Vienna Philharmonic

About a week ago, I found out that the Vienna Philharmonic would play in Zagreb at the Lisinski Theater the night before our performance of Britten's War Requiem at the same venue. I was excited about the chance to, perhaps, see a rehearsal if we were permitted in the theater at the same time. However, I in no way expected to be able to see the concert, since tickets were quite expensive and probably sold out.

Because of a lucky turn of events on Friday, I not only got to see the concert, but I actually got to sit on stage, among some added chairs, right behind the brass section! After being invited to watch a short sound check an hour before the concert, I went to the stage door with Azra, a clarinet player in the Sarajevo Philharmonic, and met a horn player from the Zagreb Philharmonic who said we might be able to get in if we asked. We asked and were initially turned away. I guess we looked sad enough, because the guy who turned us away then had a change of heart and said that we might be able to come in and sit on stage behind the orchestra. Ok!

My view

The Vienna Philharmonic played Tchaikovsky's Third Suite (I was not familiar with it, but it has some great English horn solos) and Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, with Lorin Maazel conducting. I really enjoyed hearing such a strong and unique orchestra. The Vienna Philharmonic sounds different from any other major orchestra because they play on special woodwind and brass instruments. The Viennese oboes are completely different from the more commonly played French conservatoire oboes and have a very warm sound. (The disadvantage is that there is less consistency between each note of the scale.) I've never heard a Viennese oboe played live, so I was happy to be able to sit so close. Also, Azra pointed out that the orchestra managed to make the ¾ movement of Shostakovich's fifth symphony “Viennese” by adding a little lift after each downbeat in the style of a waltz. It was a little odd, but definitely interesting to hear.

The Vienna Philharmonic is known for its conservatism and, unfortunate history of exclusion. Women were not allowed to join the orchestra until quite recently, and even now I only counted 6 female members. (The former principal flutist has spoken openly about the sexism and racism she encountered during her time in Vienna: http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2013/08/vienna-principal-flute-speaks-out-about-her-dismissal.html ) However, despite my mixed feelings about the orchestra, I cannot help but appreciate how well they play and how much they preserve a unique sound and style. There are some days full of unexpected surprises that leave me feeling quite lucky, and Friday was definitely one of those days.