oh... i saw you when i was playing

since my dear crazy lady martha argerich didn't bother to show up canceled her concert in may (she was scheduled to perform "schumann #1"), i returned the ticket and was given a voucher for the 04/05 season.

note: i saw argerich in the carnegie hall with the philadelphia orchestra conducted by her ex-husbund charles dutoit in 2002. she was scheduled to play "chopin #1", but she changed it to "schumann #1". no one complained because she showed up...

(lang lang, andrew eccles photo | deutsche grammophon ©)

i used this voucher for tonight's nyphil concert: lang lang performed "tchaikovsky #1". technically, lang lang was superb, though i found his "allegro con fuoco" unusually joyful. (note: lang lang and yundi li are THE chinese pianists nowadays but lang lang has developed a more noticeable style.) like many other passionate music, "tchai #1" could help me reach the emotional and physical climax. every time when i heard the "allegro con spirito" of the first movement, my entire body would involuntarily quiver as if my mind and muscles had sublimed with the flying notes. as usual, i had my moment at the avery fisher hall tonight. oh, i forget to mention that i was sitting on C112 in the front orchestra. my seat was a bit too close to the stage.

there's always a tradeoff when part of the programme was too good. after the intermission, my ears were tortured by the world premiere of gathering paradise: emily dickinson settings (for soprano and orchestra). when i looked around, most people had this i-am-dying-and-when-will-you-finish look and a few even started nodding. (remember! i was sitting on the third row.) frankly, i was never fond of contemporary classcial music. i became really skeptical when it came to any composers born after gershwin (btw, was gershwin classical?)

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after the concert, lang lang was giving autographs in the lobby so i waited in line. i got his live at carnegie hall cd. lang land and i had the following conversation (in mandarin) when he autographed the cd:

本人: 謝謝.
me: thank you.

朗朗: 我彈琴的時候看見你了.
ll: oh, i saw you when i was playing.

pause

本人: 對!我坐在第三排.
me: yes, i was sitting on the third row.
(didn't know how i should react or what i should say.)

longer pause

本人: 你是那裡人?
me: where are you from?
(as you know, i was trying so hard to say something...)

朗朗: 瀋陽
ll: shenyang

the end
(i felt i was pushed away by the people behind me)