American Classics
The Music of Copland and Barber
November 12, 2016
8 PM
Hello dear readers. I’ll admit I’m not the biggest fan of classical music. I prefer my music to have lyrics. However, I recognize that classical music can be beautiful. It’s just a beauty you have to work for. It’s a bit of an acquired taste: one that I so far have not acquired. Though I do appreciate some classical pieces, for the most part I like to stick to pop and rock and other genres of music that include lyrics. What can I say; I love words. I do like to consider myself an open-minded person, though. So perhaps I could truly appreciate classical music if I listened to more of it. That way I could change my ears to love classical music the way I changed my taste buds to like whole-wheat pasta and water through repetition.
Perhaps the performance coming up here at the Madison Theatre would be a good place for me to start. The talented performers of the South Shore Symphony as well as the accomplished violinist Wen Qian– featuring Steve Guttenberg as narrator for the piece Lincoln Portrait– may make me change my mind. I am sure if anyone can show me the true beauty of classical music, it will be these performers. The South Shore Symphony is a group of brilliant musicians made up of professionals, gifted high school players, and talented amateurs who have a long history. Well…long to me anyway. They started in 1983 and, like many young people; I consider any year before I was born to have happened a long time ago. Wen Qian also has a rather long—to me—history of performing starting in 1987. She has performed in venues such as the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall and at many music festivals and is currently a violinist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. All of those venues sound like a big deal to me, which means she must be talented. I should go to the show and watch Ms. Qian and the South Shore Symphony at work so that I can gain a new appreciation of classical music. I’d recommend you do too. Whether you prefer your music with lyrics like I do or you’re a big fan of classical, come and let these talented performers sweep you away on a wave of wonderful melodies.