The Charlotte Philharmonic: It's not the Symphony

My wife and I used two free tickets to attend Charlotte's newest orchestra last night: The Charlotte Philharmonic. After the abysmal evening, I'd discourage anyone from purchasing a $30 ticket or even accepting a free ticket.

We wasted 15 minutes trying to find parking, and arrived just before the second piece. I was happy to see the new CPCC auditorium filled to capacity, and the orchestra's first bars pleasantly overwhelmed me. The strings' warmth spread a wave of pleasure over me, and I quickly understood why so many people support live classical music.

Shortly into the piano concerto, a dissonance pricked my ear. I am not a classical music aficionado, so I thought maybe I heard it wrongly or that it was intentional. Then I heard a few more. In a slow movement, the horns bumbled their soft entrance. The oboe/cello duet delivered another atonal surprise. Then, when the Concert Master, of all people, hit an errant note during her solo, I knew my ears were not the problem.

The most aggravating part came when the snare drum kept a steady cadence of eighth notes but the symphony played just slightly ahead of the beat (for about10 minutes). I think this problem was the fault of the hall's acoustics not the symphony. Perhaps the sound from the front of the stage (symphony) reached my ears before the sound from the back of the stage (snare). This could be the fault of the conductor who should have placed the snare in a different location. Whatever the cause, the effect drove us to leave. That and the fact that it was 10pm and we were only halfway through the second half of the program.

Unfortunately, we missed the medley of James Bond themes.

I don't want to be a cultural snob. But as an artist and appreciator of good art, bad art just plain hurts. Especially in music. You can leave the presence of a bad painting by turning away, but at a concerto, one just has to endure.

Yesterday afternoon before the concert, someone told me the Philharmonic is "ghastly" and a waste of time. This comment struck me as brash and arrogant, but now––unfortunately––I can't help but agree.

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