Melanie Gilbert: Rockin’ it with classical music

Nerd alert. I was Baby Mozart before there even was even a thing called Baby Mozart.

My mom was a classically trained pianist and contralto soloist who performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and various music companies in the Detroit-metro area. She performed right up to the moment she birthed each of her six children, so we had a front-row seat to high-performance music. Two takeaways from that: I still love classical music, and I love applause.

Classical music was the slippery slope that led to my love for the rock operas of Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Who and Jesus Christ Superstar. This year, though, I’ve been revisiting two of my favorite artists: pianist Glenn Gould and violinist Hilary Hahn. Like in my writing for The Lowell Sun, I favor the long form, and classical music does long-form music like nothing else.

Gould’s interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” — both his debut album, released when he was 24, and his later interpretation at age 50 — are distinctly different works. Listening to his changes in tempo, intonation and coloring between the two performances cheers me that even Old Coots can reinvent themselves and create beautiful music.

Hilary Hahn’s playing is flawless, but her style never veers toward mechanical because she brings so much emotion to each piece. I saw her perform Beethoven’s “Concerto for Violin and Orchestra” with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and can affirm that one can hold their breath for 50 minutes. She’s been performing for almost 30 years, yet her music never gets old.

Life is short, but by listening to classical music, I feel timeless. And, if you ever need a plus- one for the opera, you know who to call.