Klarinet Archive - Posting 001121.txt from 1998/05

From: masiello@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Grand Canyon - 1st Clarinet Part
Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 01:54:26 -0400

I beleive, this 98-99 season of the Phoenix Symphony will include the
complete Grand Canyon Suite. The orchestra I play with, Sun City Symphony
of the West Valley has played the "On the Trail Movement," for at least two
seasons in a row at "Pop's" programs. Its nice to see the whole work being
programed by our state's full time orchestra.

Tony Masiello

At 11:04 PM 5/19/98 -0500, you wrote:
>On Tue, 19 May 1998, Bill Hausmann wrote:
>
>> At 09:10 AM 5/19/98 -0500, Ed Lacy wrote:
>> >
>> > My observation is that over a period of 40 years or so, the Grand
>> > Canyon Suite is falling into disfavor. It may before long essentially
>> > disappear from the orchestral repertoire.
>> >
>> That figures. Find a piece that the audience likes and stamp it out, since
>> it is obviously unworthy!
>
>I know that you are expressing your frustration that a piece you
>apparently like is not as popular as it once was, and I also realize that
>there is a bit of hyperbole and sarcasm in your message. But, I'm also
>quite sure that you don't really believe that there is somewhere a secret
>organization dedicated to finding out which pieces of music are liked by
>someone or by a large audience, and, just in order to irritate the public,
>issuing directives that they should never be played. Orchestras aren't
>actually withholding the "plums" of the repertoire just to aggravate their
>audiences.
>
>When an orchestra chooses its repertoire, there is a lengthy and sometimes
>agonizing process that takes place. Essentially, the primary
>responsibility for making these decisions lies with the conductor. In
>many cases, there will be various other sources of input, such as from an
>"artistic advisory committee," or something similar, which may consist of
>board members, players, or both. In many cases, this body will
>essentially rubber-stamp the conductor's choices unless there is something
>strikingly unusual about them. Then, finances come into play, and the
>primary responsibility for this area lies with the general manager. He
>may tell the conductor, "I'm sorry, but you can't program Mahler's Eighth
>Symphony next season (the 'Symphony of a Thousand' - actually, about 500
>musicians might be able to pull it off) because we can't afford it."
>
>There are many other constraints guiding this entire process. Everyone
>knows that the program must be economical, and that costs of music rental
>or purchase must be taken into consideration, in addition to the fees of
>guest soloists, guest conductors, hiring extra players for large works,
>etc. Also, as none but the very largest orchestras can program major
>portions of the repertoire in a single season, variety is a factor. The
>program must also take into consideration the need of the orchestra to
>grow musically, and therefore to play certain works when it is most
>advantageous. Even the hall in which the orchestra plays can influence
>the decisions, as some works may not work will in a facility that is too
>dead, and others can't easily be mounted in a hall that is too small.
>
>A fairly recent addition to these factors is the requirements and
>constraints of certain governmental granting agencies, such as the
>National Endowment for the Arts or the state arts commission. Orchestras
>pay a great deal of attention to the wishes of such organizations, even
>though the proportion of the annual budget which they may provide is
>pitifully small. The NEA looks very carefully at the orchestras'
>programming to see that it is varied, appropriate, appealing to the
>public, and that recent music and that of American composers is
>represented.
>
>But, the cloud hanging over everyone's head as they try to come to grips
>with the various facets of the decision is the attitude of the public. It
>is recognized that the orchestra must sell tickets in order to survive,
>and yet, as musicians, the conductor and the players do not want the
>organization to degenerate entirely into a pops orchestra, with economic
>considerations dominating every choice. There is a fairly fine line which
>must be walked. If you pay a lot of money to hire a certain famous guest
>artist, such as one of the famous "three tenors," it is recognized that
>more tickets will be sold. The almost unanswerable question is, "Will the
>extra income from ticket sales pay for the higher fee of the soloist?" As
>can be imagined, this is never easy to evaluate.
>
>As to why the Grand Canyon Suite is programmed less often now than it was
>50 or so years ago (if it is), I can only speculate. Personally, when I
>was 19 years old, I thought it was a pretty outstanding piece of music.
>However, to me it doesn't bear repeating an infinite number of times.
>Perhaps the tastes of the public, like mine, have changed over the years.
>We can point to numerous examples of pieces in the repertoire, once
>popular, which have become almost extinct today.
>
>During Beethoven's lifetime, Muzio Clementi was widely regarded as the
>greatest composer of symphonies in the world. His orchestral works were
>played more frequently than Beethoven's. I suggest that not too many of
>us on this list have ever heard a single symphony by Clementi. And, if
>you do, you probably will wonder how this music could have been held in
>such high regard at that time.
>
>How many have ever heard "Through the Looking Glass" by Deems Taylor? I
>never have. But, I know that it has a difficult bassoon solo in it, and I
>once had to learn it because I had a teacher who had played the piece back
>in the 1930's and had made a mistake in it. If this work ever comes
>around again, I'm prepared! But, I think a lot of people liked this work
>in the 1920's and 30's. In my lifetime, I don't ever expect to have to
>demonstrate my mastery of the bassoon solo!
>
>Ed Lacy
>*****************************************************************
>Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
>Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
> Evansville, IN 47722
>el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
>*****************************************************************
>
>
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