The tone color was sometimes amazing. Ricardo Muti’s body language often gave a beautiful interpretation of the music. My standard when listening to familiar pieces is whether the performance makes me hear something new that I hadn’t noticed before – whether the performance refreshes my interest in familiar music. This was the case with both symphonies last night.

The UMS audience often lacks restraint. The obsession with cellphones is remarkable, but irreversible, I fear. One should not let in latecomers before the intermission. It is disrupting others’ focus.

Opening the concert with the Michigan song was not a good idea. It did not set the right tone. We don’t come to the concert so that we can clap to some marching song. We come to the concert focus and to quietly appreciate.