Tonight I had a 3rd-tier box seat right over the Seattle Symphony. The program:

1. Brahms - Tragic Overture

   I've never been into this piece, but in person it's super-rich and interesting, especially close up.

2. Bartok - Piano Concerto #1 (Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano)

   This was a blast. I've seen this performed live before, in 1988 in London (a rich couple gave a friend and me their extra tickets to see legends George Solti (conductor) and Zoltan Kocsis (pianist) with the London Symphony... I think. We actually sat in different areas, so my friend heard all piano while I could barely hear the piano over the orchestra (and afterward Kocsis seemed peeved for some reason). But today was, well, today, and I was right over the action, and it was vivid. Bavouzet seemed to be having fun despite its difficulty, and he brought out so much of the color of the piano part. The percussionists were all placed at the front of the stage with the piano, which made musical sense beyond the entertainment value. As an encore Bavouzet played the first part of Debussy's Images Book 1, projecting its colors through the hall and hushing the audience. At the intermission I got to talk to Bavouzet, and I thanked him especially for his Pierne recordings.

3. Elgar - Enigma Variations

   I don't think I ever heard this live before tonight. A Harmony teacher I once had (Mr. Teed) said this was one of the best pieces by a British composer, or something to that effect. It certainly is amazing in person, its craft even more discernable live to be sure. The second symphony is still my favorite Elgar work, but this one has its moments.