One of the great things I discovered in the two years I lived in New York was called "Student Discount". Broadway shows at discount. Concerts at discount. I was in love.
The first time I did this, I saw 'Proof'. This was my first time seeing a straight-play, a non-musical. Neil Patrick Harris was in it and so was Anne Heche. From years of going to shows with my mom as a kid, I knew that if you waited outside the stage door after the show, the actors come out and will sign your Playbill and might even take a picture. It was seriously one of my happiest days in NYC. I saw 'Cabaret', a show I didn't like the revival of, twice because it was only $20 and Neil Patrick Harris was in it. I saw 'Urinetown' twice as well because it was one of the funniest and smartest shows ever. I saw Aida with Adam Pascal and Rent with Joey Fatone.
At this time, my love for Neil Patrick was rivaled only by my love for Joshua Bell. Joshua Bell is a classical violinist, only about eight years older than I am, handsome and amazing. I loved him and whenever he had a performance in the city I made sure I was there. He was doing a concert with the New York Philharmonic the weekend of Thanksgiving. Well, I couldn't do that, I would be in Connecticut. Well then I found out about open rehearsals. You could go and watch the orchestra rehearse! He was playing Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, a piece of music I'd never heard until that day.
It is, to this day, one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. The first two movements are lovely, with lots of ups and downs. Very lyrical and melodic. But the last movement. That's what I want you to hear. The video obviously isn't Joshua Bell, I couldn't find him doing it on You Tube. I don't know the name of the girl performing in the video, the don't mention her name anywhere, but from reading the comments it sounds like she was the winner of a youth competition. Youth competitions are usually for high school aged students, keep that in mind while you listen.
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