“I thought the performance last night was nothing short of brilliant.” – jwest (sltrib.com comment board)

“…’that was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.’ and that pretty much summed up this performance.” -readhead555 (sltrib.com comment board)

“AMAZING. Provocative. Beautiful. Stunning. Absolutely loved it.” -@sarabanaut

“…great art: provocative & open to many interpretations. Explored man’s struggle with God and/or religion.” -@learningwell

“I have wanted to hear this piece in person for more than 30 years. It was a rare treat to have it in Salt Lake City.” Sandefur Schmidt

“As I walked and listened I found a new appreciation for what I had witnessed and been a part of the evening before. All of a sudden something that was confusing and unpleasant became something moving and interesting.” -Kathy Elton Consulting

“There are some themes that might prove disturbing to some, but as a whole, it is a great work of art.” -Random Access

“It demanded your attention every moment and stirred many feelings. Loved it!” – Marilynn Bair via our Facebook Page

I really enjoyed it for the most part and thought that everyone did a great job. For me, the best part was the Agnus Dei (when everything went crazy and fell apart). Unfortunately, I hated my seats. What’s the deal with the bar right in front of your face in the second tier? I guess it wouldn’t be a big deal if there was nothing to see, but there was so much visually to see in this performance that bobbing my head up and down to see got old.

Also, both the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune had articles on the U.’s production of The Little Women and the collaboration between the school and Utah Opera.

Finally, there were also a few reviews of last weekend’s concert out there, including one of the most impressive “blog reviews” I’ve ever read (I’ll post the link once I find it again). Examiner.com and the Salt Lake Tribune both had reviews online.

Broadway Rocks!

• Mac & Cheese Dialogues: “The best way to enjoy the Utah Symphony is outside with food!”
• O’ Happy Day: “We went to Deer Valley and heard the Utah Symphony play a selection of Broadway songs in the outdoor amphitheater. We brought along a fancy picnic and snuggled into blankets and just felt grateful to be together.”

Highlights of Gilbert & Sullivan

• Joseph and Stephanie’s Family: “It was a lovely evening with beautiful scenery, especially as the moon came up and over the mountains.”

Mormon Tabernacle Choir with the Utah Symphony

• Lunch Lady Chronicles: “It was fabulous!!! The setting is so beautiful, right up on the mountainside under the stars of the Deer Valley Ski Resort. We had a picnic dinner on our blanket and then enjoyed the concert.”
• Inside Heather’s Head: “The Utah Symphony was fantastic as well, playing some of the most beautiful songs. It got a bit chilly but I enjoyed every second of it. The highlight of the night was after the choir had performed Betelehemu and my dad had overheard a lady behind us that complimented on how the choir moved saying, ‘I didn’t know Mormons could move like that!’ I almost peed my pants of laughter!”
• Melglo Adventures: “The choir went up on stage and the orchestra was preparing. This was so worth hearing!!! It was a wonderful eve out under the stars.”

Gladys Knight & the Utah Symphony

• The Bastians: “It was a great night, under the stars!”
• Tommy, Kolbi, & Avonli: “We took some blankets and picnic and spread them out on the grass hill and had a nice dinner and watched the performance. It was just wonderful.”

Utah Symphony at Scera Shell

• Keep up the good work: “The Symphony was amazing. I love classical music and it was wonderful to hear such beautiful, stirring music. If you ever get the chance to hear the Utah Symphony, don’t pass it up. It raises your spirit to a higher level.”

Thanks everyone for the kind comments! This year’s festival was a lot of fun. I’m already looking forward to next year. For now, everyone is recovering from the Festival while at the same time working hard to get ready for our regular season concerts. These start in September and I’m sure there will be lots more blogging about the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera going on when they do.

This weekend’s forecast is all sun, but it’s great to see that people enjoy themselves at the Festival even when the weather isn’t optimal. Hope you can make it to either New World Symphony or Broadway Rocks! this weekend. If you’d rather stay indoors, we’ll also be presenting Double the Beethoven and Time for Three at St. Mary’s Church.

Today I was reading through some blog entries about last weekend’s concert and found an aspiring Utah Symphony Music Director showing off his conducting skills to Bernstein’s Overture to Candide.  Scroll to the bottom and watch the video to see if you think Cannon is the Utah Symphony’s future: Cannon Conducting Cannons.

There were some other great blog reviews out there this weekend also. The Labrun Family loved dancing to the Elvis tunes (for those who missed it, Keith got his wish of seeing 3,000 people dance on the Deer Valley lawn this weekend), Karisa & Cortland enjoyed the outdoor atmosphere of the Festival, and Ben plugged his ears while the cannons went off.

Thanks everyone for all your great blog posts about the Utah Symphony! Keep them coming.

Park City Television did a great spot on the show that you can watch on YouTube: PCTV – Video Games Live, Salt Lake City. Also, you can view a photo album of the concert on the Video Games Live website: VideoGamesLive.com.

This concert attracted a younger crowd than we usually get, so I was expecting quite a few blogs to mention it. I wasn’t disappointed. Here are some of the best reviews I found.

The Life of CPM

I went to see the Utah Symphony perform Video Games Live last night at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City. Does that sound like an incredibly nerdy thing to do? Yes, yes it does. But it was awesome, and would have been appreciated by any music lover, even without knowing the video games from which the music came.

Marrott Family and More

All in all it was quite a show and definitely something I would see again.

The Church’s News

Some of the music to the video games is incredible. During intermission I overheard an older couple – yes, there were actually the stereotypical “upper crust” season ticket holders there – commenting that she had no idea that video games had such beautiful music. I must admit, I was really amazed and impressed at the music.

