I'm going to title this post "Remarkable" for this reason:
My favorite book to read to Miles when he was a toddler was "
The Remarkable Farkle McBride" by John Lithgow (Illustrated by C.F. Payne). He was given a couple of different copies of this book from family and friends, and each is well-worn due to the repeated recitations. I dare say that, in addition to mom and dad liking this book, it was arguably Miles' favorite book at that age.
The story of Farkle, if you don't know it, is about a young boy who becomes infatuated with musical instruments, and after giving many a try ultimately finds that what he likes best is conducting ... because the combination of sounds is so amazing.
Due to the amazing generosity of a friend and business associate, I had the opportunity to take Miles to see the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra's final concert of the 2010-11 season:
Haitink Conducts Mahler Symphony No. 9.
As Miles and I jumped in the car after lunch, I thought to grab the Farkle McBride book and toss it in the back seat. As we drove into the city, Miles read it aloud. That, by itself, was a cool moment today, because it had been years since we'd read this book to him. He had never actually read it aloud on his own.
Our seats were unbelievable. "Box M" ... which Miles quickly pointed out was to honor his attendance today. Prior to this concert, Miles had only attended one other CSO performance: a 'Kraft Kids Concert' about three years ago, and we sat in the back of the highest gallery of Orchestra Hall. The musicians were no bigger than specs on the stage at that concert, so the opportunity to sit in the front chairs of Box M was really exciting for both of us.
My brother asked me, after I bought an iPad2, if I thought the technology would 'transform' the way I do things in the same way the iPhone had when I purchased it several years ago. When he asked me that question I told him that I doubted it. But I must say that with each passing week, certain uses for the iPad jump out and surprise me. For example, when we arrived in our seats we still had 30 minutes before the concert started. To my pleasant surprise, Symphony Center had a free/public wi-fi signal, and he and I used the Wikipedia app to research Mahler, and his 9th Symphony. (Miles loved discovering that Mahler's 9th is actually his tenth, and that he didn't name his ninth major symphonic work 'Symphony No. 9' because he was superstitious and didn't want to die soon after (like Beethoven and Bruckner before him). Unfortunately for Mahler, as he put pen to paper for his 'No 9' he was diagnosed with the heart condition that then killed him soon after he started 'No. 10'.) Then, as the musicians of the CSO gradually came out on stage, Miles would use the Wikipedia links to look up instruments and read about them. For example he loved finding the written range of the contrabassoon, and seeing a diagram of the instrument. I pointed out Chris Martin (principal trumpet) and Dale Clevenger (principal horn), and sure enough ... Miles was 'Googeling' them to learn more. Reading
Martin's bio on Trumpet World.com must have paid off, because at the end of the concert, when Haitink gestured to Martin and Clevenger to stand as soloists, Miles turned to me and said, "Dad! That's Chris Martin and Dale Clevenger!" Anyway, this was a totally unexpected use of the iPad today ... but one of the best accidental uses so far.
I have to say, I don't know many nine-year-olds who could listen attentively to an 85 minute, four-movement symphony. Miles was engaged throughout, and I was really proud of his concert etiquette.
To say the CSO was impressive today would be an understatement. One of my Facebook friends, Mark Corey had sent me a message that he had seen the same concert this past Thursday, and that it was 'epic.' I totally agree. Maybe most impressive was the dynamic range exhibited by the orchestra. I'm not sure I've ever heard such amazing pianissimo playing for sustained passages like I heard today. To call it beautiful is actually disingenuous. The orchestra was rewarded with an immediate standing ovation, and Haitink was summoned back to the stage no fewer than five times before the audience finally stopped clapping.
It was a very special day, and I'm very thankful for having had the opportunity to share this concert with Miles ... in such amazing seats. I told Miles that they were the best seats I'd ever had ... for any concert ... anywhere. I said, "Miles, you're a lucky young man. You're only nine. It took me forty-two years to sit here!"
