Let me tell you about the first time I heard Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto 3.
It was in a movie titled Shine. The movie is based on the life of a musician David Helfgott. In this famous scene, he plays Rach 3 in a competition, and when he finishes, he collapses. Here’s the clip. It starts with him playing from the start of the piece to when he collapses.
Last night, I went with another friend to listen to Jae-Hyuck Cho play Rach 3. After a great time listening to Rach 2, I was really looking forward to yet another great experience. This time, I got Cat 2 tickets, and we sat very near the front of the stage.
Because I know very little about Jae-Hyuck Cho and the piece, I was pleased to hear a FM92.4 radio podcast on an interview with him. Here it is:
I was amused to hear about his socks and made a mental note in my mind to see what socks he would be wearing.
How was he?
Well, I thought he played very well. And he played with such ease and confidence. You know, sometimes, when you see someone play, you kind of worry for that person. You wonder if he/she would miss a note and so, you can’t really enjoy the performance because you are actually feeling a bit anxious. Well, for this performance, I was well rested and just absorbed by the music. I loved the first movement, especially the build up from the 8th to 10th minute portion. Just as you think that was the intense bit and you calm down, the pianist gets worked up again…and again…and again…and then before you know it, 40 minutes is over!
But, I must say that there were some parts when I wasn’t sure if the orchestra was in sync with him. It was a little chaotic and the orchestra seems a little slower than him. I checked with my friend during the intermission and she also felt the same. How do I know if it’s meant to be played like that, since I don’t know the piece well, I asked. She replied that if it sounded odd and a bit off, it probably was. Oh well, such are live performances, I guess it’s hard for the orchestra to go from playing nothing for a few dozen bars, to coming in and being in sync, at such high tempo.
Before the concert commenced, my friend advised me to close my eyes to appreciate the music. She told me that if I closed my eyes, my sense of hearing would be heightened and I would enjoy myself more. However, I was hesitant because I was afraid that if I did so, I would fall asleep. You see, I don’t know classical music well, and so, if a piece is unfamiliar to me, I would be sure to feel bored and drift off. Since Rach 3 is unfamiliar to me, what if I fell asleep and started snoring? Anyway, I decided to try it out, and boy, the moment I closed my eyes, I could hear the music move around the stage, from the violins to the violas to the piano and so on. The music seemed louder and I could hear the notes very clearly. Wow, I’m gonna try that more often from now onwards.
And how was Rachmaninov’s Symphony 3, which they performed after the intermission? Well, I did not enjoy it as much as when I heard Rachmaninov’s Symphony 2 the week before. I found it hard to follow and I almost drifted off to sleep when I closed my eyes to try to focus and listen.
If you haven’t been to a classical music concert, come and join me! I kind of know which pieces are the equivalent of top 50 pop songs played to death by radio stations. I know because my only exposure to classical music is the radio. These commonly aired pieces are not only relatively easy to listen to, but you’ll soon see why they are everyone’s favourites; they are good!
50 and beyond 
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