As a child I remember being entertained by some of the narration at Disneyland’s Jungle River Cruise. After passing in front of a waterfall, we later returned and went behind it to see, as the tour guide told us, “the back side of water.” Sure, it’ s a silly joke, but it points to the concept of perspective.
As a photographer I took that advice to heart when I realized it is just as important to look at what’s behind you as it is to look at what’s in front of you.
My perspective on classical music had a similar shift at the end of February when I was able to watch Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 from orchestra view seats. I was behind the orchestra and looking to Dudamel with the audience behind him.
These are seats I’ve always wanted to try so I could watch Dudamel. With his time as Music Director limited, this was a priority for me. I wasn’t disappointed. To see Dudamel in action is to see a man who expresses so passionately with his whole body his own response to the music he’s conducting. There were moments that were intense and others that were pure joy. But at the end of Mahler’s 77-minute symphony, my friends and I shared in the full emotion of the music on its own and via Dudamel.
But there was more to be experienced by sitting in these seats. My perspective on the orchestration of the symphony shifted.
I often tell people that Ravel’s Bolero is a great piece to watch being performed because the orchestra comes to life in the hands of a great orchestra. What I didn’t expect was that sitting behind the LA Phil also made the orchestration of Mahler’s epic work significantly more palpable. Somehow I was able to see much of the composer’s work come to life in a way that sitting in front of the orchestra doesn’t always afford. Perhaps it was our proximity to the stage – just three rows behind the percussion section.
Or perhaps it was just the much-needed and much-appreciated change of perspective.
I strongly recommend that if your local orchestra has seating that allows you to be behind them, take advantage of it. Certainly anyone in Los Angeles who hasn’t had the opportunity to watch from this vantage point Gustavo Dudamel doing what he loves should get tickets now.
The back side of music can be even more exhilarating than the front.
Main Photo: Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Photo by Ryan Hunter/Courtesy Los Angeles Philharmonic)