On Sunday the 26th October 2008 my mother and I were given the opportunity to see the London symphony orchestra play. It was an Amazing experience! The evening’s music was conducted by a lady called Xian Zhang, and if you are unfamiliar with the role of a conductor, her role is major, without her the orchestra would lack co-ordination. The night was split into three parts and each part was portraying a different subject matter.
The first part was by Charlie Piper and was called “The twittering machine.” It started off subtle then grew louder as the music went along. The higher the pitch and the faster the pace the more intense the music became. It sounded a bit like something out of a horror movie. The slower and lower the music was, the more drawn I was, just waiting for the next out-burst of fast and loud music to strike. The sound was so beautiful and the musicians were so talented that the orchestra’s music touched my mother and made her heart fill with emotion, until she cried.
The next part was by Mussorgsky orchestrated by Shostakovich, and was called “Songs and Dances of Death.” Olga Sergeeva, a soprano singer sang solo. She had such a beautiful and powerful voice, the sound projected around the whole room. Even though her singing was not in English I could tell by her facial expressions and the pitch and volume of her voice which emotion each verse was expressing. The orchestra was all in time with her voice and each other. The notes were sharp when they needed to be and flowed by the length of her vocals. I could tell when each piece ended because all the instruments collaborated.
The final section was my favorite; it was by Rimsky-Korsakov and was called “Scheherazade.” It was very calming music especially the violin and harp, I found it very soothing. I like to call it Sunday music because Sundays are days of peace and the music was very peaceful.
All in all it was a wonderful experience, at the end I felt a touch of emotion, and my mind was being opened up to a whole new magnificent power of music. It was an impeccable performance! I would love to go again, and I will highly recommend it to my friends and all those who love music!
Written by Tai Jasmine Samuels-Baxter, 14 years of age.
Tai attended a performance of the LSO conducted by Xian Zhang with Olga Sergeeva, soprano at the Barbican on 26th October 2008. They played The Twittering Machine by Charlie Piper, Songs and Dances of Death by Mussorgsky, orchestrated by Shostakovich, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.
