Post-VSO Thoughts - The Moldau by Smetana

Last night the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) held their 23rd free concert in beautiful Deer Lake Park. Despite the rain, we took our chairs and picnic dinner and enjoyed a fantastic (if a little damp) performance. The VSO played a wide range of music, and finished off with their traditional finale for this concert, the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky. You can find a recording of this piece earlier in our blog by clicking here.

There was one piece that I particularly liked, though I was not incredibly familiar with it. The VSO played Bedrich Smetana's Die Moldau (or, in Czech, Vltava). This piece is part of his symphonic poem entitled Ma Vlast in which Smetana uses music to describe his homeland. Die Moldau describes the route that the Moldau river takes; it starts when the river is formed by two smaller streams, and continues to describe the river flowing through meadows, past the wedding of a farmer, past mermaids dancing at night, past palaces and castles, and finally as it flows off into the distance.

This is a great example of a composer creating a piece of music to try and paint a picture for his audience. I've included a recording of Die Moldau in this post. Enjoy!

Summer Sunday Concerts

Summer is a great time for free music experiences! Rocky Point Park in Port Moody is hosting a series of free music concerts throughout the summer featuring jazz and blues artists. Concerts are held every Sunday between July 10th and August 8th. You can find more information on the Summer Sunday Concerts webpage.

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra: Free Summer Concerts

It's that time of year again! The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will be holding free concerts at Deer Lake Park as well as at Stanley Park. This is a great way to enjoy high quality classical music for free! These concerts are held outdoors; I've never been to their concert at Stanley Park, but when we go to the Deer Lake performance we pack a picnic dinner, sunscreen, and make a day of it! Be sure to get there early to get a good spot.

Stanley Park Concert:
Sunday, July 10th, 2011
5:15 pm Mainstage in Stanley Park
Click here for more information.

Deer Lake Park Concert:
Sunday, July 17th, 2011
7:30 pm at Deer Lake Park
Click here for more information.

European Festival

Next weekend is the annual European Festival at the Scandinavian Centre in Burnaby. It's a fun-filled day complete with food from a variety of different European countries, dancing, and performances all day including cultural dancers and choirs representing a wide range of different countries. I've been several times, and it's a great way to spend the day as a family. This will give you the chance to hear music from cultures other than our own!

For more information, visit the Scandinavian Centre website.

My parents' choir (the Concordia Choir Vancouver) will be singing to represent Germany at the festival. You can find out more about them on the Concordia Choir website.

Michael Kaeshammer

I had the most amazing privilege this week - I was able to see Michael Kaeshammer live in concert. For those of you who haven't stumbled across Michael Kaeshammer, he is an amazing jazz pianist who does a fantastic boogie. I'd heard him for years on the radio, but this was the first time that I was able to see him in person. There were times when I literally could not distinguish his individual fingers - it was a peach-coloured blur on on the piano. As he plays, he is in perpetual motion; his feet are swinging and tapping, his head is bobbing, his bench is tilted precariously on two legs, and his fingers - well, his fingers never stop. It was an amazing concert.

I've attached a video of one of the songs he played. I hope you enjoy it!

Symphony in the Park

Here's a very early heads-up for those of you looking for high-quality, inexpensive opportunities to hear live professional musicians. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will again be putting on a free concert at Deer Lake Park (only a few minutes away from our neighbourhood) on Sunday, July 12th. The concert starts at 7:30 pm, but be sure to get there early - the lawn fills up quickly. We usually make a day of it - it's a great chance to pull out the picnic blanket, some old board games while for before the concert starts, and a nice pack-along supper. And don't forget the sunscreen!

UBC School of Music: Concerts and Events

I have just discovered that the UBC School of Music has a wonderful concert series this year. The prices are very reasonable, and some of the concerts are free or cost under $5 a ticket.

Check out their events calendar: this link will take you to April's scheduled events, but you can also access a full events calendar for the year through this page.

http://www.music.ubc.ca/events.html