I thought I would share my top five experiences in Chicago this past year, and simultaneously showcase the exemplary variety of ensembles that produce high quality performances.
1. Music of the Baroque: St. Matthew Passion
Way back in March of this year, the Music of the Baroque, helmed by Jane Glover, pulled off an astonishing feat by creating a timeless performance of this massive masterpiece. The performance was near four hours in length, but no one in the audience seemed to mind at all. The approval was unanimous and long-lasting. You can always tell when a performance moves an audience when there is this stillness, a general silence, as if awestruck. That was definitely the impression left on that night. A concert for the ages.
2. Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Macy’s Day of Music
Although the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs outstandingly all the time, I think their act of generosity in putting on this wonderful event is always memorable. Although lots of activities and music were planned, the CSO performance was my favorite. This year, no less a conductor than Charles Dutoit led the orchestra in performances of Finlandia, the Symphonie espagnole, Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun, and Pictures at an Exhibition. If you were trying to convince the non-initiated that classical music was for them, this had to be the ideal concert, with an ideal orchestra to do it.
3. Baroque Band: The Four Seasons with Monica Huggett
The Northwest should be familiar with the soloist and familiar with the astounding technical and interpretive abilities of this musician. Sitting front and center for this concert, a little suspicious of anyone performing this dead horse, Huggett pulled off another wow moment for me. Her attention to detail in this set of concerti, bringing out all the inflection and programmatic nuance in the music, was masterful. I was floored from beginning to end. It was a true pleasure to see and hear The Four Seasons performed live – a rare exception in my outlook on performance.
4. The Lyric Opera: Porgy & Bess
In a premiere for the Lyric Opera, the company put on this controversial opera with an amazing all-African American cast. As the night began, I was definitely against the piece, focusing on its blatant stereotyping and fetishizing of African American life. Within the first half hour, the characters were gambling, drinking, taking cocaine, killing… you get the idea. But as the opera went on, I was totally sold on the music and the universality of the storyline to opera. It was a perfect fit and everyone involved was inspired. It’s also fun to hear music that is different from so much of the rest of classical music that gets played in opera houses and concert halls. Who knew an American opera house could put on an American opera? The world we live in.
5. The Joffrey Ballet with the Chicago Sinfonietta: The Nutcracker
This yearly tradition of performing the famous ballet has been perfected over the years since Robert Joffrey choreographed it. This is the second year I have attended and am still awestruck by the beauty of the spectacle. The staging is beautiful, the dancing is spectacular and the entire experience leaves one giddy, especially the little girls who have dreams of being ballerinas. The Joffrey Ballet is a true jewel in Chicago’s cap.
Now that Riccardo Muti has been named the next conductor for the CSO (huge news from 2008), Chicago can continue looking forward to a continuation of excellence that this city luxuriates in. How lucky am I?
