Don Satz being provocative (for a change):

>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.  Classical music would be a significantly less costly
>proposition if those large orchestras and halls didn't have to be paid for.
>Example: take Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand and knock off two zeros.

Majesty.  Bombast.  Big-boned sound.  "Music with Big Shoulders." Subtlety.
Orchestral colour.  Bigger than chamber music.  Mind-blowing.  Sonic
counterpart to Man's fascination with large structures (i.e.  cathedrals,
or their modern equivalents, sports stadia).  Interplay between differing
forces.  Joy of discovering how the same music sounds in different parts of
a large orchestra.  Visual feast as well as aural (gives the eye something
larger to rove over while trying to absorb the music).

How many people (other than Don) would be as impressed by Mahler's Symphony
of Ten as of a Thousand? And if the large venues didn't exist, classical
music would necessarily be for an even more eclectic (and smaller) group,
even more prone to accustaions of elitism.  I think we're better than that
-- one of the greatest aspirations I had in S.  California was to work more
with the local Philharmonic's schools outreach programme.

In short -- 'music with big shoulders' has as valid a place as any other
type of music for which Don has a higher regard -- and for the same reason
-- there are people who like it!

Tim Mahon
[log in to unmask]