Klarinet Archive - Posting 000016.txt from 2010/12

From: "Colin Touchin" <colin.touchin@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Klarinet Digest, Vol 10, Issue 4 - stillness
Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:11:37 -0500

Martin raises a vital corollary - stillness during performance of music which
is dynamic, energetic, fluid and fluent will seem as inappropriate as the
wrong type of movement. During the Freedom concert performance of
Beethoven's 9th conducted by Bernstein after the bringing down of the
Berlin Wall, the international orchestra was a fascinating spectacle - the
moving bodies of the mainland Europeans were conspicuous as were the
static bodies of British colleagues - those who allowed the music literally to
move them seemed to be more in the spirit of the event and the music,
whereas the lack of physical engagement from others seemed as wrong as
could be.
But there are here irresoluble differences of viewpoint: en masse musicians
moving appropriately (and who judges?) in an exciting performance of
rhythmically alert music or flowing slowly, surreptitiously almost, in quiet
reflective music enhance the mood and can draw an audience (vidience?)
into the show, but a soloist may be less entitled to move if supported by a
static orchestra, as in the Meyer situation. Indeed, is the problem more that
the orchestra don't move than Meyer does the moving for all of them? And
she probably came with a modern version of an old instrument because the
orchestra did, too - metal flutes, etc.
Colin.
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