Dinosaur vs. Elephant; Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony vs. Jenny Lewis

Yesterday was interesting in that I went to not one, but two concerts, both being incredibly different. Two very different live performances of two very different types of music makes for one awesomely awesome Saturday.

Firstly, saw a matinee performance by the New York Philharmonic. Although Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony was the headliner, I found myself captivated by the preceding sextet by Francis Poulenc. Although defined by the woodwinds and held together by the piano, the French horn was, I felt, the strongest instrument. Of course, I've always been partial to brass, being a euphonium kind of girl myself. But the French horn - how warm it sounded! How buttery! It was delicious. Woodwinds turn me off - they're far too cold for me. The horn was the sunlight to their silvery slivers of sound.

You might have realized that I envision sound in quite a different way. The same thing happened in a different way after the intermission. Tchaikovsky's fifth is supposed to be something about faith, written during a short time while the composer had retreated to the countryside. But nothing said "nature" to me, nor "fate"; during the entire piece I was imagining an epic fifty-minute battle between a dinosaur and an elephant. The elephant won. He had guns.

After a scrumptious vegan dinner at Zen Palate, I headed to Irving Plaza to see Jenny Lewis perform with the Watson Twins. She was preceded by Whispertown 2000 (which was cool but the lead seemed either really really wasted or really really nervous) and Jonathan Rice (who would have been good if he had sounded less like Jonathan Mayer and more like something original). Jenny Lewis, of course, was awesome, mixing it up with some upbeat tunes and a few real downers. Being the headliner, I thought she would play a longer set, but she did do a considerable encore. Jenny's music is something along the lines of soulful gospel/country/pop, with a voice that can send chills up your spine. You may be familiar with her without knowing it - she's the lead singer of Rilo Kiley, and that's her singing along with Ben Gibbard in the Postal Service's "We Will Become Silhouettes."

Irving Plaza, by the by, is an awesome venue. I just wish I weren't damn short.