Berlin Music Scene

Wow! That's is my first reaction to the past two nights and to the performances we watched!

First we got to see the Berlin Philharmonic!! This ensemble has been on my bucket list and I have dreamt of seeing them perform. I am still in awe of the performance! The best part was our seats. I was talking to my parents on the phone and asked them to guess where I got to sit. They guessed the front row. I told them no and that we were closer. Much to their surprise, the class got to sit on the seats on stage right behind the orchestra! We were so close that we could watch the music over the brass players shoulders.

The Berlin Philharmonic is one of the top ensembles, if not the top, in the world. I definitely can hear why. Their time was so clear and precise. Even when playing soft, everyone's sound would carry throughout the whole performance venue. Since we were sitting so close, we definitely heard a lot of brass sound. In some of the louder sections, it felt like sitting behind a brass army.

The next night we got to see the ballet Jewels. This was a performance that I continuously forgot we had tickets for. However, now the ballet  is my favorite concert on this trip! Right when the curtains opened and the dancers walked out with their beautiful and shiny costumes, I felt like a little kid drawn to watching all the jewels dance. I have always been a visual learner, even in music. While playing or listening, I like to have an image in my head to help convey the mood of the piece. Usually, that image is a dancer since I grew up doing dance along with band. So for me to watch professional dancers perform with an amazing orchestra quickly became my favorite concert. After this concert, I hope to see another ballet!

Berlin was a glorious city with an incredible music scene. I hope to visit Berlin again in the future and be able to attend more concerts!