Klarinet Archive - Posting 000014.txt from 2001/04

From: stewart kiritz <kiritz@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] To Encore or not to encore (Stravinsky's Rite)
Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2001 12:31:30 -0400

Hi Mario,

I'm afraid that "wealthy retirees from up north" or elsewhere are the
majority audience for most classical music concerts these days. I have
witnessed the graying of the audiences during 40 years of concert going. It
would seem that at least in the US, classical music is not a big draw. Two
weeks ago my wife and I were invited to a concert by Itzak Perlman at
Stanford by some old friends who, while very nice, know nothing of music.
They just have a lot of money and get choice tickets to Stanford events. I
think they may also go to symphony concerts occasionally and probably are
moderately big donors both to the SF Symphony and Stanford University. They
made comments after the concert that reflected their complete ignorance of
the music that was being played. But they are nice folks with a lot of
money and nice enough to invite us to attend because they know we do know
about and love music. I guess musicians have to keep these people happy or
they will completely disappear, because this is a large part of their
audience.

What is the solution? I don't know. The human race is very peculiar. We
produce wonderful art. But the majority of people can't tell it from
kitsch. We are surrounded by glorious fauna and flora. But we pollute and
destroy it. I guess I just try to savor the wonders of art and nature for
what they are, and appreciate those fellow travelers who also treasure them.
I try to support both artists and nature financially and in other ways
whenever I can. Somewhere out there, even if the earth as we know it
disappears, there is a Bach Cantata playing in a Platonic space even though
no one is there to listen.

Stewart Kiritz

----- Original Message -----
From: <EstradaMC@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] To Encore or not to encore (Stravinsky's Rite)

> This week was a good week for me I got to play the E-flat part in The Rite
of
> Spring, it doesn't get much better than this. The concert also featured
the
> profound Beethoven Violin concerto. When the week began I noticed on the
> rehearsal schedule that we were scheduled to play an encore, Gliere's
Russian
> Sailors Dance. I was shocked, how can you possibly play such dribble
after
> the monumental Stravinsky score. The performances have been going very
well
> and the orchestra seems to be enjoying some of it's finest moments. The
> reception by the audience has been altogether different. The concert ends
to
> polite and reserved applause. I guess management knows just how
conservative
> our audiences are so they wanted to send them out happy, hence the Gliere.
> The tumultuous applause after the Gliere leaves me feeling empty and
> frustrated. I resent the audience for their limitations and hate that we
> pander to the lowest common denominator. I take the shouts of Bravo after
> the Gliere as a direct assault on the Stravinsky score. After ninety
years
> since it's composition the piece is still reviled or at least inaccessible
to
> so many people. It is such a sad statement of classical music industry.
The
> audience in not altogether uncultured, usually these are wealthy retirees
> from up north and grew up listening to orchestras in Chicago, Cleveland,
> Minnesota, Detroit, etc. How can we make this music more accessible? I
> understand that this is not generally a problem in larger markets such as
the
> ones I mentioned before, but for me it was a blemish on an otherwise
perfect
> night.
> Mario E.
>
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