FoBoBlo

Well hello there Blo. I’m Rob, you may know me from such illustrious places as the comments section, or Metro Marginalia. But I’m not just a lurker or a reader of books. No no, I am much more. So allow me to introduce myself.

I lived/went to school in FoBo for four years, and got my BA in Music at GW. I’ve known Kat and Jared for quite some time, and mentioned to Kat the other day that I want to do some writing about music that actual, real people can read. Academic stuff up at UMD gets tiresome, since no one reads it. We came up with a way for me to write about music here, and still tie it into FoBo.

In the future, I’ll be bringing you previews of classical concerts in the area, with an emphasis on the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and the Washington National Opera (WNO) at the Kennedy Center. If I manage to make it to concerts, you can also expect reviews. With these posts, I’ll do my best to recommend recordings of pieces that are being performed, or of performers who will be playing. I’ll also be pointing out discounts on tickets where applicable.

For those of you who never venture into classical music, give me a chance. It really can be daunting to hear your first Mahler symphony, or to see Wagner depict the end of the world in Götterdämmerung. But I hope to be able to help listeners of all levels (first-timers to those who will only ever go to hear Terry Riley) get into this music. There’s a reason I study and have devoted years of my life to classical music: I really do think it’s some of the best music ever written and it should be heard.

So stick around, go see some concerts, and be sure to tell me what you think! If you’ve got questions, post them in the comments or email me at rob@foboblo.com. I’ll do my best to answer them as they come. Anyhow, onto this weekend’s NSO show, and it’s a good one.

Guest conductor Alexander Vedernikov will lead the NSO in a short program of Brahms’ Violin Concerto and Prokofiev’s 5th Symphony. Any time you get a chance to hear the NSO perform a 20th century work like the Prokofiev, you ought to take it. Under their former director, Leonard Slatkin (now with the Detroit SO), the ensemble honed their chops in modern music. It’s part of what led to Slatkin’s ouster, as DC audiences tend to want their solid Romantic music with none of this mussing about in new stuff. That’s a bunch of garbage, I tell you. There are some utterly breathtaking works that were composed in the 1900s, and this symphony is one of them. Written during WWII, No. 5 is probably Prokofiev’s best-known and most beloved symphony. The addition of a Russian director will certainly help the performance this weekend. I’m not sure what it is, but unlike any other nationality, Russian music is usually just better when played by the people who wrote it. If you can’t get a fully Russian orchestra, a conductor is the next best thing.

For those of you who eschew the Modernists, Brahms’ Violin Concerto, as performed by Vadim Repin will provide you with more than enough reason to attend the concert. I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing Repin perform live, so I’ll turn it over to Jens from WETA’s classical blog for a description:

Repin isn’t the most famous violinist because he isn’t the fanciest. He’s not a showman, nor into gimmicks or PR stunts. Worst of all, he’s fairly unassuming. And yet, if one had to give the hyperbolic title of “World’s Best Violinist” to any fiddler, he would be the least controversial choice.

That’s enough to make me want to go. This concerto is one that’s maybe a bit overdone, but always a pleasure to listen to nevertheless. I’ve got the Hillary Hahn recording, and it’s really amazing. (The fact that it’s paired with the relatively hard-to-find Stravinsky concerto makes this disc a true winner.) If you want a better idea of Repin, though, he too has a Brahms’ on disc that I haven’t heard, but has gotten stunning reviews.

If you’re interested in going, you can catch the 7 PM show on Thursday, 11/5 or the 8 PM on Friday, 11/6 and Saturday, 11/7.

If you’re ages 17-25, you can even score a great $10 ticket!