Above the din

The Orchestra has just finished up a week of outdoor concerts all over the place, from Hudson, WI to Winona and Plymouth MN, playing the usual July 4th fare - Sousa marches, classics "lite" (think "Toreadors" from Carmen), John Williams movie scores and, of course, the "1812 Overture".

I've always found the ubiquity of this tsarist barn-burner at July 4th festivities kind of humorous; as a piece about Napoleon's defeat by the Russians, quoting both "La Marseillaise" and "God Save the Tsar", it seems an odd choice for concerts celebrating American independence! So how did this particular piece become the expected concert closer to every Independence Day bash?

We have Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops to thank. In 1974 Fiedler positioned the "1812" as the grand finale to a July 4th concert at the Esplanade, complete with real cannon fire, bells pealing from church steeples and a coordinate fireworks display at the end. It was a ploy to increase attendance at the Pop's summer concerts, and it made the desired impression. Never mind that crowds were whooping it up for a piece by a prominent Russian composer in the middle of the Cold War...Fiedler was certainly a savvy showman, and this genius bit of marketing captured the public's imagination (the concert was broadcast nationwide).

Of course, then, other orchestras followed suit, and "1812" has become the "patriotic" staple it is today. I don't think it's coincidental that this is perhaps the only piece in orchestral repertoire that calls for cannon fire (can anyone think of another?). It certainly expands the sonic landscape, and on most night this week I could hear the cheers and whistles from the crowd when the first "boom" occurred - audiences seem to love the noise. Those onstage, not so much - I saw a few dozen pairs of earplugs being inserted by strings and winds at an appropriate moment pre-cannon.

Outdoor concerts are tough in their own way, particularly because you are dealing with far less-than-ideal acoustics. Compounding the problems of players not being able to hear each other is the fact that we are amplified; players then have the problem of hearing their amplified performance a split second after they have heard the live version, wreaking havoc on ensemble. It usually takes a piece or two to adjust to the bounce-back of sound; I try to be extra-clear at outdoor shows, because often players can't trust what they hear and actually need to "trust the stick".

Flying insects don't help - by the encore of "Stars and Stripes" last night, I was doing more of a mosquito-shooing dance than conducting. And I'm still nursing gnat bites from Winona.

All that being said, it's gratifying to play to largely enthusiastic audiences, and to take the Orchestra to communities who might not otherwise be able to hear us. At Hudson, by the end of the concert, there were several dozen children right in front of the stage, dancing and twirling and jumping to the music, which was really sweet (although I was worried about one ebullient twirler who seemed poised to go careening into our cello section!). And for myself, I treasure these concerts because it's another opportunity to chat with audiences from the stage, to bring down the "fourth wall" and engage them with the music in a more personal way. I could think of few better ways to spend a 4th of July...although next time, I'll use more bug spray!