I went to my first classical concert at the Philharmonic Hall

When you hear the words 'symphony' or 'orchestra' you immediately think of all things fancy - well I do, anyway.

The closest I've got to any form or orchestra or classical music in general is when I stick on Classic FM when I'm revising for something, or really needing to concentrate. I've always enjoyed classical music, but I've never taken the time to watch an actual performance of a symphony.

I've walked past the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic countless times, on my way to get a coffee or a bite to eat, but never stepped foot inside. If I'm being completely honest, I just always assumed it wouldn't be my thing, and I was never really open to trying it out.

The Royal Philharmonic is one of the world's oldest concert societies, and presents more than 400 concert events at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, including its smaller scale venue known as 'Music Room' across the city every year. At 28-years-old, I've never been to a symphony before, so it felt like time to officially take the plunge.

My experience

My concert of choice was the Beethoven’s Symphony No.7. Now, If I'm being completely honest with you, I'd never heard of that in my life.

Before arriving at the Philharmonic, I stressed for a good few minutes about what on earth to wear. Did I need to dress up? Was I going to look severely underdressed in trainers? Would this be a cocktail dress affair? It's safe to say I was absolutely clueless.

I opted for an all black outfit with a blazer so I felt relatively smart, and made my way to the venue. One thing that shocked me was how busy it actually was there.

My original narrow-minded opinion was that it was going to be pretty quiet, and that I'd look like a fish out of water, but I was wrong. There were loads of different people in the audience, from old and young couples to children.

I weirdly felt a tad embarrassed making my way to my seat, because I felt like I should be acting a certain way or be at least slightly knowledgeable on what I was about to listen to. I picked up the programme, itinerary? (I'm not entirely sure what it's called) and saw this:

"Rossini Overture, The Italian Girl in Algiers (08')
Walton Cello Concerto (30')

-INTERVAL-
(20')

Beethoven Symphony No.7 (36')"

Ah yes, the imposter syndrome was definitely setting in now, I had absolutely no clue what any of that meant. Nevertheless, I sat and marvelled at the impressive amount of different instruments, and at just how impressive the stage was.

The first 'overture' lasted eight minutes (I managed to figure that out at least) which led to the 'Cello Concerto' for half an hour, with a twenty minute interval that led to the main event - 'Symphony No.7' by Beethoven which lasted for thirty six minutes.

I actually really enjoyed the overture, and soon settled in as the music filled the room. The acoustics at the Philharmonic were amazing, and gave the instruments a really crisp quality sound that I wasn't expecting.

The 'Cello Concerto' saw cellist Nicolas Altstaedt take to the stage. He was absolutely incredible, and I couldn't believe how fast he played the strings.

While admiring the music, I actually felt quite guilty for being originally judgemental, assuming I might be a little bored or that there wouldn't be many people there. The music was goosebump-inducing at times.

There were a few moments where I found myself feeling sleepy after a long day, perhaps because the music was calming. Since I wasn't familiar with the piece of music, there were some points where I felt myself go off into a gaze, particularly during the first part of the performance - but maybe that was a good sign?

It was the second half that really captured my attention, though, and I was proud to admit I actually recognised some of the Symphony No.7, what a triumph! However, throughout the experience, I did have some questions.

Questions I had

I've often wondered what a conductor actually does? I'd only ever seen conductors flick and swish around on the telly, so to see it in real life was a pretty intriguing experience.

But seeing conductor Andrew Manze, I was struck but how central he was to the whole performance. But why did he walk on and off the stage so many times? Perhaps it was a little bit like the theatre, where they come on and off the stage for an applause, but I'm not even kidding you, it happened about three or four times.

Another burning question I had, was why didn't the audience clap at certain parts? I felt almost guilty after each section of music as no one clapped, and it was deathly silent in the room.

I can totally admit that these questions highlight my naivety. But overall I really did enjoy my first experience at the orchestra, and although I felt a little clueless in some parts, life is all about learning after all.

It felt great to do something different, and enjoy some wonderful music in a really calming setting.

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