Thanks for everyone who came out and supported the Symphony this weekend. I had lots of fun myself.

If you enjoyed VGL, there are three concerts we have coming up that you would probably like also. I can’t promise the lights, smoke, and costumes, but all of them will still be a lot of fun.

Music Exposed: Horacio Gutiérrez

You probably noticed that VGL had a lot more interaction from the stage than our “regular” concerts do. If you liked the interaction, then come and check out Music Exposed. During these Thursday concerts, the conductor and musicians give insight about the music being performed and interact with the audience from the stage. Also, the concerts begin earlier and are a bit shorter.

The last Music Exposed concert for the season, featuring pianist Horacio Gutiérrez and conductor Keith Lockhart, is coming up this month. The orchestra will be performing Brahms famous, and challenging, Piano Concerto No. 1.

Carmina Burana

The second concert is one I’ve been looking forward to all season. There’s a reason that the music from Carmina Burana is used in so many movies, TV shows, sporting events, and even video games. The music is powerful, suspenseful, and emotional. It isn’t often that you can hear these pieces performed in person. Like VGL, it will be an unforgettable concert.

Check out this video of O Fortuna (with scenes from the Halo) on YouTube if you don’t know the music off the top of your head: Halo “O Fortuna” Tribute.

Tad Calcara & New Deal Swing

Finally, the third concert you might enjoy is our next Pops concert – Tad Calcara & New Deal Swing. Tad is the Principal Clarinetist for the Utah Symphony and one of the most fun musicians to watch during the performances. New Deal Swing is comprised of some of Utah’s finest jazz musicians. Together they will perform an evening of charts from the golden age.

I hope to see everyone at the symphony again soon!

The Kelly Fambam 

We went to the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera’s production of “Cinderella” at the Capital Theatre in SLC last night. Whoa. Klint and I had such a great time! The talented musicians and vocalists were amazing! I had perma-goosebumps the whole time. The vocalists have so much control and power, it’s boggling! As we left Klint said, “I’ll never knock opera again…”

Klint, that’s exactly how I felt after my first Opera. The talent it takes to sing opera is amazing.

Almost Halfway There

Friday evening, Wes and I were treated with his dad’s 3rd row tickets to see the Utah Opera at the Capitol Theater. We saw Cinderella by Rossini and it was delightful. I haven’t been to an opera for a long time but I loved it. My first experience with opera at the Capitol Theater was when I was a child – my parents took me to see Madame Butterfly. They related the story to me in the car on the way about the tragic love story between an American Lieutenant and a beautiful Japanese Geisha. I hate to admit I was a little disappointed when the lovely Madame Butterfly was portrayed by a very large, very overpowering, middle-aged African-American woman (no offense intended – I was just a little girl expecting a young asian beauty). I really loved the music, though. Anyway, thanks to Dave and Connie for a marvelous experience.

I’m happy to hear you enjoyed Cinderella. Both of you mentioned Madame Butterfly, which Utah Opera will be producing next year.  There are four great operas next season, and I’m sure you won’t want to miss any of them. Season subscriptions for our upcoming season are currently on sale for as little as $42. Visit utahopera.org/subscriptions to download a season brochure.

Here’s a few blog reviews that I came across today:

Art History Ali

“Every performance was breathtakingly magical and to top of the stunning evening, all three performers came out into the lobby under the Dale Chahuly sculpture afterwards to sign autographs (and sell CDs). We waited in line and were at the very end so we weren’t rushed whilst talking to them. We got all their autographs and I planned on scanning the program into the computer, but just haven’t yet. This will keep you all coming back to check for updates!”

Catching Up with David Luker

“[Bravo Broadway] was probably the best thing I’ve seen in a long time. Stuff like that really gets me worked up. Well, I was so excited after the performance that I somehow (not going to say how and embarrass myself) I fell down. Here’s the resulting injury.”

As We Live, So We Learn

“The concert was a series of Broadway songs, such as “For Good” from Wicked, “All I Ask of You” and “Music of the Night” from Phantom “Don’t Cry for me Argentina” from Evita (just to name a few), sung by three singers who have performed on Broadway. It was so much fun. I didn’t know all of the songs, but the energy and entertainment of the singers made every song so much fun.”

Bonehead’s Twisted Parade

“In looking back over the playbill from the night’s performance, I would be hard pressed to come up with an absolute favorite number for the evening because of the varied nature and the fact that they were all so well done. I just found a review of the show and it is clear that I was not the only one captivated by it. In many ways it set the tone for the whole weekend.”

Thanks for all your great comments! We really appreciate your support of Utah Symphony.

Scott and Marsha
“The performance [of Peer Gynt] was amazing. It was symphony and chorus, along with vocal solo parts and a narrator that was fantastic. I have said it before, and I will say it again, there is nothing like symphony and choir.”

Wasn’t it fun to hear the words to the music in Peer Gynt (for example, In the Hall of the Mountain King)? I bet lots of you never knew that the song was about a guy being chased by trolls who were trying to kill him! Knowing that makes it clear why the song has become standard for those scary Halloween haunted houses.

A Peek into my Life – Nick Ferrin
“Last Friday, Wendy and I went to Abravanel Hall, which is where the Utah Symphony plays. They were playing Edvard Grieg’s fantasy music, and it was amazing…I am committing myself to going more often.”

We’re going to hold you to that Nick! Season tickets for 2008-2009 go on sale next month. Keep checking our online subscriptions page for more information.

Thanks for all the great comments. Blog about the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera and you might be lucky enough to be featured in one of our upcoming e-notes newsletters!