Len writes:

>Stirling Newberry proposes that the Boston Symphony Orchestra restructure
>its concert season around three themes:
>
>>The first would be a series devoted to Historically Informed Performance,
>>The second would be an unmixed series devoted to teh avant-garde
>>A "beginners" concert series.
>
>And they would instantly lose me as a twenty one concert two seat
>subscriber, and contributor.

With 6 concert series available, I hope I would not - There would still
be a core three devoted to mainstream music.  Now perhaps there are some
people who have long standing schedules, who would not bend those schedules
in the least.

For those people, I must sadly say something along these lines:

   "Well, if you will not give up thursday night bridge, or have other
   long standing committments, I understand.  It is for each person to
   decide how their time should be ordered, in a world where we have
   fewer and fewer chances at order.  But I hope you will consider being
   willing to rethink some of your committments, and come with us on
   this journey."

   "This is a change designed to bring you more of the music that you have
   requested, to put more attention into that music, and to present that
   music undistracted by the various political quibblings which surround
   concert programs.  If this is not enticing enough, then we will sadly
   have to accept that you will participate less."

   "But I hope you will reconsider, for the following reason:  by
   reorganising we are bringing more people into the orchestra.  More
   people to support classical music and art in general.  We are broadening
   the range of people who feel that classical music is important in
   their lives."

   "Art is a strange thing, people will enter the concert hall for the
   pops concert, or to hear the latest child prodigy.  Some will leave
   again.  But many people will stay, hearing a larger world.  Once they
   stay they will explore outwards.  The point of dividing the concert
   season in this way is to provide a clear path for each individual to
   explore further - those who wish to aquaint themselves with the basics
   of classical music will know when to come, those who are interested
   in a re-examination of the basic scores - the fundemental texts of
   classical music will come to the HIP series.  Those interested in
   the movements in art and music which constitute the High Modern will
   be able to experience them without a compromise."

   "By providing clear markers, we are being more honest with you our
   subscribers and contributors.  We are clearly labelling what is being
   played, and putting more authority in your hands to choose the music
   you wish to hear.  In these days of large CD libraries, it is our
   hope that there is a more informed public making the choice.  After
   all - there are college students who have heard Brahms symphonies
   more often than he did, who have more aquaitance with Bach's music
   than did many composers of Bach's own day."

   "This is not because of any lack of committment on my part to Beethoven,
   Brahms or Debussy.  On the contrary, our committment to these composer's
   works makes me desire to present them as forcefully as possible, as
   clearly as possible and as powerfully as possible, before the largest
   possible audience."

   "There is room for an expansion of the mainstream works which are
   played - there has been an over-reliance on a few safe choices, and
   an over-reliance on a short list of alternates.  There has also been a
   creeping ennui that has set in with the great works from the way they
   are programmed.  If I am to conduct Richard Strauss' Don Quixote - I
   want my orchestra to be committed on that night to Richard Strauss, his
   music, and doing justice to that music.  I hope the audience will be
   there not merely because it is Friday night and this is row B second and
   third seats in, but because they want to cackly at the jokes, thrill to
   the hair pin virtuosity, and feel the elation of the galloping rhythms
   tossed about the orchestra.  "

   "There won't be second tier works.  There will be works which are
   first tier - but are not well enough known, or are not yet known.
   There will be works which have not yet been decided on.  These works
   will be assembled so that those who come will come to affirm the
   music they love, and they will feel welcome to stay for every moment
   of music.  This reorganisation is designed to make it so that no one
   need feel they are paying full fare for half a concert."

   "Consider that there are a number of songs of Carl Loewe - a
   contemporary of Schubert and Schumann - which would orchestrate
   beautifully.  Second tier? Hardly, he is a better lieder composer than
   Mendelssohn, and almost with his more famous compatriots.  Well known?
   Not even close.  Dukas wrote little, but there is more first rate music
   than "Socerer's Apprentice".  There are film scores which could have
   individual movements excerpted as miniatures, operas which could have
   scenes pulled from them."

   "This is far from a "museum" approach, indeed it is antithetical to
   such an approach.  The old museum presumed that the people running
   the museum were there to edify those who came.  Except when that is
   the stated business of the concert - this assumption should probably
   be laid to rest.  The battle to establish high art has been won - we
   are no longer in the 1700's when art was decoration.  Now it must be
   won again, against apathy, wrote playing, internal bickering and a
   public which does not feel the energy in the art.  "

   "The structure proposed is evangelical in its spirit - and active in its
   tone.  The hope is that long time followers of the art will recognise
   that art is in flux, and it is either growing or shrinking."

- - -

The other kicker about concert schedules is to give realise that not all
nights are created equal.  Non-weekend concerts simply do not sell as well
anyway.  Concert series which are aimed at smaller more devoted audiences
can be programmed on different nights.  Someone commented to me - "if you
play Berio's *Sinfonia* the hall will be half empty." But the hall is half
empty on many midweek concerts anyway.  I will be willing to bet that more
of the people who want to hear Berio live for the first time in their lives
will be willing to make the time, than people who have heard Beethoven's
7th for the 10th or 15th time will be.

The other approach to opening up the music repertory is to have open
rehearsals, and have at least one work rehearsed which is not scheduled
for concert performance in the immediate future.  Waste of time? Not at
all.  First the work could be one similar in style to others being played.
Second the open rehearsal would be a way of seeing the level of support for
a work, and for allowing people to "taste" before having to swallow.  For
the Paris Premiere of Beethoven the orchestra was rehearsed for a year
before performing.  If you known Beethoven's music, and had been there at
that time - wouldn't you have attended? I'm hoping that people would.

Stirling S Newberry
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