Following a fierce battle, I've managed to secure a ticket for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's Japan tour slated in November.
The seat is in my favorite zone behind the stage where the audience are able to see the face of the conductor. Despite the proximity to the stage, tickets there are relatively cheap C or D, as opposed to S tickets that could exist dozens of rows away from the stage. I personally feel that the "P" seats in that zone at the Suntory Hall, the venue of the concert, are quite cost effective.
I had known that people registered at the Hall's website were entitled to purchase tickets earlier than others from 10:00 am today. I wrote that down in my diary, but somehow remembered that at nearly 11:00 am.
"Oh no..." I rushed to the website, only to find all tickets had been sold. Then I refreshed the page over and over again in a slight hope that somebody might cancel their tickets for some reason. After a number of attempts, I found a seat that became available in the P area and immediately got it.
Back in 1999, I saw Vienna Phil perform at the Carnegie Hall in New York. They played my all-time favorite piece, Brahms's fourth symphony. I could see they were one of the top two orchestras in the world along with Berlin Phil and appreciated the sophisticated presentation of the music. That being said, I also thought it was a bit too upbeat for the piece which consists of a lot of in-depth intricacies; they make the masterpiece profoundly deep and as a result inherently dark.
Because Brahms had felt pressured to produce something else than Beethoven did, he took a decade to compose his first symphony. Seeking relief from the tremendous stress after finishing writing it, he went on a holiday in a mountain resort in Austria; there he was inspired by the beautiful nature to write up the second symphony within only two months. It reflects the pleasant spring time representing his optimism, making a sharp contrast with his fourth and last symphony.
From the concert in New York, I intuitively thought that Vienna Phil should be much better at cheerful music, and I am very glad they have chosen the piece which I believe is best suited of all the Brahms's work for the world class orchestra in their upcoming Japan tour.
I very much look forward to listening to Vienna Phil's performance of Brahms Symphony No.2 from my favorite seat.
