So…

February 25, 2010 | Filed Under Main | Leave a Comment

And we are back from my birthday travel. Amsterdam was great. I really love that city. Kerry and I didn’t have much time (Friday was beat by the post-flight nap), so we basically just went around to our favorite haunts. The weather was raw and damp most of the time, with a daily snow/sleet/rain interval. We had dinner at our favorite restaurant – Casa Di David – and I got to have my wild boar, as well as an antipasti that was one of the best I have ever been served. But Amsterdam, we have decided, isn’t a real food town. Went looking for that record store where I would buy vinyl, but never found it… opened at least. Yes – we visited a coffeeshop or two. We HAD to go back to Kadinsky. And I took pictures of bicycles. (It seemed important since I don’t have a car anymore.) Our hotel was a “five star” because it is Winter and cheap. The room was a very nice little suite with a bath that had little jets in it and a shower that doubled as a sauna… somehow. There were no instructions. AND the mini-bar was complementary and refilled everyday. (I know!) But I must say – walking the corridors made me feel like I was in “The Shining” and the restaurant and breakfast need some help. Worth it for a fast weekend.

The best was our trip to The Concertgebouw. This would be the first time EVER that I have seen music performed in a foreign country. Whenever we travel, no one plays. In the same way, it is like the fact that whenever we go to Amsterdam we are not allowed to see the Rijksmuseum (It’s always closed when we come. I bet that scaffolding came down the minute we left.) No one is ever playing the days we are in town. The night before was Springsteen and the day we leave would be Sonic Youth playing “Daydream Nation” in its entirety (both have happened). But when we are THERE, only the clubs are open or it’s karaoke weekend in Paris. But the symphony never leaves! Also I have a few live classical recordings from the Concertgebouw and Kerry is now spending every morning learning about classical music. So – it was time.

The Concertgebouw (Dutch for “concert building”) was built in 1888 and had some light refurbishment since. The Who have played here, Miles has played here and of course every major classical composer and artist has performed. I had bought tickets the day before – which surprised me… mainly because everyone else who walked up to the booth was told their request was sold out. We did not bring the umbrella which would insure that it would be raining when we left the hall (it was). The performance was at a civilized 2:15PM. We mingled before with the crowd of predominately Dutch concertgoers, well dressed but casual (I wore my cashmere sweater) and mostly older but wonderfully vibrant. They drank tea, coffee and wine from the totally complimentary bar outside the “Grote Zaal” (great hall). You got the impression that this was part of their lives – Sunday afternoon at the theater. It’s not a one-off like our little visit. They don’t pick and choose based on who/what is playing. This is what Sunday means. It was all very civilized.

Inside, the hall is beautiful. Not gaudy and gold leafed as many can be. It was very simple in its layout. There are only two levels – the floor seats and a two row balcony, as well as a set of seats behind the stage to the right and left. The acoustics are well known as some of the best in the world – and they were amazing. You could hear a pin drop on the stage. We watched the Nederlands Kamerorkest (a small chamber orchestra) performed four pieces: Shostakovich’s Prelude en Scherzo (entirely strings); Tabula Rasa by Arvo Pärt (wonderful piece which used a prepared piano); Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks (winds and brass come out) and finally Serenade by Josef Suk ( a Czech composer I had not heard of before). All beautifully performed and since you could hear all the parts clearly, I tried to find who was making which sounds on stage (futile, really). But where did the piano go?

A few final notes to remember about attending a classical performance: Do not clap until the Concertmaster or Conductor let’s you know they are done. It’s not a jazz concert. If you have to cough, wait until the break between pieces or movements. Then cough your guts out. Be prepared to clap at the end… a very long time. They get up, they bow, they acknowledge the soloists, the main guy leaves, he comes back, and we do it all over again. There is no curtain. But if these good people can stand and clap like that – then so can I.

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