Playing and listening to music

This evening was the final orchestra rehearsal of the year. We spent the first hour playing through some repertoire - basically sight-reading our way through some nice music for fun. Today’s choice was Mozart’s symphony No 41 in C Major. Then the second half was more of a “social”, with some mulled wine and mince pies etc.

Playing through the Mozart reminded me of a weird effect I sometimes notice with music choice. On the whole, if I come across music I enjoy listening to, I feel like I’d definitely be interested in having a shot at playing it. On the other hand, there are some bits of music that I really enjoy playing, but would never sit down and listen to. Today’s music falls into this category.

Mozart was pretty clearly a genius composer. He does write lovely tunes, and there’s a wonderful perfection in the music. However, I basically never sit down to listen to Mozart - it just isn’t really my bag. I’m far more likely to listen to either more contemporary music, or more modern classical. A lot of the music I have on is gym music, for instance - functional, with the desired BPM for running and so on. Alternatively I might be looking for some more rock-type music. In all these genres there is to be found great tunes, hooks, harmonies and emotional content.

Playing the Mozart was pretty exciting - there was some good sight-reading to be had, and flute parts tend to be full of exposed tunes that bring everything together, which encourages focus. Perhaps we’ll do it for an upcoming concert too - I’d have no complaints, given this evening’s experience. But my natural tendency would not be to put it on for listening enjoyment. Perhaps I should give that a try, and prepare to be surprised…

Photo by Alberto Bigoni on Unsplash