Discovering Classical Music by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra

Classical Music Concert

Today, I went to a classical music concert at Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall. The concert was the first of the Muza Kawasaki series by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra. They played Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 “Pastoral.”

I don’t know much about classical music, but I liked the Beethoven piece more than the Brahms one because the Brahms’ piece felt a bit long or heavy for me. There was an allegro part in the Beethoven piece where the music sounded like thunder, and I liked it very much.

This was actually only the second concert of any genre I’ve ever been to (if we don’t count the Depapepe concert, a Japanese acoustic guitar duo, during my university years because I only attended half of it).

The First Classical Music Concert I Went To

Speaking of the first concert I went to, it was also a classical music concert by the same orchestra. It was the 402nd Minato Mirai series. Frankly speaking, I loved one of the pieces played there even more than the ones in the Muza Kawasaki concert.

The program included Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor, Op. 102 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93. Shostakovich’s piece felt more powerful compared to Brahms’ and Beethoven’s. My wife said the contrast might be because Shostakovich lived through wartime, while Brahms and Beethoven had a more peaceful life.

A Few Observations

During the first concert, I didn’t know the role of the conductor. They just seemed to swing their hands in time with the music, making big movements I didn’t understand. I looked it up later and found out their roles are to keep the tempo and guide the music.

At the second concert, I saw that this was indeed the case. The conductor’s right hand kept a regular tempo, with varying energy depending on the intensity of the music, and his left hand pointed to different sections from time to time. An interesting observation: when he pointed at a section, they didn’t start playing immediately—there was a slight delay, maybe around one beat.

Looking Forward

I’ve always wanted to be able to play a musical instrument, specifically the piano, but I never had the chance to learn one during my childhood. Going to these concerts makes me want to learn even more. However, finding the time to do so is quite difficult. I even bought a piano a few years ago, but it ended up just collecting dust.

Do you have a favorite classical piece or memory from a concert?