The String Section
The Kansas City Symphony performed an Italian-themed concert at the University of Kansas Lied Center Tuesday evening to benefit Music Works!, an organization formed to promote music in the Lawrence public schools. The concert was aimed at a very general audience, so the pieces were all fairly brief and very accessible, but the orchestra played beautifully. There are a few new members of the orchestra this year, including a few key wind players which I found particularly interesting. They all played very well and it was an enjoyable performance!
It reminded me of a very strong memory I have of the first (and only) time I’ve played in an orchestra. In 2006, I played tenor saxophone in the Kansas City symphony for their annual pops concert under the direction of Erich Kunzel. Since saxophonists rarely ever play in symphonies, I jumped at the chance and I was really glad that I did.
What you don’t realize when you listen to an orchestral recording or even sitting in the audience of a live concert, is how amazing the sound of a professional string section is. It is a warm, rich sound that has an amazing energy to it. Since it is made up strictly of vibrating wood and strings, that energy is transfered into the air and you can almost feel it on your skin. When all of the instruments are playing, every overtone is present and so you feel consumed by the sound from all sides. You just cannot experience this the same way unless you’re sitting within the orchestra. It’s like the difference between hearing the wind through a tree in the yard across the street (beautiful sound) and sitting right in the center of an ancient forest as the leaves flutter all around you (beautiful experience).
There is also an impressive visual element to it all. First, the bows of the violins and violas all move in total unison so that it seems like you’re watching waves in an ocean move up and down. When you look at the musicians, you can’t help but notice the sea of deep browns, reds and oranges of the wooden instruments which only intensifies the rich sound that comes from within them. The musicians all breathe together with each phrase and so you feel the energy of melody as well as hear it. It’s really like being inside of a breathing creature.
I’m sure experienced orchestral players are used to this feeling, but I came from a musical world of big bands, jazz combos and small chamber music groups (which are amazing in their own right), so it was totally new to me. I can only imagine what it would feel like to play a piece like Mahler’s 2nd Symphony or the 1812 Overture. It would make you leave your individual self behind for a while and become part of a greater whole. A “whole” with the sole purpose of creating music.