I've been to this local community orchestra before, and I might have gone to this concert anyway, but I had a special reason: our niece E. has joined it. She plays double bass. In fact all three of the double bass players in this orchestra are women, and if you're reminded of the Netflix documentary The Only Girl in the Orchestra about the first woman, a double bass player, to join the New York Philharmonic, so am I. (I also know someone who used to be a cellist in this orchestra, but he left some time ago.)
A few other family members, including our nephew L., E.'s husband, showed up to cheer along. B., however, had been at a music-making session earlier and had had enough for one day. L. was attempting to concoct a baseball joke about third bass, but I warned him it's been done.
The program featured a flute concerto by the Japanese composer Yuko Uebayashi, with Ráyo Furuta as soloist. I've heard Uebayashi's flute chamber music before, under Furata's curation, and I liked it a lot. I was not so excited by the concerto, which was more of the Debussyean impressionist part and less of the bouncy, exciting part. E. confessed that she wasn't always sure what key the music was in, which likely was a result of the Debussy influence; and listening to the orchestra, I'm not sure they always knew what key they were in either. Furuta, though, as usual was a dazzling soloist.
Followed by Beethoven's Fifth, a dramatic and urgent, and pretty well together, performance, nicely led by music director Lara Webber.
That was Saturday. On Friday, B. and I did go out together, for a concert by Brocelïande, our favorite Renaissance/folk band. Half of it was the Christmas seasonal music they do so well; the other half was their music for other seasons to honor the publication of their first songbook, which covers that part of their repertoire. They were a little tired and out of sorts this time, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
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