Journal entries

Last night, Arun, Chaitanya, Radhika and I went to the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra concert at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. This outing was special for the Orchestra since it commemorated the twentieth anniversary of Jorge Mester as conductor and music director. The concert featured a concerto by Aaron Copland, a violin concerto in E minor by Mendelssohn and Mozart's Symphony No. 39. With my previous experience of Dvořák and now Copland I have concluded that late nineteenth-century and twentieth-century composers pale in comparison with their predecessors. The first piece had perhaps ten seconds of tolerable jazz-influenced music that was not even a refrain to be repeated later. The program notes rightly featured the words of a critic of Copland's piece -- "If he composes like this at 23, he will be ready to kill in five years time". I could not agree more. But, that and the entire evening was made most memorable by a sensational performance on the violin by Ju-Young Baek who was a featured performer with the PSO for last evening's concert. She was dressed in a vibrant ricolour evening gown which contrasted brilliantly with the sombre black of the Orchestra members. Her rendition of Mendelssohn's Concerto was replete with delicate bowing as she applied bow to strings without one harsh, unwarranted syllable of music and pinpoint-accurate fingering that never compromised on melody. Truly magnificent! She received a huge standing ovation and deservedly so. Following the breathtaking piece, Mozart's Symphony No. 39 came as an anti-climax but nonetheless meted out faithfully.

Pasadena Symphony

Ju-Young Baek

January 2004 - March 2004

October 2003 - January 2004

July 2003 - October 2003

May 2003 - June 2003

April 2003

January 2003 - April 2003

2002

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