Incredible. Absolutely Incredible. Still floating.

I count myself as a crotchety concert-goer who gets perhaps unecessarily annoyed at the “jostle” and other distractions from the music-making. I have been known to shoot the malocch’ in the general direction of the offender, always to no avail, of course. I’ll have to try the meditation thing as I am currently enrolled at the CV center for other issues. But, come on, let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. How can one assume that of the almost 4000 patrons at a full Hill Auditorium, most of them are arrogant academics? I, for instance, am a subscriber of several years standing, and I work in an auto factory. All that aside, however, the knucklehead behind me who vocalized his cough and stopped the opening of the second movement of the violin concerto needs, together with the numbskull who loudly blew his nose between the penultimate and final notes of the symphony scherzo, to be required to attend a class in concert etiquette before being allowed back in any concert hall I will be attending. Seriously, though, Michael, you need to repeat the electronic devices reminder at the beginning of the second half since people have turned on their phones, etc., while in line for the bathroom and may well have forgotten to turn them off. In addition, may I suggest that all ushers be issued large buttons that remind people to turn off their phones as they enter and reenter the hall? It works at Severance Hall.

Every time I travel to Ann Arbor to attend a concert at Hill Auditorium, I am puzzled by the absolute disconnect among the audience. Coughing, sniffling, candy wrappers that take 15 minutes to open, is only surpassed by the arrogance of acedamia thinking they are somehow superior to the rest of mankind, and rules of civility do not apply to them. Last evenings performance by the Chicago Symphony was, as usual, refined and delivered with artistry. Maestro Muti is respected by his orchestra and visa-versa. Unfortunately, not a single phrase of their delightful performance could escape the rude and obnoxious sounds of the audience. For those who do appreciate the thousands of hours that these artists invest in each performance, I applaud you. Unfortunately, at UMS performances, we are vastly outnumbered.
So long UMS. I will travel to future concerts at venues that truly appreciate and understand the value of the fine arts.

An unsatisfying concert!

The Chicago Symphony’s businesslike and let’s-get-on-with-it approach – its restless tempi and unrestrained brass and timpani – might work well in one of Tchaikovsky’s triumphalist movements. But it did not work in last evening’s program.

Brahms’ second symphony with its bucolic spirit, its calm mood, and its mysterious moments calls for something subtler, warmer, more patient. It’s this composer’s “Pastoral” Symphony. In Mr. Muti’s hands it sounded more like Haydn’s “Military Symphony.”

Pinchas Zukerman played the Violin Concerto soulfully and sweetly, poured out his heart to us. But he was helpless to seduce Mr. Muti and the Orchestra into joining him in the sentiments and passions he modeled for them.

I’ve heard that they played this program in Chicago last week and that a scuffle broke out in one of the boxes during the concert. Let me guess: the Brahms fans vs. the Muti fans?