Elizabeth Bishop In Words And Music Essay

On Feburary 10, 2011, I attended the “Elizabeth Bishop in Words and Music” classical concert, wherein three composers wrote new music to celebrate the life of the poet Elizabeth Bishop. I also saw the “Mozart’s Jupiter” concert on March 24, 2011, both of them taking place at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in the Dalhousie Arts Centre in Halifax, which was a beautiful location, full of many different sculptures and interesting architecture.
The Symphony Nova Scotia provided an excellent presentation; their musicianship was full of commitment and passion, and their discipline under the baton of the conductor was incredible to see. The audience around me was enraptured, none of them making a sound, as the three different works flowed into each other. The Elizabeth Bishop concert was nice, as I felt like I was hearing a completely new work take shape, especially as it was followed and contrasted by Beethoven’s 5th, a familiar classic.
I had not really been to a classical concert before; I always imagined them to be a very dry, boring affair. However, I’ve learned that it just takes a different mindset to enjoy it, and that the audiences and experience are different than at a rock concert. Unlike those events, classical concerts are much more about the music and less about the social experience. You sit down and let the music wash over you, hearing every note and taking the piece as a whole. Also, the songs flow into each other to create a cohesive whole that I had never before considered in classical music.