Michael Gravel Edmonton Writer

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

I‘ve long held an admiration for orchestral music, although my knowledge of it is limited. I’ve always wanted to regularly attend performances by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. There has always been an excuse to not do it – too expensive, not enough time, etc. This year my wife Kerry and I decided to take advantage of the two-for-one new subscriber special. This allows just what it says – two people can subscribe for the price of one. In our case, we chose seats in the upper circle, second tier from the top. Fortunately, the seating in the Winspear Center for Music was designed to make any seat a good seat. Twelve concerts over eight months for two people set us back less than $400.00. That’s an incredible deal, if you ask me.

We’ve been loving it. The season began on September 19 and we’ve been anxiously awaiting every concert thereafter. The concerts afford my wife and I much-needed nights out; dates that are non-negotiable because they’re scheduled. Make no mistake. This is no small deal. It was our main reason for subscribing, but it certainly feels odd to have scheduled downtime together. Our lives are busy these days with events and happenings crowding our calendars. A breather from the shitshow of daily life is essential and the reality is this: If something isn’t scheduled it doesn’t happen. We’ve found our respite in the Edmonton Symphony.

It’s an excellent night out. We like to arrive early to allow for a nice easing-in. Walk around, do some people watching, grab a civilized drink in a real glass, and pretend we’ve got more money than we do. The architecture of the Winspear is inspiring, and the finishing details are worth closer examination (i.e. the stone floor in the entraceway is always well-kept and beautiful; the seats in the hall are comfortable and immaculately maintained). Symphony nights are also an excuse to throw on some nice clothes. Dressing up is optional of course, but I would feel out of place without some decent evening attire. Wool trousers, cotton shirt, and a jacket are my standards; my wife often dons a dress. Many men wear suits and ties and the women are exquisite in their evening frocks. I have seen a few patrons in jeans and t-shirts and I’ve yelled “YES!” in my head. I have yet to see a rock t-shirt at any concert, but you never know. In my younger days, wearing an Iron Maiden tour shirt to an elevated event like the symphony was first nature to me.

This being Alberta, the pretensions of the symphony and its upper-end patrons range from subdued to nearly non-existent. This is somewhat due to conductor Bill Eddins, who is not your standard-issue, stuffed-collar music director. The guy has tons of style and is way cooler than anyone in the audience (probably on the shortlist for coolest guy in Edmonton). I’m sure that some long-term, well-moneyed subscribers are horrified by the sudden influx of rubes like us – those who are there only because the price has become reasonable. We do intend to continue our subscription next year, when the price goes up. Fortunately, I have felt no ill-feelings from anyone. I doubt anyone would be that obvious in any case – this is Alberta, located in the polite state of Canada after all – but as a newcomer it’s nice to feel welcome.

This season’s musical selections are varied and interesting. We’ve already been treated to nights of Mahler and Schubert; Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody (excellent but not quite as amazing as Rhapsody in Blue); and Brahms second symphony. We’re not intimately familiar with most of this music but we love hearing it live. Listening to a recording at home is one thing, but a live performance is so much richer. At home, music is usually in the background. It is rare to sit down and do nothing but listen to music intently. We view concerts as two hours of enforced listening and quiet. It’s not quite active listening, which would be necessary with music containing lyrics. Indeed, a quick visual of the audience will reveal many on the edge of sleep. The auditorium does not allow the slightest of noises to be disguised. During quiet musical passages, a vibrating cellphone is audible across the hall (as I found out one evening), and the uncrossing of a leg from a knee is nearly an interruption to the performance. Moments of quiet like that are beyond rare. In the clip for coming coming concerts: Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi, Debussy.

It looks as though the Edmonton Symphony is continuing its two for one subscriber deal, and if you’ve been on the fence with regards to season tickets, now would be a good time to take the plunge. Of course, single-concert tickets are a good place to start, and tickets are almost always available. As far as nights out go, it’s more expensive than a movie but cheaper than a hockey game, and maybe even more interesting than either of them.

Entry #114 · November 28, 2009 in