​Joseph Daly

     The “Got Beethoven” concern by the Gainesville Orchestra was a very interesting experience.

I was very surprised at the number of people that attended the performance. The entire event was sold out and people where actually turned away at the door due to a lack of available seating. I was surprised that a local orchestra would be popular enough to sell out. After the performance started I realized why they were so successful in selling so many seats, they were very good.            

     One thing that I noticed initially was the diversity that was seen in the orchestra. When one mentions an orchestra I usually picture a large group of old men strumming away on their instruments out of touch with reality. Attending this concert changed how I picture orchestras. The members of the orchestra represented a variety of ethnicities and age groups and appeared to be evenly split between men and women. There were many young performers and there were also many old performers. This shows how classical music is something that people of all ages can enjoy because of its artistic value and timeless quality.

     My favorite part of the performance was at the end when there was a very long violin solo. I really like the violin and I thought that the musician playing it did very well. My least favorite part was the Glassworks piece. I didn’t really like the style of this piece and I found it to be a little repetitive. I was also a little disappointed that they only decided to pay one piece by Beethoven.

     Ultimately I really liked the performance and I will most likely attend more concerts by the Gainesville orchestra in the future.