Let's Face It, I'm a Sucker For Eastern-European-Romanic-Period Composers

I got a nice little treat today.  Not only did I get to hear one of my favorite classical pieces performed by a great orchestra, I got to hear them rehearse it!

The New York Philharmonic occasionally has an open rehearsal for their big performances at Avery Fisher Hall for a very affordable price.  This week they were performing the world premiere of Magnus Lindberg's Piano Concerto No. 2, Dvorak's Carnival, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4.  Obviously from the last mentioned piece I had to see this performance.  Because I am planning on going away for the weekend, the open rehearsal was my only option.

For an early morning event, the hall was pretty packed with all age groups.  I found myself a good seat like a giddy little girl and anxiously waited for them to start.  After the orchestra was seated and the conductor, Alan Gilbert, came out and announced that their resident composer of three years, Magnus Lindberg, was in the audience.  It is his final year and final composition for the New York Philharmonic, so this really is a special weekend for the group.

Up first was the Tchaikovsky piece.  I'm not going to lie...there were definitely tears forming in my eyes (yes, I'm a dork).  I've only heard recordings of the 4th Symphony, so it was nice to be able to hear a lot of the sections that are marked "piano" instead of cranking up the volume on my iPod.  Even though it was a rehearsal, they did play through a whole movement once without stopping before going back and fixing spots.  Honestly, going back and replaying sections was my favorite part of this whole experience, because I got to hear it all over again.

I'm a fan of Dvorak's work, but I have never heard Carnival until today.  It was the shortest piece on the program, which was helpful because I was still on a Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 high, sorry Dvorak!  But honestly, I did enjoy this piece too.  It has a great, catchy theme.

Finally there was the Lindberg Piano Concerto No. 2 premiere.  Mr. Lindberg, near the front of the audience was out and ready with the score in front of him, which made me wish I was sitting a little closer so I can get a glimpse of it.  I could definitely see a connection between this piece and the rest of the program, and the piano soloist's cadenza was amazing!  It was such a nice treat to get the first sneak peak of this composition. 

I'm a little sad that I won't be able to attend the actual concerts this weekend, but this rehearsal was a great alternative.  Do other orchestras do this?  I need to look this up.  I've later looked at the program notes to get a better idea of the work.  It's amazing to read what it took to come up with these masterpieces.