How to love classical music if you are not a musician? Personal experience of comprehension

When classical music was born, phonograms did not exist. People only came to real concerts with live music. Can you like a book if you haven’t read it, but know approximately the content? Is it possible to become a gourmet if there is bread and water on the table? Is it possible to fall in love with classical music if you only have a superficial understanding of it or don’t listen to it at all? No!

You should definitely try to get the sensations from an event you saw or heard in order to have your own opinion. Likewise, classical music should be listened to at home or at concerts.

It’s better to listen to music than to stand in line.

In the seventies, classical music programs were often broadcast on the radio. From time to time I listened to excerpts from operas and almost fell in love with classical music. But I always thought that this music should be even more beautiful if you attend a real concert in the theater.

One day I was very lucky. The organization sent me on a business trip to Moscow. In Soviet times, employees were often sent to improve their skills in big cities. I was placed in a dormitory at the Gubkin University. Roommates spent their free time queuing for rare items. And in the evenings they showed off their fashionable purchases.

But it seemed to me that it was not worth wasting time in the capital, standing in a huge queue for things. Fashion will pass in a year, but knowledge and impressions remain for a long time, they can be passed on to descendants. And I decided to see what the famous Bolshoi Theater was like and try my luck there.

First visit to the Bolshoi Theater.

The area in front of the theater was brightly lit. People crowded between the giant columns. Some asked for extra tickets, while others offered them. One young man in a gray jacket stood near the entrance, he had several tickets. He noticed me and strictly ordered me to stand next to him, then he took me by the hand and led me past the theater controllers for free.

The young man looked very modest, and the seats were in a box on the prestigious second floor. The view of the stage was perfect. The opera Eugene Onegin was on. The sounds of real live music reflected from the strings of the orchestra and spread in harmonious waves from the stalls and between the balconies, rising to the magnificent antique chandeliers.

In my opinion, to listen to classical music you need:

• professional performance of musicians;
• beautiful environment conducive to real art;
• a special relationship between people when communicating.

My companion left several times on official business, and once brought me a crystal glass of champagne. During the intermission he talked about Moscow theaters. He said that he usually doesn’t allow anyone to call him, but he might still take me to the opera. Unfortunately, twenty-five years ago there was no mobile communication and not every phone could be reached.

Wonderful coincidences and surprises.

On the day of my arrival from Moscow to Rostov, I turned on the TV. The first program showed the opera Eugene Onegin. Was this a reminder of visiting the Bolshoi Theater or an unexpected coincidence?

They say that Tchaikovsky also had a wonderful coincidence with Pushkin’s heroes. He received a message with a declaration of love from the beautiful girl Antonina. Impressed by the letter he read, he began working on the opera Eugene Onegin, to whom Tatyana Larina explained her feelings in the story.

I ran to the pay phone, but never got through to my “prince,” who, by chance, because of his kind nature, made me feel like Cinderella at someone else’s ball. The impression of a real miracle of live music by professional performers of the Bolshoi Theater remained with me for the rest of my life.

I told this story to my children. They love to listen and perform rock music. But they agree with me that it is possible to love classical music, especially when performed live. They gave me a pleasant surprise; they played classics on electric guitars all evening. Again, a feeling of admiration appeared in my soul when the living, real sounds of works appeared in our house.

Classical music decorates our lives, makes us happy and provides opportunities for interesting communication and bringing together people of different status and age. But you can’t fall in love with her by accident. To listen to live classical music, you need to meet it – it is advisable to choose the time, circumstances, environment and professional performance, and just come to a meeting with the music as if you were meeting a dear person!