 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-12-06 13:49
The Washington (DC) Ballet has been performing The Nutcracker with recorded music rather than a live orchestra this year, and was the subject of a mild protest by the local musicians' union chapter because of that. Well, the show got reviewed by The Washington Post today, and it wasn't until the end of a fairly long review that it was off-handedly mentioned that recorded music was used -- and even then, the author's complaint was more directed at the lousy quality of the recording rather than the fact that no live musicians were used. Here is a link to the online version of the review:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/05/AR2010120504046.html
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Author: William
Date: 2010-12-06 14:39
Like the television did not completely make obsolete your radio, the current electronic revelution will not completely do away with live music--although we do not "watch" our radios as much, anymore, and imagine the action of the Green Hornet or Superman. Or Dickens "Christmas Carol", one of my favorite annual radio broadcasts when I was young. There will always be live performances of music, but I fear they are becoming only an alternative--one might say, curiosity--to easily down-loaded recorded music.
Bottom line is less jobs for career musicians, and even amatures who simply like to play. The public much prefers the techinical perfection and convienience of the economical download compared to actually going out of the house, driving to a site, paying for parking, buying a ticket and then hearing a live performance by a local orchestra who very likely is not as perfect as the recording.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-12-06 14:50
It's a sad state in this country, maybe else too I don't know, that musicians are the first ones to go in a "Musical" production. The smaller orchestra's are either disappearing or shortening their already short seasons and cutting their core players and the Broadway and tour shows use less and less live musicians. Many of our counties major orchestra's are trying to cut their seasons and or cut the number of musicians under contract and many smaller opera companies have had to close down leaving even less opportunities for employment for freelance musicians. Why anyone goes into music as a career today is beyond me but I guess I do understand emotionally. It's just not very practical unless they have a degree in something else. It's a great hobby and outlet but it's getting harder and harder for musicians to make a living today if they can even get a job. Clarinet players take note, there are only a few jobs available each year and the competition is fierce. Pretty much several hundred to one, it's probably the most difficult profession to get full time employment today, even part time employment has become near impossible as indicated by the subject of this subject matter. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2010-12-06 21:17
Ah well, welcome to the modern world. But it will still always be fun to get together in a small group and play for ourselves. A wonderful pastime.
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Author: Tony M
Date: 2010-12-06 22:09
Perhaps the thing is to begin composing. Whilst record companies and tour promoters have been complaining about declining receipts, BMI have been sending out more payments to composers than ever before. Licensing makes money where performance doesn't. I realise that is something of a generalisation but maybe games players will take to clarinet music and we'll all be in the money.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-12-07 00:25
Yet another orchestra folds, check the posting on the Long Island Philharmonic. ESP
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2010-12-07 01:31
And yet another one seems to be going under:
http://southfloridaclassicalreview.com/2010/11/embattled-south-florida-symphony-cancels-december-concerts/
Tom Piercy
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2010-12-07 14:44
No, I DO NOT understand why this is happening. Look, the talent to play a musical instrument at this level is NOT replicable synthetically. Live performances cannot be outsourced to India, obviously. So are we ALL attending live performances?!!? If so, there should not be an issue of slumping ticket sales.
I still believe, because of the above arguments that this low point in performing arts is only a temporary cycle. We cannot live without the arts (wheather we think so or not) and eventually the audiences will come around again. Let's just hope there are still performing arts groups left when it happens.
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2010-12-07 18:01
Tony M: Performance does indeed make money. However, orchestral performance does not. It almost never has. The money required to pay the musicians always exceeds receipts. It's always been supported by benefactors, from the royal court of Esterhazy to the octogenarians with their names attached to the seats. When economic times are tough, orchestras lose these benefactors and go under.
Performance itself, for musicians outside of the classical realm, can be quite profitable, and is where many bands these days make their money. Ticket sales and merchandise are the bread and butter, more than record sales.
Paul: I think the field of music is in a huge restructuring at the moment. Old ways of doing things are drying up, and new ways are emerging. The innovators will be the ones that inherit the musical scene, and I've noticed a significant shift toward people wanting to see live music. Not specifically orchestral or classical music, but enthusiasm for seeing some sort of live performance seems to be on the rise. But the performers have to be creative about it, not just play music and expect the mere existence of their performance to draw crowds.
The most significant aspect, though, is that there seems to be a waning influence of "big players" in music. Record labels, philharmonic societies, etc. People who will offer you a lot of money to play. It's very much more a do-your-own-footwork field.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2010-12-07 21:21
In many ways Henry Pleasants book The Agony of Modern Music explains the problems that are happening to Symphony Orchestras today. It's been an ongoing problem since the early sixties. There is hardly a Symphony Orchestra today that , in order to continue , must be funded by government grants ect. If they relied on monies from ticket sales alone , most of them would cease to exist. Not all of what Pleasants says is accurate, but it is accurate enough. It is one of my favourite reads . It explains a lot.
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Author: Bubalooy
Date: 2010-12-08 20:05
Symphony Orchestras are very expensive museums. I enjoy them a lot and am fortunate to live in a country which chooses to heavily subsidize them. Even so, I can't really afford to go very often. In difficult economic times, difficult choices have to be made. It is sad that skilled musicians don't have many opportunities to make money from there abilities, but, the same can be said for people in lots of other professions. I am sure that US unemployment figures haven't risen to there current levels primarily because of unemployed musicians.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-12-08 20:37
I'll be honest -- between ticket and parking prices, and partly because of very conservative and dull programming, I almost never go to symphony concerts any more. But I do love PLAYING them when I get the opportunity (also becoming more and more rare).
An example: Earlier this year I enjoyed one of the most exciting performances of one of the most exciting pieces ever written, performed by one of the finest orchestras on the planet. Sacre du Printemps with Gergiev conducting the London Symphony. How? Via YouTube on my computer, didn't cost me a dime and I didn't have to leave my living room. Sad but true.
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