So – one of the first thing I noticed when I joined the Toronto Symphony is that orchestral musicians inner clocks are timed just like any band; for late night. Mornings are groggy but in the evening, musicians are buzzing. I’m actually a bit surprised that June 19 is the TSO’s first ever Late Night concert.
The Late Night concept came about after TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian conducted a similar concert at Tonhalle, Switzerland. He ran the idea by some of our tsoundcheckers at a post-concert party and well, here we go.
What can I tell you about Beethoven’s 9th…the “Choral,” his Ode to Joy? I can tell you it’s a masterpiece and has been since its premiere in 1824, written during Beethoven’s later period (when most of his contemporaries thought he was going crazy.) I can tell you that it proved his contemporaries wrong and that it was revolutionary, ushering in the romantic era and foreshadowing the massive symphonies of Mahler and Bruckner. I guarantee that you can hum the theme. We’ve all heard it many times; but hearing it live…with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, a stellar cast of soloists and the impressive Mendelssohn choir, you understand why it holds this place is music history. You’ll feel it in your gut, in the hairs on the back of your neck, in your twitching tear ducts (and yes, it will be the music, not the triple rye you brought into the hall.)
