The audience is settling down and the house lights dim just as the doors open to the side of the stage at St David’s Hall, the National Concert Hall Of Wales, admitting an astounding assortment of musicians, many carrying their instruments. There is a palpable air of expectation as they take their seats and await the arrival of the conductor.
It is my first orchestral concert and I am feeling a bit nervous. I don’t know what to expect or when to clap, and I hope that no-one asks me anything about the music. It feels like being interviewed for a job for which I am not quite qualified. I even worried that my smart casual wardrobe choice would be frowned upon by more experienced concert-goers, but my jeans and jacket combo did not draw any disapproving looks and everyone seemed friendly and relaxed as we mingled in the comfortable Level 3 lounge area.
Without any fanfare, the conductor sweeps onto the stage and bows to the applause. A suitably impressive figure, Alexander Dmitriev gathers the orchestra’s attention with a small tap of his baton and suddenly the auditorium bursts into life. The sound of strings – soft at first, but unfolding into a melody that seems faintly familiar to me – seems to permeate the very air. It’s breathtaking how each member of the orchestra works together to produce such an exquisite sound. I have never experienced anything like it before. During the second piece, soloist Alexander Sitkovetsky coaxes such beautiful music from his violin; it’s as if it has its own voice and I feel quite reluctant to break the spell of his performance when the house lights flare to full power.
During the interval, no one quizzes me about the music, but I find I want to talk about what I have just experienced and have a pleasant conversation with a lady who smiles as I tell her what an impact the concert has had on me so far. I think it is a smile of recognition.
I return to my seat with none of the nervousness I felt at the start, and there is a shiver of anticipation as the St Petersburg Orchestra launch into the final piece. Rachmaninov’s Symphony No 2 takes me on a journey – it feels romantic and wistful in parts, playful and energetic in others, and the orchestra slips between these moods with ease, showing their skill and versatility. When they hit maximum velocity at the climax of the piece, I can barely catch my breath as the wave of music and emotion washes over us. Why have I never been to a concert like this before? What has made me believe it wasn’t my sort of thing? I don’t have an answer but one thing is for certain, this won’t be my last classical concert – I am hooked!