Since getting all excited yesterday about my experience at a Baltimore Symphony concert, I’ve been thinking a bit more about some of the related issues. When does an orchestral performance connect with me? It seems to be happening more and more these days (because, when I thought about it, I remembered what a great time I had visiting the LA Phil in December–What an ensemble! What a program! What a hall!). Am I just getting older, are the orchestras changing, or have I been lucking into great programs matching my tastes and we’ve been meeting in the middle somewhere? Couple of ideas on why I’m so satisfied of late:
1. It’s not a huge investment for me anymore, so the risk is lower and the pressure is off. Granted, $25 is still too steep for a lot of people, but for me and my interests, that fits into my budget a few times a year without hurting too much. I am only willing/able to shell out much more for a very special performance, though I don’t discriminate based on what type it is: rock, theater, opera, whatever. This year it was American Buffalo at the Steppenwolf Theatre.
2. More on connection. I know sometimes the banter is annoying for those in the hall, even if the speaker is charismatic. But how many people are that “in the know” anymore? I’m not sure I’ve even heard all of Beethoven’s symphonies, but I’ve performed several of them. Point is, the days of Lenny teaching us about all the great rep while we’re just kids watching TV are over. Now we’re all walking around with crazy-diverse knowledge bases. If information is an important part of making a connection with the piece, let’s have it. (I also like reading the wall tags at museums, though I try not to spend more time doing that than actually looking at the art.) Personally, I’d like to see someone with the budget try out little program note movies, on par with those amazing documentary films they make about all the Kennedy Center honorees.
But then I also saw this quote on the Baltimore Sun Food Critic’s blog that I can’t shake when it comes to my own cultural engagement. She wrote this after receiving an email from a restaurant urging patrons to come out and support their favorite establishments, many of which have been hit by hard economics and heavy snow.
No one loves eating out or sympathizes with the plight of restaurants in a recession more than I do. But it’s an odd feeling to feel I ought to go out. After all, most people go out to have a nice evening, not to feel as if they’re taking part in a charitable event.
She wants to support the places she loves, much as I want to support music I value in my community. But can that be continually personally fulfilling in the way a good night out is supposed to be and that fosters repeat customers? It may get a small group in the door from time to time, but not much else. And that can’t be a satisfying attitude for the performers to confront when they take the stage every night either.
I’d like to see someone with the budget try out little program note movies, on par with those amazing documentary films they make about all the Kennedy Center honorees.
They did this at the NYC Opera Vox festival of new works last year. Before each piece they projected a 3 or 4 minute video with the composers talking about their work (complete with the punchy comic book style cuts and edits). I think it helped contextualize the pieces fairly well. They had the clips available online for a while, but I can’t seem to find them now.