Music illuminates

We are particularly privileged to live in the Chicago area and attend the Chicago Symphony Orchestra concerts on a regular basis. On April 6, 2024, we were lucky enough to have tickets in our season package of conductor Klaus Makela directing three pieces. The first piece was the U.S. premiere of Batteria by Zinovjev. The second was the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1. The finale, and one I will never forget, was the Shostakovich Symphony No. 10. WFMT, Chicago's classical radio station, provides background and on-demand recording of this momentous concert.

The reason the night was so momentous is that Klaus Makela had just days before been named to the highly coveted position of CSO Music Director. At the age of 28 Makela presently serves as the conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic and as of 2027 he will serve both the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam and Chicago Symphony. The performance of the Shostakovich No. 10 was astounding, resulting in a loud roar at the conclusion and multiple curtain calls. Makela was humble, innovative, focused, and deeply prepared for the night and Chicago has many performances ahead that I know will be equally eventful.

The Shostakovich No. 10 is important because it was the first he would compose after the death of Stalin, who had repeatedly criticized and punished him during his music career. It is a profound example that "every piece of great art has two faces - one towards its own time and the other towards the future" (quote from esteemed conductor Daniel Barenboim). The Shostakovich No. 10 is the unleashing of desperation into possibility and, although dark in many of its orchestral colors, rises to a frenzied conclusion of optimism.

The audience response this night reflected what research indicates about music's power to synchronize. Subconsciously joining together, attendees at concerts begin to breath together and their heart beats align. The synchronization is even more common for attendees who are open to new experiences such as "art, travel, and exotic things," as reported by the researcher, Wolfgang Tschacher. Thank goodness that I've been blessed with an openness that is ready to align with others through great music.

The program notes for the night included a quote from memoirs that are attributed to Shostakovich - "Music illuminates a person through and through, and it is also his last hope and final refuge. And even half-mad Stalin, a beast and a butcher, instinctively sensed that about music. That's why he feared and hated it."