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Greg Sandow
Sandow
Greg Sandow on the future of classical music
We can do better
April 16, 2015 by Greg Sandow
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I don't mean to pick on the Minnesota Orchestra. Or on anyone. But this is the time of year when symphony orchestras announce next year's season, and their press releases…are weak. The most basic fact about classical music today is that we need new listeners. But I can't see these press releases doing much to find those. Which to me is a serious problem. Can't we learn to talk about classical music, in a way that might make compelling, so we can people — especially people outside our world — reasons to go to our performances?
And I don't think the releases even work for those of us inside the gated city. They're so…
The Orchestra is joined throughout the year by many stellar guest soloists, including Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn and violinists Jennifer Koh and Henning Kraggerud; pianists Inon Barnatan, Andreas Haefliger, Natasha Paremski, Jon Kimura Parker and Yevgeny Sudbin; cellist Arto Noras; violist Roberto Díaz, a former member of the Orchestra; soprano Amber Wagner; mezzos Kelley O'Connor and Lilli Paasikivi; and baritone Tommi Hakala. Two Orchestra musicians will be featured as soloist: Concertmaster Erin Keefe, who performs the Brahms Violin Concerto, and Principal Cello Anthony Ross, who plays Schumann's Cello Concerto in his first-ever concerto solo with the Orchestra under Stanislaw Skrowaczewski's direction. Other Orchestra members are featured in performances of Frank Martin's Concerto for Seven Winds, Timpani, Percussion and String Orchestra. In addition, the YL Male Voice Choir of Finland joins the Orchestra for a set of all-Finnish concerts.
…so unreadable. For anyone at all. That's from the Minnesota release, but could have come from nearly any orchestra.
And as for reaching new people:
THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES THE 2015–16 SEASON!
SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW!
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY, AUGUST 3!
I just sigh. Have I ever seen exclamation points less convincing than these? Who, exactly, are the readers who'll be so excited? And who — in April! — will circle August 3 on their calendars? No doubt in brightest red.
The BSO release at least has a vaguely spiffy layout, complete with graphics. And, for the most part, only short bursts of text, instead of the sea of unreadable verbiage other orchestras might throw at us.
But just read some of the text:
In 2015–16 Andris Nelsons joins forces with a compelling array of guest soloists, including pianists Evgeny Kissin in Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, Paul Lewis in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3, Yefim Bronfman in Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Nikolai Lugansky in Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.
Who might read this? Hmm…maybe a media person, someone who doesn't yet care about classical music, but who's in a position to give the BSO some publicity? Will this make her care?
I'd guess not. I'd guess that these sentences — and especially their boldface names (which we almost always find in these press releases) — simply reinforce what our media heroine, who could be so useful to the BSO, already thinks: "I don't know anything about this." Or, to translate what I quoted into how a noninitiate might read it: "Blah, blah. Classical musicians are going to play classical music." Our media friend — or could-be friend — won't know the names, and she won't know the pieces. Why should she care?
I'd love to have a quiet word with the people — at the orchestra, and at their publicity firm — who wrote the Minnesota release. Someone I'll guess, wanted to find some meaning in all the blah, and came up with this:
Several recurring themes are woven throughout the season, such as music that illuminates the links between Brahms and the Schumanns, including Brahms' Violin Concerto and Third Symphony, and Schumann's concertos for cello and piano. Also notable will be music by composers associated with Vienna, among them Mahler, Bruckner and Beethoven; music from Nordic countries by Sibelius, Nielsen and contemporary composer Olli Kortekangas; expressions of nationalism in music, including de Falla's Three-Cornered Hat Suites and Stravinsky's Petrushka; and spiritual music ranging from Handel's Messiah and Brahms' German Requiem to Wagner's Parsifal and Mahler's Fourth Symphony. The season also includes performances of three Bach Brandenburg Concertos, among the greatest Baroque masterpieces, to be followed in the 2016–17 season with the other three Brandenburg Concertos.
I'll give whoever this was credit for at least trying. But…
I just want to sigh. These aren't real themes. A real theme, something that really has force in an orchestra's season, would, to begin with, stand out in clear relief, if you read through the schedule, week by week. They'd also, you'd think, be something the programs (or other things the orchestra did) would highlight, maybe by putting music from a theme together on a single program, or on back to back programs. Or by having panel discussions, concerts of related chamber music, whatever.
But these themes don't do that. I read through the schedule, very patiently, week by week, and I don't think the themes — supposed themes — make any impression. What does stand out is a focus on Beethoven. Which no one could miss, since five programs in a row are devoted to him. That's a real emphasis on something it's clear the orchestra cares about.
But the themes?
Brahms and the Schumanns. A few Brahms pieces. A few Schumann pieces. (There are more in the season not mentioned in what I've quoted.) How do these "lluminate links" between the two men? I don't think anyone would come away from the Brahms Third and the Schumann Cello Concerto, saying, "Wow, Brahms and Schumann loved the same woman." Especially since there's not one program with Brahms and Schumann together. The Schumann piano concerto, in fact, shows up in quite a different context, on a program with the Falla suites and Ravel's Rhapsodie espagnole. Illuminating, just maybe, links no one knew of before, between Spain and German romanticism.
