I recently went to see the NY Philharmonic perform the 2nd and 7th symphonies of Beethoven and a piece by Stravinsky called Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra. Before going I had never heard any of these pieces. When hearing them on youtube I had the typical reaction when listening to classical pieces. I got bored rather quickly and didn’t finish the pieces in their entirety. But I know I like both composers so I decided to go anyway.

I also had never been to Avery Fisher Hall before. The venue was absolutely amazing. We sat in the last row of the orchestra section and I was a little concerned we weren’t going to be able to hear anything. As soon as the first chords hit, you feel like you’re in the front row. The acoustics of this place was unreal. Nothing was too loud but you can hear every tiny pluck and bow.

The second symphony has four movements, the first starts in D major. The flutes and strings are the main instruments throughout the piece with minimal rhythm. There are a couple parts where some percussion comes in and really adds to the suspense of the piece. Of the three pieces played, this was my least favorite.

Stravinsky’s piece was my favorite. I loved how dissonant the piece was. I really like classical pieces in the minor key and this definitely had all the minor elements. Dramatic,  suspenseful, dark… I’d say this is more of a concerto since the piano is the highlighted instrument. There is a lot of cyclical coherence here. There is a real suspenseful theme the piano plays in the lower register in which the other instruments form around. The pianist was also very dramatic while playing. When he his a string, he’d throw his hand in the air as if the piano shocked him.

Beethoven’s 7th symphony was the last piece. This also was in a major key. The rhythm played a much more apparent role unlike the 2nd. The piece had a lot of movement entertaining. The conclusion of this piece blew me away. The chord progression was very strong and you almost knew where the piece was going to go but still was so very powerful. It truly was impressive to see these professionals play their instruments and sound so amazing. I strongly recommend everyone going to see something here!!