Another view of Music Hall

Friday
I know I’ve blipped Music Hall a number of times before, but I didn’t take anything else today - another indoor day doing my Duolingo, playing the piano and knitting. The Cincinnati Symphony concert was wonderful and rather different. The first half was a modern violin concerto by Icelandic composer Daniel Bjarnason, and performed by Finnish violinist Pekka Kuuisto. I can’t say it was my favourite violin concerto, but I could appreciate the skill required from both the violinist and the orchestra. The second half was the reason I’d chosen the concert - a staged production of Grieg’s Peer Gynt, that marries Griegs beautiful music to its original setting, Ibsens lengthy verse play of 1867. The arrangement, which whittles the play down to about 75 minutes was made by composer/director Bill Barclay, former director of music at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The staging was minimal, using a selection of chairs, stools and tables, which the actors could stack on top of each other. It was very cleverly presented, and I love the music.