Lew Shaw’s Blog from Haifa

I attended a performance of the Haifa Symphony Orchestra with a friend on Sunday evening.  I was looking forward to a concert and seeing what the classical music scene is like here.  I called last week to see if there were tickets remaining, then when I went to all back and place my order the next day, no one answered the phone.  So I drove to French Carmel to the ticket office to purchase.  There were three people manning desks and phones, but apparently when they are busy, the phones just keep ringing.  So purchasing in person was the only option.

The concert was held at the Haifa Auditorium, very close to my home.  I wanted to get there a bit early for the 8:30 PM performance, as I like to watch the musicians warming up and watch as the audience arrives.  We got there a bit after 8 PM.  I was immediately struck by the age of the audience, all waiting in the foyer of the auditorium, as the entrance was closed.  As in Boston, most classical music attendees tend to be on the other side of “middle age”, closer to “golden age”.  Finally at about 8:25 they let us enter.  The stage was set for the orchestra, but no musicians.  Around 8:40, the musicians slowly walked onto the stage, quickly tuned to the oboe’s note, and sat ready to play.  The conductor came out to applause, the musicians and audience all stood, and Hatikva (the Israeli national anthem) was played.  The conductor left the stage, the musicians now regrouped for the actual concert (no brass in the first piece, for example, so they left the stage too).  Finally the conductor and the first soloist came out to applause. 

The first piece was a contemporary flute concerto by Partos, from around 1957.  The soloist was a woman from New Jersey.  She may have been good, but it was hard to tell, since the piece was of the modern genre that I find difficult to listen to.  I also noted that throughout the first piece, late arriving audience members just walked down to their seats, climbing over those already in place.

The second piece was Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1.  The soloist was a 15-year old Chinese girl, a real child prodigy.  Both her technical mastery and the emotion with which she carried the piece was outstanding.  She received several curtain calls and finally sat down to play a small piece on her own to satisfy the appreciative audience.

After  intermission, the full orchestra performed Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5.  It is certainly not my favorite piece and it appeared to me that the orchestra’s balance was quite off, if I must be critical.  I can also note that the principal French horn player did a mediocre job on his prominent parts.  Another observation, from reading the program, is that all three trombonists have the same last name (Vull), a real trombone family! Also, it is the first time that I have ever seen an Orthodox tympani player, complete with black kippa and tsitsis hanging out of his pants.  I wonder if he changed he black Orthodox suit for his black symphony suit, or are they one in the same?

The concert lasted well over three hours.  As soon as the orchestra finished the final symphony, amidst applause, a large number of audience members just got up and started to leave the concert hall.  The orchestra seemed oblivious, as they continued to behave as if the audience was just applauding in praise.  I am sure they are used to this kind of reception. 

So I think I now have a sense of the scene here.