Overheard...
...at tonight's concert, which ends with Messiaen's L'Ascension, a rapturous 29 minutes which, while eminently accessible on some level, is not without its challenges:
(a well-dressed couple pushes up from their seats in Tier 1)
Man: "That was such...dream music, of a dream world, I really liked it."
Woman: "Well, I hated it."
The conversation continued as they exited and walked down the corridor - I tried to follow the thread until they were out of earshot (I didn't feel like stalking them down the stairs!). It struck me that this is one of the best reactions any concert could elicit. As much as I'm a big supporter of concert-as-enjoyable-entertainment, I find satisfaction in the counterbalance of concert-as-challenge. The Messiaen affected this couple enough (albeit in dialectically opposed ways) for them to continue the experience of the concert beyond the confines of the actual performance. Which, to me, is the level of both emotional and intellectual engagement we strive for when we present art.
A small victory - a little bit of light in what has been a pretty rough week!
(a well-dressed couple pushes up from their seats in Tier 1)
Man: "That was such...dream music, of a dream world, I really liked it."
Woman: "Well, I hated it."
The conversation continued as they exited and walked down the corridor - I tried to follow the thread until they were out of earshot (I didn't feel like stalking them down the stairs!). It struck me that this is one of the best reactions any concert could elicit. As much as I'm a big supporter of concert-as-enjoyable-entertainment, I find satisfaction in the counterbalance of concert-as-challenge. The Messiaen affected this couple enough (albeit in dialectically opposed ways) for them to continue the experience of the concert beyond the confines of the actual performance. Which, to me, is the level of both emotional and intellectual engagement we strive for when we present art.
A small victory - a little bit of light in what has been a pretty rough week!
posted by Sarah at
9:31 PM
5 Comments:
I heard the same sort of reaction from a couple exiting near me as well. One really liked it, and the other, not so much. This is one of the programs I have been really looking forward to. I've heard the Messiaen before, but I'm still pretty new to it. I think it was a fabulous and daring idea to put it last on the program. Indeed, the 2nd half of the concert was quite heavenly - the sort of stop-and-think music that I love to hear at concerts. For sure, a good program for these challenging days we've all been going through.
It really is too bad that things are going so poorly out there. It's obvious that people are going to have to stay away from the concert hall in droves. I budget as best I possibly can just so I can keep attending and keep some sanity in my life. Hopefully the orchestra can weather the storm too, because what you do is very important to me.
Anyway, thanks for a very nice program tonight.
Somehow, I had the feeling you'd like this one. I like it too, a lot, but I can't say I'm surprised that tonight's crowd appeared from the stage to be our smallest since the time back in 2003 when we decided to invite Oliver Knussen to conduct a concert of his own works on Thanksgiving weekend.
You're undoubtedly correct that the economic calamity that's currently underway is going to hit us, and every other performing arts group, quite hard. Our CEO told us a couple of weeks back that he's already redoing budget projections (that's a good sign, by the way - far too many arts groups hope for the best rather than planning for the worst) and I can't blame anyone for thinking twice before spending money on an orchestra ticket in these times. But I will always believe that it's important for orchestras to include a few programs like this one on our schedule every season: concerts that will likely be of little interest to anyone but the diehards, but will send those diehards away with a meaningful reminder of why they value what we do, even if the hall is half empty.
We performed this piece last season, and it was a mixed bag here in Portland as well. A beautiful piece that I very much enjoyed playing, however. I often feel bad that our audiences don't get the concentrated time with unfamiliar works that we do in rehearsal - they have to form an opinion on the spot, whereas we have a couple rehearsals to sort out our opinions on the matter.
It's funny you mention the Knussen concert, as I often think of that program when I see small crowds at performances. As I remember, that occurred on a Thanksgiving week, which from my vantage point seems to be hit-or-miss. I also remember Peter Serkin being on that program..who judging by the well-attended SPCO concert I was at a few weeks back, certainly has his share of fans around here (and how).
But yeah, I'd put tonight's crowd at around 50%. It's probably silly to think this, but I often feel as if I'm letting the performers down when people don't show...I know it's not that simple, but I'd hate for artists to take it personally and not want to come back.
I can't speak for soloists and conductors, but we don't take it personally. A lot of us in Minneapolis brag regularly to friends in other orchestras about how great our home crowd is, and you guys are far more receptive to unfamiliar rep than the orchestra crowds I grew up being a part of in Boston and Philadelphia.
I just went back and looked at my '03-'04 schedule book, and you're absolutely right that Peter Serkin was on the Knussen program, playing the world premiere of a piano concerto by Peter Lieberson that I must confess I don't remember at all. (Also, it appears that there was only one Knussen work on the program. Along with the Lieberson, we had some of Stravinsky's more difficult-to-listen-to works. Not exactly holiday fare, but the 500 or so folks I remember being in attendance were certainly appreciative...)
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home