Don Satz:

>As an aside, could someone explain to me the huge appeal that the
>classical music audience has for orchestral music? I've never been able
>to figure that one out.

Since I am in the classical mainstream in this respect, I'll try, though
it is a bit like trying to explain why you like a particular person.
Ultimately, you just do.

First of all, for me, it is partly visceral.  The sheer impact of the large
volume of sound, particularly in a live setting, and especially in a really
good hall, has an effect that is actually physiological, analogous to the
feeling that jumping in the ocean surf can give you.

Second, a large modern orchestra has a tremendous range of sounds, which
can be enjoyed sensuously for their own inherent appeal, in addition to
any expressive force they may have.  Instrumental color of individual
instruments, solo or in combination, is aurally delicious.

Third, there is that range of expressive force as such, from massed
strings, pianissimo, to tutti passages, fortissimo, which is not possible
with smaller ensembles.  The way that Mahler often uses large forces
sparingly is an instance of this--and of my last point too.

Fourth, moving more to the music itself, as distinguished from
personal reactions to it, composers such as Mahler, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky,
Stravinsky, Shostakovich, etc.  have been able to "say" things musically
with large ensembles which they simply could not with smaller instrumental
forces (though I must confess I have occasionally been surprised by my
reactions to piano versions of works I knew as orchestral, perhaps because
I knew the orchestral version first).

Aside from the early music you refer to, which has a different kind
of appeal for me, I do like some music for solo instruments or small
ensembles such as piano trios or piano quintets.  With string quartets,
the sound strikes me as on the ascetic side (of course, if I were able
to play in such a group I would undoubtedly feel differently) and I tend
to get squirmy, as a rule, unless it is Beethoven's c# minor, Dvorak's
American Quartet, or something else that fixes my attention on other
musical elements to such a degree I don't care what the instrumentation is.
I will say, though, that in a really good room, such as the Ozawa Hall at
Tanglewood, with a wonderfully natural and full resonance, even a string
quartet can give me the kind of sybaritic satisfaction I get from
orchestras.

Jim Tobin