Bravo! Brava!

I feel very fortunate to live in a small city -- about 82,000 people -- that has a symphony orchestra many larger cities would be proud to call theirs!

The Whatcom Symphony Orchestra's concert this afternoon featured a 27-year-old Norwegian trumpet virtuoso, Tine Thing Helseth (above with Maestro Yaniv Attar), whose performance of Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto in A-flat major showed the full range of that expressive instrument's "voice."

The WSO also performed Shostakovich's Festive Overture, Sibelius' Valse triste, and Verdi's Overture to Nabucco, but by far my favorite was the last work on the program, Stravinsky's Suite from The Firebird (1919). It's a very complex work, and until today, I'd only heard recordings, in which I was particularly enchanted by the melancholy Berceuse (Lullaby) near the end of the work. (The link shows Igor Stravinsky conducting the Berceuse and Finale at age 82).

But oh, to hear The Firebird live! Maestro Attar's graceful, expressive conducting brought out the very best from each player, melding into a sound that left me tingling and incapable of hiding my delighted grin. I was not alone -- the audience rose from their seats with applause for a stellar performance that will be long remembered!

A delicious meal and great conversation with friends at The Copper Hog after the concert made a perfect ending to a memorable afternoon.