Bela, Berlioz, and Beyonce

I spent last week in Louisville performing with the Louisville Orchestra for their season closing concert. When I performed with the group a few weeks ago I left very satisfied, and those feelings were far surpassed on this most recent trip. The concert started with the orchestra playing the theme from "Peter Gunn" with members of the orchestra performing improvised solos. The LO's conductor, Teddy Abrams, is a huge proponent of art that happens in the moment, and this was a perfect way to show the audience what musicians are still capable of doing. The second piece on the concert was a banjo concerto written and performed by Bela Fleck. I had never heard of this musician prior to being asked to play this program, and I was blown away. The writing for the orchestra was sublime, and his performance of the solo was like nothing I'd ever heard. The piece contains a big contrabassoon solo (that I performed very well), as well as features from many of the other instruments in the wind section. The crowd loved it, and I look forward to seeing this piece again in the future. 
The second half of the concert featured Berlioz's famous "Symphony Fantastique", which felt easy after the Fleck. Because the audience had been so pumped up by the first half, there was roaring applause between every movement of the piece, and it was inspiring to feel the energy in the hall from patrons who obviously love their city's orchestra. 
When I wasn't rehearsing or performing with the LO, I was exploring the city of Louisville listening to Beyonce's new album, "Lemonade". Beyonce has become so famous that many people sleep on her music, assuming it'll be pop music as usual, but I have to stress that it is everything but that. The theme of the album is centered around the power and worth of the black woman and her ability to overcome what can seem to be the biggest tragedy in her life - infidelity. While this doesn't hit directly home with me, I still feel the tenderness and emotion she put in this album, and I highly suggest everyone give this one a listen. 
All in all, last week was a great week of music. New sounds are very important in my opinion, and I could never go back to hearing someone's uninspired rendition of some 200 year old piece of music without rolling my eyes. I want to make orchestral music and the bassoon as big of a part of pop culture as the guitar or the drums. I want to be a part of an orchestra that is constantly pushing the boundaries of both its musicians and its audience's musical senses. Berlioz did this when he wrote "Symphony Fantastique" in 1830. Bela Fleck is definitely doing this today. Beyonce is killing the idea of what hip-hop and R&B should sound like - I want to do that from the "classical" end. 

Image from the "Lemonade" visual album - "6 Inch" feat. The Weeknd