symphonic orchestra live

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I'm wondering if anyone here ever went to see a symphonic orchestra play live. Was it anything special? I have been thinking about going for a long time.

I worked as a house manager for our county arts facilities including a symphony hall. The Utah Symphony is one of the best worldwide. The musicians are funny and a little kookie when they aren't on stage. But, they play amazing music. Seeing and hearing a symphony orchestra perform is very entertaining. The only warning I have is that the music they play sometimes can be looong. Many orchestras perform contemporary music or even music that kids would like (movie soundtracks like Ghostbusters or Star Wars, and recognizable symphonies like Peter and the Wolf). Those performances are a great way to learn more about orchestras and the kinds of music that they perform.

I'm not really interested in the visual aspect of being at a live performance. What interests me is that I was thinking maybe youtube or mp3 and my cheap headphones or my cheap computer speakers don't do this kind of music justice and that hearing it live would be a much richer experience. I have gone to some other live performances, although not many. It was an experience but I think maybe the difference between youtube/mp3/cheap headphones/cheap speakers VS live would be even greater with a symphonic orchestra.

Very true! The sound quality is ... well, real and live. Check out what the ticket prices are for your local symphony orchestra. If you are will and able to attend a matinee or a weeknight performance, the prices are very affordable.

You can't beat a live performance including audience coughs and splutters during quiet passages of the piece.

I have been to several. I rank them among the most amazing experiences of my life! It is a far different and more powerful experience to see it in person than to listen to it on youtube through headphones. For one, in person you can really hear every single note and instrument. On headphones, I find that you notice the main instruments, but you may not hear the softer ones that are playing underneath the rest. Also, in person you are completely focused on the performance.

Sitting in the balcony is better than on the floor. You can't see as well, but you can hear the blend of all the instruments much better. I love going to hear the symphony.

Where I live the cheapest tickets are the places behind the orchestra where the choir is when they have a choir. Do you think that is good? I read on a website that you get all the lights on you and you see well when the brass players empty their instruments of saliva...

It is interesting to see how people explore where they prefer to sit during a symphony orchestra's performance. In the end, every seat is about as good as the others. Some season-ticket patrons spend years constantly upgrading their seats to the positions that they prefer.

I would recommend trying out different locations to see which seast you prefer. Sitting near the orchestra pit would be amazing fun. Don't bother with box seats. They have the worst acoustics in the whole auditorium.

Here's a hint: If it turns out that you really like attending orchestra performances, you can apply to serve as a volunteer usher (or coat check) at the concert hall. This way, you can hear all the performances you want, and meet with the musicians.

I enjoy the occasional symphony concert. It's a rare treat for me these days, but enjoyable nonetheless.

I'm a classically-trained musician myself. My major instrument is clarinet, but I play the piano to pay the bills and occasionally teach privately. I have a master's degree in composition. But I also dislike the fact that MOST orchestra programming exclusively features dead Europeans to the detriment of up-and-coming composers as well as local talent. I missed an invitation to our local symphony performance because I wasn't available to take a call, and I probably would have gone if I'd known. Our local symphony does a poor job at publicity, and even worse: it serves primarily as a means for university profs to beef up their CVs by claiming to perform in an orchestra once a season. It's an old-boys-club, elitist organization, they don't champion new music, and I take strong issue with that.

It's attitudes like that which will ultimately kill the organization, and I mean organizations everywhere, not just ours. My friend who was trying to call me told me that the numbers were way slim that night?mostly because the people who'd otherwise go were off watching Mississippi State U. play football.

And lots of orchestras are like that. What distinguishes ours from others that are consistently successful is ours is a presenting organization, not a performing organization. There are few enthusiastic educational tie-ins, little PR, and next to zero connection with the local community--I mean, we have no stake in it at all. I mean, orchestras have always been the playground for the wealthy of the community, and our claim to high-society and sophistication is running halfway across the state to watch a bunch of guys jump on top of an air-filled ellipsoid and half-kill each other in the process. If orchestras have nothing more to offer than that, they deserve to die. Seriously, when the only people who show for concerts are those who simply can't afford college ball tickets, something is horribly wrong with our culture.

I live in Sweden. At the concert hall that I looked at the price was the equivalent of 16.2 US dollars for the cheapest tickets, which are for the places behind the orchestra, where the choir normally is. The other places ranged from 26.3 usd to 55.3 usd. I'm an underclass slob so I'll go for the choir place, at least for now.

seeing (well, hearing) such orchestras live has something.... intangatable about it, if it's a good one it will send shivers trough my body.
i always have strong physical reactions to music, and being there live only increases the effects (not always positive, some types of 'music' make me feel agression above all).

i am lucky to be proficient in a wind instrument, so i am part of such an orchestra, playing such music is even better then just listening live.


i can tell you, if you enjoy listening to symphonic music, definately go to a live show if you get the chance, you wont regret it

I think I will go to the local music college first and listen to their performances, because it's free.

Great idea! Keep in mind, however, that the competence of a college orchestra is only about 95 percent. A professional orchestra sounds amazingly better. Enjoy!

So I went to see the college orchestra. Sad to say that it wasn't as amazing as I had hoped. Maybe I have dull senses and can't appreciate fine art or maybe it was the selection of songs that didn't appeal to my taste. Some parts were ok though but I wasn't in awe, I didn't get shivers down my spine. I had an interesting experience when I listened to Mind Heist by Zack Hemsey while under the influence of cannabis. The music became incredibly rich. The second time I tried wasn't the same. I haven't tried again after that but I do like that song, sober too. Here it is:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpR4p41F8G4[/youtube]

I have heard that meditation can give the same effect as cannabis. That has made me wonder if you can increase your perceptivity to music by meditation.

I think I will give it a second chance though. I think it might depend quite a lot on what particular songs they play whether it suits your taste or not. I can imagine that a symphonic orchestra is extremely versatile as an instrument, just because you like symphonic music doesn't necessarily mean you like all symphonic music. I found a live recording on youtube of some songs from Inception. That would be quite awesome to see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad-LvIAwrfQ

Maybe I'll go stoned, if I feel like buying some weed again, which isn't something I'm sure I will. Apparently I'm not the first to have the idea:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/2 ... 35874.html

I think I might also go see a professional orchestra next time instead of a college orchestra.