Tonight my wife and I went to see the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Minneapolis. The ninth is my favorite classical work to see performed live–the sight of all of those people on stage at the same time is unparalleled. The acoustics in that building were not the greatest, but the beauty of the architecture made up for it.

It boggles my mind that people can’t shut up for 90 minutes. Unless you are saying you need an ambulance, be quiet! Between the people talking, the guy with the repeater cough and the lady flipping through her program during the performance, it was hard to focus on the music. Still, I enjoy attending classical performances and this is a work I think everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. The peak of the chorus in the last movement brings a tear to my eye every time…DK