What is the greatest orchestral performance you've ever attended?
What is the greatest orchestral performance you've ever attended? It's as simple (?) as that. The best performance I've ever attended was one by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; it was then-Music Director Andreas Delfs' last concert series (second last concert overall), and they played Brahms' First symphony (in C Minor, Op. 68), and Mozart's Jupiter symphony. It was sublime.
NOTE: This is a repost of a question in the Performing Arts section, due to the fact that I got two responses; one made no sense and the other one somehow was picked as a best answer.
?2009-10-07T20:27:00Z
Favorite Answer
Greatest performance I've attended was an open air opera in (near) Rome, Italy. Giuseppe Verdi's Aida
Aside from stunning scenery and an exquisite execution of the music
... four horses abreast pulling a chariot, full gallop onto the stage, stopping very near the edge.
And then there was the poor fellow in Arabian garb who had the good fortune of being the camel wrangler and pooper-scooper-trooper. (That was memorable after thirty-something years)
Probably the high school orchestra performance of Mahler's First Symphony at Interlochen in the summer of 1966.
I had heard the phonograph recording of the symphony numerous times, but this was the first time that I noticed that the slow movement was based on Frere Jacques.
I reserve the money spent on concerts to hear primarily more contemporary works I have not ever heard live. There have been a number of memorable performances.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with John Browning playing the Barber Piano Concerto (when it was a new work - I date myself.)
CSO: Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, complete ballet.
University of Chicago, Rockefeller Chapel, U of C early music group, Britten: Curlew River. (seat was way up in the choir loft, amazing experience).
Evanston, Illinois: in a small chapel, program arranged by Northwestern University: Nikhil Banerjee, Sitar, and ensemble. Legendary musician and superb colleagues in hours long evening in an intimate setting. Apollo bless University towns!!! (Doesn't matter what you paid, you feel priviledged.)
CSO: Stravinsky conducting: all Stravinsky - Violin Concerto (with a young Iztak Perlman) / Pulcinella suite
Joffrey Ballet on tour; in Louis Sullivan's Auditorium Theater; full orchestra, recreated original production of Stravinsky Petruchka.
San Francisco State U. auditorium, Susan Narucki, Soprano; senior recital, songs of Charles Ives. (Eric Moe, accompanist).
Emmanuel Ax, San Francisco Symphony orchestra, a late Mozart piano concerto, Wagner's Siegfried Idyll.
SFO: Edo de Waart; Iztak Perlman, Berg violin concerto. // A Symphony of Charles Wuuronin and concert performance of Bartok Bluebeard's castle.
Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, on tour, Orchestra Hall, Chicago. Pierre Boulez, Early Schubert symphony / Ravel Ma Mere l'oye / Debussy La Mer.
San Francisco Opera: Poulenc, Dialogues des Carmelites, Leontyne Price (!). It was worth the price of the ticket to hear Ms. Price sing just one note. It is also an amazingly effective opera as musical theater.
SFO Opera summer season: Monteverdi: Coronation of Poppea; Marilyn Horne, sang the role of the nurse - great young international (non-megastar) cast. [seriously historical inaccurate libretto - you just have to ignore 'facts']
The Berkeley Gamelon Orchestra performing classical and new Gamelon music, and the Ramayana Monkey Chant.