Music in Berlin

The two performances we went to in Berlin were very different from each other, but both fantastic.  On January 21, we saw the opera Andrea Chenier.  Probably the coolest part about it for me was the stage.  There was a raised platform in the center where a large portion of the opera took place, and as it went on, the platform was raised and even tilted at some points.  I thought this was a really cool effect.  I like how creative every performance has been with even small details like this. 

The other performance we went to was Mahler’s 6^th Symphony performed by the Berlin Philharmonic.  This four movement, ninety-minute symphony was incredible to hear played by some of the world’s best musicians.  What I think made it even better was that we were sitting directly behind the orchestra, something I’ve never done before.  We were feet away from the percussionists and could see every little detail of what goes into a typical musician’s performance as part of the orchestra as a whole.  The other thing I enjoyed about sitting in this area of the hall was that we were facing the conductor instead of seeing his back like normal.  This brought a whole new level of intensity and emotion to hearing the piece, as we could see some of his more subtle gestures.  Also, as a musician myself, it was almost as if we were a part of the orchestra and playing along with them.  It was a fantastic performance and probably my favorite we’ve been to up to this point on the trip. 

Our view at the Berlin Philhormonie for Mahler 6!