Tonight’s performance of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony took me back several years. Ever since I took a class in college dedicated to Beethoven’s nine symphonies, I rarely pass up an opportunity to hear a performance. Luckily, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra has a pretty regular selection of Beethoven. During the class back in 1998, I made my first visit to an SPCO concert to hear Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony as part of my final project. I learned quite a bit about the historical context in which music was performed, and, believe it or not, back in 1806 the music was not intended to be listened to from a compact disc in a college lecture room with frequent pauses for instructor commentary.

The music is so much richer when you can see the performers, hear the reverberations of the room, and feel the vibrations. Also, musical performances are not perfect in the same way that recordings are mastered. The little imperfections make it real, like the orchestra members shuffling around, turning pages, making mistakes (Rarely) and the animation of the conductor. All of these effects are lost when you listen to recorded music. That’s not to say recorded music is bad, but a LIVE performance by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra is really, really hard to beat!