ZERO MOZART

Another Mostly Mozart concert last night. Except this time there was no Mozart–unless you count the snippets Schnittke quoted in his 1977 piece “Moz-art à la Haydn.” It is described as a “game with music.” Let’s just say that after watching the musicians do their choreography I have no need to watch any football half-time shows for a while.

Also on the bill were Prokofiev’s First Symphony, the “Classical” Symphony, and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, two works with which I am quite familiar–and enjoy very much. Both were done quite well. The audience raved for Joshua Bell’s performance of the Tchaikovsky. I joined in the ovation at the end (though not in the long one he got after the first movement).

At 37 Bell’s a little past being the hot, young up-and-coming next Heifetz, but he still gives a very youthful appearance–helped in part by his costume, basically a black silk pyjama set. A man in the row behind me called it a Viet Cong uniform. But I don’t believe theirs were made of silk. I will say that this outfit was a bit better than the one he wore when I heard him at Tanglewood last month. That one had a blue pyjama top.

Since this was a weeknight, and much cooler than last Saturday, there were few summer dresses worn by the audience. One of the older women in the row in front of me was overdressed in a very nice multi-colored speckled white skirt suit. Other than that there wasn’t too much in the fashion category that I noticed.

My biggest complaint: they really need to replenish the snack supply at the refreshment stands–gummy bears and after dinner mints are just plain insufficient.