The International Language

A few weeks ago, our friends Brian and Madeline invited us to go to the Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra. It was held at the Teatro Solís. The building is beautiful, both inside and out. It opened in 1856, and the city of Montevideo undertook renovations between 1996 and 2004. The theater has a capacity of 1,500 people.

There is a “small” floor seating area, which I assume would be considered orchestra seating. Surrounding that are box seats that go up five floors. Each box has two small doors that are opened for you by the attendants. I felt a little like royalty as we were escorted to our box and the doors were opened for us.

The theater was beautifully decorated with heavy, deep-red curtains and gold emblems on the pillars and the front of each box.

As we chatted about various topics, the orchestra began to gather on stage. They quietly tuned their instruments and then waited. Next, the concertmaster came out, bowed, and turned to the orchestra. She gave the cue for their final tuning, and all the members followed her lead.

Finally, the conductor came out.

He turned a music stand so that he could face the audience, placed some papers on the stand, and began to speak. I have NO idea what he was saying. Not one bit. I caught a few words, which is about the level of Spanish I am at right now. I can listen to someone speaking and catch one word in fifty. So, I just listened for those little gems.

Finally, he turned toward the orchestra, picked up his baton, and allowed the players to get into position. Then the music started.

The first piece they played was Eduardo Fabini’s Isla de los Ceibos. It was a great piece to open the concert. It was followed by Aleksandr Glazunov’s Concierto para violín y orquesta en La menor, Op. 82.

For this second piece, a guest artist by the name of Andrea Cicalese joined the orchestra. He is a violinist from Italy, and he was amazing to listen to. The violin seemed to be an extension of himself. The way he moved the bow across the strings was pure magic. He was able to capture your attention in a matter of a few measures. For the twenty minutes he played, I barely looked at the orchestra. He is a very talented violinist.

The last piece they played was Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sinfonía No. 3, “Eroica,” en Mi bemol mayor, Op. 55. It was a great piece to end the concert. It highlighted several of the orchestra’s players. Plus, I have always loved the works of Beethoven.

Once the concert was over, the conductor had each soloist rise and take a bow. Then he did something I had never seen before. He stood beside each section and had them rise for applause. He worked his way around the stage until each section had been recognized for their work.

The concert was amazing. There are some very talented people who give their time to perform. I plan for us to get season tickets for next year. Hopefully, we will be on the floor, where you can hear the whole orchestra.

That was my one complaint. Sitting on the side, it was difficult to see and hear the musicians on the side of the orchestra closest to us. No matter what, we will be going back.

As I sat there watching the traditions of the orchestra—the order in which people came onto the stage, the conductor, and the arrangement of the orchestra—I realized something: this is universal.

Music is a universal language.

A conductor may put their unique spin on a small part, but overall, Beethoven is played as Beethoven.

The members of the orchestra slowly came onto the stage and tuned their instruments. Just before the concert started, the concertmaster came out, stood by her chair, and conducted the players through their final tuning. She then sat down. Just as any other orchestra we have seen.

Lastly, the conductor came out, bowed to the audience, gave his short speech in Spanish, and began to direct his musicians.

One does not have to know the language of the country to appreciate the different pieces of music. The whole night, I was not tense or worried about having to translate so I could follow what was being said. All I had to do was relax and listen to the orchestra play.

They played the same notes an orchestra would play in Berlin, Toronto, or Tokyo. The music is played the same way, and the audience can feel the emotions those notes spark within them.

Music is an international language. There is no arguing about what a quarter note is or what the different sections of an orchestra are. Regardless of where I am, if I hear the 1812 Overture—one of my favorite pieces—I will know what I am listening to.

The piece was written by a Russian composer. However, I don’t have to understand Russian to feel the emotions the music invokes in me. Regardless of where I am in the world.

That is power.

That is music!

Always remember: Be kind to yourself and be kind to others.