While it has been exciting to hear live music and participate in a real in-person audience again after so many months, the Delta surge hasn’t made the experience any easier. Only time will tell if this current state of affairs is truly sustainable, or if artists, promoters, and venues will be forced to consider either imposing more restrictions on who can enter a show or begin the dreadful postponement/cancelation dance we learned all too well in 2020. For the moment, prospects seem reasonably good that we can continue to enjoy ourselves, but things during COVID have a way of changing when you least expect it.
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been to four concerts in person, three of which were indoors. Fortunately, those were all presentations of the Music Academy of the West, and they have done an excellent job making sure that things are as safe as possible and that people feel comfortable in their seats. Both times I went to Hahn Hall, there was plenty of room to spread out, and the space felt airy. So I couldn’t see pianist Conrad Tao’s hands the way that the folks who chose the more crowded left-hand side of the room could — I enjoyed the music equally well without watching his fingers fly.
The orchestral concert I attended at the Granada was exhilarating, and maestro Larry Rachleff gave a terrific performance, including a great podium speech about the Charles Ives composition Three Places in New England. Nevertheless, I was thankful for the decision to dispense with intermission and end the performance after approximately 90 minutes. Maybe something good is coming out of all this after all.