On Saturday, April 9th I had my end of the year BYU Philharmonic concert. This concert was extra special for me, because I sat 4th chair 1st violin and got to really enjoy the music and not worry about the difficulties of sitting in the back.
To start out the evening,
my wonderful sister, Alena and her son, Neal,
took me out to dinner at:
THE SAIGON CAFE
It was great to go to this restaurant again, because I used to go to it quite often. Why do I love it? It's cheap, it's good, and you get lots of food. Neal had a blast with going back and forth between Mommy's lap and Uncle Jared's lap. It was great being able to talk to Alena and about different experiences. Alena told me of a very awkward experience involving Neal and a very disgusting diaper change that left her nauseous. I would tell the story, but maybe you should ask her.
Well . . . even though the poop story was not so appetizing, the food was very good. It was a great way to start an evening! Thanks Alena!
Following dinner, I got the opportunity to play my concert. We played a very exciting program of the following three pieces:
Overture to Benvenuto Cellini - by Hector Berlioz
Here's a YouTube recording of it.
A graduate student named Natascha Li conducted the piece and I thought she did a wonderful job.
Symphonic Metamorphesis - by Paul Hindemith
1st movement
2nd movement
3rd movement
4th movement
Above are recordings of all 4 movements.
This is a unique piece that can be a bit overwhelming when you first hear it, because of all the crazy counterpoint going on between the instruments of the orchestra, but man . . . it is so exciting to play. The first violin part is crazily difficult, but once you learn the music, it's awesome. Of all the pieces on the program, I think we played this piece the best. It went really well.
The New World Symphony - by Anton Dvorak
In case you aren't familiar with this symphony, listen to the recording of the second movement above and you'll recognize it quickly. This is a classic symphony, that was a really crowd pleaser. We got a huge standing ovation at the end, even though we had a few moments where we almost fell apart throughout the piece.
I thought it was overall a wonderful concert and I feel privileged to have played in it.
After the concert, I went to meet my fans!
Alena, Jonathan, and Erica had come down to see the concert. It meant so much to me to have family there!!
To make the evening even better,
my wonderful brother, Jonathan and my amazing sister-in-law, Erica
took me out to:
COLDSTONE for Ice Cream
I got Peanut Butter Perfection in a Waffle Bowl.
It was amazing! Thanks Jonathan and Erica!
I am truly blessed to have great family that is so generous. Thanks for making my evening so special!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment