The big screen above the stage was used to zoom in on the musicians, along with showing the occasional picture of something related to the music, like a shot of the score. And while there were a couple photos that left me wondering as to their relationship to the music, I thought this was a wonderful addition, though I noticed, in some closeups, that a couple of the chorus members needed dental work.
Yes, I went to a concert that featured a chorus, but I only stayed for two of their numbers, and got to hear three other uninfected pieces, including Autumn from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, which I, and doubtless countless others, never tire of, no matter how many times we hear it when we’re on hold on the phone.
On the other hand, listening to the chorus repeat the word “rejoiced” six times in a row in Handel’s “Zadok the Priest” reminded me of how agonizing it was to hear the Beatles repeat the chorus of Hey Jude 19 times in a row at the end of that song, unless, I guess, you were stoned.
Another thing I noticed was that the violinists bobbed their heads differently (and apparently for different reasons, as I discovered). I wonder whether violinists sitting next to each other ever bang heads. When holding auditions, do orchestra leaders ever consider whether the seat they have to fill needs someone with a left or right head bobbing tendency. Have they ever thought of choreographing the head bobs, like a Temptations dance routine?
In regard to his Symphony No. 59, the program wrongly showed Hayden’s life as being between 1770 and 1827, which turns out to be Beethoven’s life, whereas Hayden really lived from 1732 to 1809. I wonder if those guys ever got each other’s mail. And I wonder if heads will roll, which is apparently a song by the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, speaking of repetitious lyrics by the Beatles, as opposed to bob, as a result of this mistake.