Berlin Music!

Berlin has given us some pretty interesting musical experiences. Yesterday we saw the Berlin Philharmonic, reputedly the best orchestra in the world. We sat right behind the orchestra, across from the conductor (and under some pretty hot lights). The first thing that stood out was the pianist who performed in the first half. I’ve never seen anyone get into his music like that. At times, he sat hunched over the keys, and then he would sway and bounce around, shaggy hair flipping as he moved. He was super fascinating to watch and clearly passionate about his work. After we applauded for like forever he came out and did an encore—a slower piece, but he still managed to move around a lot, basically looking like he was putting his heart into the music.

The orchestra was incredible, but I found myself pretty distracted by these weird snore-like noises the conductor (?) was making. I kept trying to figure out where they were coming from and got a little distracted from the music. I think if it wasn’t so hot and the conductor wasn’t making those noises, I probably would have gotten a lot more out of this concert… but it was still incredible. Being right behind the orchestra meant that whenever they got loud, I could feel the vibrations in my feet, especially when the drums were going since we were right behind the drummer, adding a whole other level to the experience.

Tonight we went to the Jewels ballet, and it was also incredible! The costumes were crazy sparkly and cool—quite apt for a ballet named Jewels—and the orchestra was great. I found that I loved the music of the first part (Emeralds), was really intrigued by the choreography of the second part (Rubies), and utterly amazed by the athletics and coordination of the third part (Diamonds). It’s like the dancers were full of helium or something—they jumped so high it was almost unbelievable. I’ve always been amazed by ballerinas dancing on pointe (I don’t know if that’s even what it’s called… I googled it and I’m still unsure) and tonight was no different. I found that having something to look at helped me hear/focus/pay attention to the music more (I didn’t get too lost in thought or distracted like I sometimes do). Overall, I had a lot of fun at this ballet!

The view from my seat at the ballet

A dragon bowl from the Pergamon because I don't have many good pictures from the ballet/Berlin Philharmonic