This is Why You MUST go to the Symphony

Virginia Beach super-producers Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo & Shae Haley’s band N*E*R*D released an album called “Seeing Sounds”. The premise of this album title explains that musicians, or the musician within ALL of us, has the ability to close their eyes and actually visualize the sounds that are coming into their ears. When one sits in the audience of Norfolk’s Chrysler Hall and performs that particular exercise while listening to our Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s deeply moving performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, one has the opportunity to “see sounds”. No question.

The images that come to people while they are sitting in the theatre listening to Beethoven’s Ninth will vary greatly for each individual. I saw all kinds of sounds. At one point, I closed my eyes and I was standing chest deep in the turquoise blue waters of the Bahamas and I started swimming out into the ocean while rain was pouring down on me as I swam. I could actually visualize the raindrops splashing onto the surface of the water all around me. Then I saw land and realized that I was on present-day Haiti and all of the images that I’ve seen recently on TV of the destruction and the horrors all were in my mind, and I remembered that I have to do a lot more to remind people about this recent tragedy so that they help by donating to Haiti Relief here.

Did you notice that the visions I had while I was listening to Beethoven’s Ninth started out so nice and peaceful and then they started to grow increasingly dark? Think about what the composer was going through at that time in his life. He was completely deaf when he wrote this symphony. Think about THAT! Isn’t that AMAZING!?! The piece is so powerful and moving and it really has the ability to TRANSPORT you to another level, into Beethoven’s silent, loud world. What must that have been like? To be completely deaf and to be able to transpose your thoughts onto paper musically is outstanding! ~FASCINATING! Brilliant and Genius! Ludwig was such a rock star. He was able to “see sounds” long before we came along. He left this for us. Experience it and live your life to the fullest in every reasonable way possible…just take my advice and be sure to include going to the Symphony. 

Our conductor, Miss JoAnn Falletta “sees sounds”. I’m quite sure of it. I noticed during the performance that she wasn’t using any sheet music, nor did she have any notes anywhere in front of her while she lead this beast of an orchestra to its climactic heights. I asked her after the show why she didn’t use any sheet music and she said that she went ahead and memorized the piece so that she could connect with her musicians. The “piece” is approximately an hour and ten minutes long! Watching Miss Falletta’s powerful and confident manner during the performance proves to me that we have a true musical genius in our midst and we need to support our Virginia Symphony Orchestra and purchase tickets to the performances here so that we can continue to experience this musical ear candy locally. (Thank goodness I only have to drive to Virginia Beach’s Sandler Center or Norfolk’s Chrysler Hall to experience this!)

The piece was played so perfectly by our Virginia Symphony Orchestra. I wish you would have heard it. Next time there’s a symphony performance, make the effort and try to get some tickets. Then you will get the opportunity to see sounds. Meanwhile, scroll down to the youtube video I posted below, crank up your speakers, turn off your lights, close your eyes and start the process of “SEEING SOUNDS”.  

From Wikipedia.com:

“The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire. It is considered one of Beethoven's most highly regarded masterpieces.”

From Wikipedia.com:

“The symphony was the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony. The words are sung during the final movement by four vocal soloists and a chorus. They were taken from the "Ode to Joy", a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with additions made by the composer.”

Our Virginia Symphony Orchestra has been performing for NINETY YEARS...that's so classic!!! 

How about this image of the symphony blown up giant-sized and hung in your home? Just ask. :)

Youtube video of Beethoven Symphony 9 in D minor Op. 125:

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