Concertgebouw of Amsterdam and Bruckner

A dream come true. That is how I describe watching the Orchestra of the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam perfoming Bruckner's Fifth Symphony.

Late in the 1970's I used to listen to the nightly radio show of classical music broadcast by Radio Jornal do Brasil. Among my favourites were the symphonies of Bruckner and Mahler played by the Orchestra of the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam. What fantastic music coming from a far-away place that inspired my imagination. That made the whole experience even more special.

The theatre's acoustics is phenomenal, which just highlights the excellent orchestra. And, sitting at the podium, I could see how the conductor, maestro Herbert Blomstedt, had the orchestra in his hands, allowing him explore Bruckner's mastery of harmony and polyphony taking advantage of the contrasts of the different instrumental groups.

I was also very lucky to chat with conductor Blomstedt at the end of the concert.

Overall, an unforgetable afternoon.

By the way, refreshments were served at the end of this Sunday concert, including wine.

Wiener Philharmoniker and Mahler

When I was a teenager all I wanted to do was to play my guitar and listen to classical music. I used to purchase those old (new at the time) vinyl long players of the most important philharmonic orchestras whenever I had enough money saved from any source available (BTW: the long players were 33 RPM, not 78 RPM ... I am not that old :-D ). Among them were the big 3 orchestras, from Vienna, Amsterdam and Berlin, the best in the world.

Therefore, I felt as a dream come true when I watched the Wiener Philharmoniker play in its own house, the Musikverein Theatre in Vienna. And it was a very special program, which included a Schumann overture and the 5th symphony of Gustav Mahler. Mahler, who at the end of the 19th century was himself the director of the Wiener Philharmoniker, is one of my favourite composers.

It was an unforgettable event that my wife, my son and I shared together, closing our 10 days stay in Vienna with a golden key.