel, I could see how intensely he feels the music. It was beautiful. Once he lowered his arms, the audience exploded into applause! They gave a standing ovation, and Dudamel came out to bow 5 times. One of the things that I admire about him is that he bows from within the orchestra, not in front of them.
Charlie after an amazing concert! After the concert I went backstage with Charlie to the musician bar (yes, the musicians have their own bar backstage...). We chatted with some of the other musicians for a while, there are a lot of musicians from all over the world in the orchestra. It was really fun to talk to some young international musicians. After a little while, Dudamel came to the bar to hang out with some of the musicians. It was cool to see him interact with the musicians, he is so comfortable and interested in other people. I was standing around talking with a group of bass players when he came over to say goodbye to people. He said bye to the bass players and then shook my hand and I told him how much I loved the concert.
We went out with some of the other musicians from the orchestra, and I got to practice my Swedish (as limited as it is) as well as some Spanish with a bass player from Spain.
Charlie took this for me right before I walked back to the train station this morning. This is how I travel with my bass here, it is fairly easy and I get some great looks!
Hi Ian. We just finished reading your blog about your trip to Prague. We loved your pictures. I also loved your description of the concert you attended. Hope you are well.
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