Symphony report
Success!
They pulled it all together in the end. Balances were better, all involved had a good grasp of the thought of the piece, and, most importantly, it connected with the audience.It was not a perfect performance (as if there could be such a thing), but most errors didn't make ME look bad.
The conductor, Martin Kessler, made an interesting comment to me that might be useful to any of you composer types out there: even though the piece was really too hard for them, in another sense it was perfect for the group, because everyone got to play a lot and everyone had something meaningful to do, so it was fun for an amateur orchestra to play. So if one wrote an easier piece with the same characteristics, it could find a niche. That sort of describes the Still Afro-American. I've never been a big fan of the content of that piece, but it sounds; the scoring is solid, colorful and effective, and nothing gets in the way of anything else. I just wish he'd done more with the banjo.
The Plain Dealer had a nice promo piece for the concert in yesterday's paper. My name got mentioned, but otherwise it was Eric Dina (guest conductor for the Still) and Still all the way.I wish that had had a bigger impact on the demographic of the audience.
Here's Marty Kessler, talking to an orchestra member during the post-touchup/pre-concert nosh.
I took a picture of the orchestra seated before playing, but it didn't turn out...underexposed, and no amount of dial fiddling could make it presentable. And I didn't think to outfit my wife with the camera for any "victorious composer taking his bows" shots...which probably would also have been underexposed.
In Knoxville, Marian Vogel's diction was as crisp as her tone was clear, and I got my usual weepy self with that piece. They began the 2nd half with an unannounced selection: Happy Birthday for a member of the 1st violins who had turned 90 that day.
Comments
Posted by: john Mclaughlin Williams
Posted on: August 10, 2008 11:43 AM
Jeff, belated congrats on your symphony. I wasn't aware you had a big premiere. Marty is a good guy and fine musician, and I'll listen to your piece soon. Love the Still too. You must remember that at the time of its writing (1931?) it was completely sui generis, a truly miraculous and American work. That's why it's held up. In fact, it's because of its unique content that its idiom has made its way completely into the common, popular vocabulary to the point that it no longer seems unique, we know the style and expect it. I predict that work (and perhaps No.2 "Song of a New Race") will be around for a long time.
Posted by: Jeffrey Quick
Posted on: August 10, 2008 08:17 PM
You're right about uniqueness of the Still in its time. There's a certain similarity in sound with Gershwin, but the ethos is different. It's not really an urban work, in the way that say Rhapsody in Blue is.
Posted by: john Mclaughlin Williams
Posted on: August 21, 2008 10:33 AM
I have no idea where anyone got the idea that Rhapsody in Blue is an urban work. Urbane perhaps, but not urban.
Posted by: Jeffrey Quick
Posted on: August 21, 2008 11:27 AM
It's just the way my ears work -- which begs the question of why they work that way, or why I hear Still differently when they were working in pretty similar situations. Somehow RinB has become the iconic New York City work, in the way that Roy Harris "means" the Great Plains or Copland "means" anywhere in rural America (and there are Copland works that sound urban to me -- they just aren't the popular ones) or the Barber Adagio is "the semi-official national funeral music". I'm terribly suspicious of the whole deconstructionist/new Musicology thing, but you know, to some extent there's something to it.
RinB strikes me as frenetic, in a way that Still A-A never does. Frenetic is NYC, laid back is South. Does that make any sense?