Night at the Symphony

We had a great night at the symphony hearing the world-renown Toronto Symphony Orchestra play Joonas Kokkonen's "Adagio religioso" from Music for String Orchestra, Helen Grime's Violin Concerto, and Mahler's 5th symphony. The first piece was absolutely beautiful, and it was its North American Premiere. The second piece was clearly modern (composed in 2016); it wasn't my favorite of the pieces, but the performance of the guest violinist, Leila Josefowicz, made it interesting. Also, this was the Canadian premiere of the piece. Those were the two opening pieces of the night. It only took about 45 minutes or so to play both of those pieces, after which there was an intermission. This helped us prepare for Mahler's monster 5th, which lasts an hour and ten minutes or so. It was a marathon. But in typically Mahler style, it was quite dynamic. There was no way anyone was going to slumber during that piece! Overall, while I find Mahler's music fun, I was most moved by the opening "Adagio religioso."

Thanks to our daughter Sydney for getting the three of us tickets at a student price, and for guiding us to the Roy Thomson Hall via the Go Train and the subway in Toronto. It was a fun night! Here are a few photos...