Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2011 > September > 13 > Entry
Austin Symphony Orchestra Season Opener at the Long Center
The first clue was the full seats. Usually, at Austin Symphony Orchestra performances, scattered seats, especially in the orchestra section, remain painfully empty. Purchased, but perhaps for reasons other than a love of symphonic music, and thus left fallow. Or simply, season subscribers failed to notify ASO they would not occupy them that night, so they were not resold.
John Chung and Laura Smith
The full house could have also been a function of superstar violinist Joshua Bell’s electrifying appearances in two pieces, the Tchaikovsky/Glazunov Meditation and Glazunov’s Violin Concerto. Three decades into his career and the still-boyish-looking soloist commands enormous audience loyalty.
Joe Greco and Marsha Robinson
The second clue, however, was the absence of tuxes and glittery gowns. Is the symphony’s second night usually this dressed down? I witnessed every variation on Austin casual in the crowd.
Terry and Kathy Bell
Then it struck me. Maybe the season ticket-holders were at the exciting football game between UT and BYU across town. They could have traded nights, or just skipped the season opener. And this time, they notified the box office, which was then able to gratify deeply invested music lovers.
Who were gratified, believe me. They listened to the two violin-graced pieces, as well as the Richard Strauss’s “Death and Transfiguration” and Rimsy-Korsakov’s “Russian Easter” Overture, as if they were dying of thirst for such glories. Conductor Peter Bay’s musicians responded by playing, in my humble opinion, better than I’ve heard them play in my 27 years in Austin.
This time, the standing ovations counted double. As did the glowing notices.
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