Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings

Last night I had the chance to get dressed up and go to Abravanel Hall to hear the Utah Symphony for the first time since March!  It was an absolutely incredible experience because I have missed live music so much!  Because of Covid-19 the Utah Symphony has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep everyone safe.  They have changed the scheduled programming (at least until the new year) to feature just the strings so that the musicians can be socially distant on stage and can wear masks while they play.  The concerts have been shortened and do not have an intermission to reduce long lines and congregating in the lobby.  Mobile tickets can now be found on the USUO app and will be scanned in order to be contactless.  Patrons must wear a mask at all times while inside Abravanel Hall and will be asked to confirm that they are not experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms (you can also fill out a questionnaire before the concert and show the usher a text confirmation).  Seating capacity for each concert has been significantly decreased to allow for six feet of distance between households (there were three rows and three seats in between each group of patrons) but a Thursday concert has been added to accommodate as many patrons as possible.  When I found out the program for this weekend's concerts I desperately wanted a ticket!  Obviously those subscribers who already had tickets to these concerts had to be accommodated before tickets could be made available to the general public (I am a subscriber but I didn't have a ticket to this concert) but I was absolutely distraught at the thought of not being able to go!  I kept checking every ticketing platform multiple times every day but I always got a message that tickets were not currently available.  I had basically resigned myself to not being able to go when I randomly checked the app early yesterday morning and found tickets!  I was literally giddy with excitement!  It did feel a little bit weird to be in such a small audience (I wondered what the musicians were feeling) but I also felt so privileged to be the first group to see the Utah Symphony perform after such a long break!  The orchestra began with "Joyful Day" from African Suite for String Orchestra by Fela Sowande, a Nigerian composer.  This piece incorporates African folk music into a European form and I really enjoyed it for its playfulness, exuberance, and optimism.  It was selected to represent the joy of being back at Abravanel Hall once again to experience music!  Next came Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber which is one of my favorites (hence the reason I was so desperate for a ticket).  This piece is incredibly haunting and beautiful and, even though it is somber and melancholy, it is also strangely comforting.  This was the perfect way to heal after all of the suffering and disruption we have been through and it brought tears to my eyes.  The program concluded with Serenade for Strings by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  I love Tchaikovsky (I love all of the Russian composers) and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this piece.  I kept imagining couples whirling around at a ball at the Winter Palace as I listened!  After the program Thierry Fischer told us that he had a few more little "presents" for us and had the orchestra play three more pieces including I Crisantemi by Giaccomo Puccini, "Akinla" from African Suite for String Orchestra by Fela Sowande, and "Hoedown" from Rodeo by Aaron Copeland.  Finally, the entire orchestra performed a piece commissioned from Augusta Reed Thomas called Fanfare of Hope and Solidarity featuring musicians who had recorded their parts at home (or "magic" as Fischer referred to the video presentation).  If you have missed live music as much as I have, I highly recommend getting a ticket for one of the concerts featuring the same program on Friday or Saturday.  I am guessing that some tickets will be made available on the day of each show (keep checking here).