Klarinet Archive - Posting 000236.txt from 1995/12

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.EDU>
Subj: "New York" exit
Date: Sun, 10 Dec 1995 17:27:35 -0500

I must respond to this. David's description of the Met orchestra members
disappearing from the stage following a performance - as if somebody had
yelled "fire!" before the final chord had even died away - is,
disconcertingly (subtle pun intended), an accurate one. Apparently things
haven't changed much since Boehm's days, according to my own experience.

I had the pleasure a couple of years ago of attending two Met Opera
performances in a single week's time. First was Jessye Norman in
Strauss' "Ariadne auf Naxos" (Zerbinetta played by Canadian soprano Tracy
Dahl, whom I'd never heard of, but who nearly upstaged Norman, she was so
remarkably good - Dahl's coloratura was unBELIEVABLE). A few days later
was performed Die Zauberfloete (sorry, no umlauts on my email) - the
tenor for Papageno was a masterful comedic actor, as well as a terrific
singer. At the conclusion of both operas, I was delighted to stand in
ovation of their world-class artistry, only to be completely dumb-struck
by the sight of an empty orchestra pit.

It was very sad, actually. Donald Runnicles conducted the Strauss and was
called onto the stage to take a bow. From the stage, he affected a wide
gesture with his arms in acknowledgement of the orchestra in the pit - and
there was nobody down there! I couldn't believe it. I just keeping thinking,
"Damn, these guys have no class. For all the money they get paid, you
would think they could sit down for 60 seconds more to receive the
accolades and adoration of their audience." It almost seemed like, as an
audience (and being completely in awe of the Met and its superhuman artistic
excellence), we the audience had been denied the consummate experience of
an opera performance - which includes having the opportunity to show our
genuine appreciation, as much as enjoying the performance itself. It's kind
of like telling somebody, "Wow! You played wonderfully! God, your music
means so much to me," only to have them turn away as if they hadn't heard
you -- except, in the Met orchestra's case, I was never given the chance to
express myself at all. Can you imagine this happening at symphony
concerts? (don't tell me - somebody has seen a concert where the
orchestra just walked off stage without even acknowledging the applause).

Neil.

David Niethhamer wrote:

> After the performance was over (about 4 hours of hard blowing),
> Karl Bohm was the conductor who had the doors to the pit at the Met
> locked to prevent the speedy New York exit by the orchestra, so that when
> the orchestra was acknowledged by Bohm, there would still be an
> orchestra to see!
>
> David Niethamer
>