Vienna. Isn't every symphonic season a Vienna festival? You don't have to play Mahler and Bruckner. Just play Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms. (As — in my softest whisper — every orchestra does).
Nordic countries. Osmo Vänskä, Minnesota's music director, is Finnish, and well known as a Nordic specialist. So Nordic music isn't a theme for this year. It's something he's always likely to do.
Nationalism. Play anything by composers from Europe who aren't French, Italian, or German, and you've got a nationalist theme. Play Dvořák. Play Smetana. Play Kodaly or Glinka. Do almost anything Russian. All of it music that might show up on your programs every year.
Spiritual music. Many orchestras do Messiah for Christmas, so they're well on their way to a spiritual theme. All they need is just about any other choral work from the 18th or 19tn centuries, and then an orchestra work that they can call spiritual. Like the Mahler Fourth, which of course shows up all the time. Or the Second, Third, Eighth, or Ninth, which aren't as common, but might be even more spiritual. If this makes a spiritual theme, than many orchestras have one without meaning to.
The Brandenburgs, I'll grant, are a theme. Or at least a worthy emphasis, maybe even more so if all six were being done.
A small suggestion
But to offer something constructive: If you want a spiritual theme that means something, you might program spiritual works that are very different from each other. Messiah, a Haydn mass, the Poulenc Gloria, and Stravinsky's Canticum Sacrum. And why not Bernstein's Mass? Five very different kinds of spirituality. Highlight these works in some way, by putting them (where possible) on the same program. Or by selling special tickets to hear all five, or by holding discussions. Work with a local chorus, which might sing Palestrina. And a theater company, which might do Jesus Christ Superstar.
And even the Brandenburgs could be more of a theme. Add concerti grossi by other Baroque composers. Corelli, whoever. Now the dash, the verve, the sheer invention that Bach brought to the form would stand out boldly.
It's overkill, though, to blame anyone because the themes in the press release aren't real themes. They weren't meant to be. I'd guess they were added after the programming was complete, by someone who wanted to make it more interesting than much of it really is. No blame in that, but we all can do better.
Frederic Chiu says
Interesting to note that the names of the conductors and soloists really mean nothing to the non-initiated, and that your suggestions for themes doesn't involve contemporary personalities at all. Another way to go would be to find compelling, recognizable personalities who know how to grab new listeners and emphasize joining the personality cult.
Either way would avoid the cookie-cutter press releases that you rightly criticize for being like Gary Larson's dog: "Blah blah blah Ginger blah blah blah blah blah Ginger."
So who is this "we", Kimosabe? Why don't YOU rewrite these press releases and show us all how a professional would do it? Better yet, why don't you plan an entire season, taking into consideration all sorts of variables as cost, availability of other conductors and soloists, other engagements for the orchestra (e.g. Common Chords), and then tell us how easy that is.
And yes, you do mean to pick on the MN Orchestra – that seems to be a common theme these days. Monday-morning quarterbacking is real easy. The MOA has been busy for the past year revamping their infrastructure, getting new (and awesome!) leadership in place, trying out new ventures and musical selections – which the musicians had been wanting to do for years but the pop=loving previous mgmt. would not let them because they might actually succeed – and filling out their ranks for both musicians and staff. It's like trying to build a new house while you are still knee-deep in the old one which a tornado destroyed (year after year after year).
As for more nationalism – there was a heap of Russian music last fall and many of the pieces were new to both musicians and orchestra. They've done some Dvorak and who knows – perhaps they are planning on that for the 2016-2017 season (please oh please). And for Baroque – many of the musicians are playing in other ensembles, concentrating on Baroque and/or chamber music, and they are building skills. You also have missed the late-night more-informal concerts of chamber music, as well as the new Sommerfest Sunday evening chamber music concerts (again, something the musicians have wanted to do for years).
So why don't you have a "quiet word" with whomever? Otherwise we would just continue to have the idea that those who can't, "consult". And maybe they might even proofread YOUR posts.
Natalie Carmolli says
Unfortunately in most situations those who write the press releases have very little, if anything to do with programming…which can make finding a unifying theme difficult if that wasn't a focus in the programming stages. So what items can we look for to "create' a theme where none exists?
Or in this case do we abandon the notion if themes and just consider each concert individually and approach it from the idea of "what's the benefit for the concert goer? Like, a relaxing evening, a special time out with friends, or a nostalgia approach for well known pieces.?
Finally, in a hefty season announcement, how do we balance talking to the uninitiated and our core audience…and do it in only a few sentences?
Bill Brice says
Well sure, but the programming people CAN talk to the publicity people, can't they? Why would they not?
Of course they can, and they do!
But it's more complex than that. It's not the marketing department's job to program, not do they necessarily have the skills and knowledge required to program. I know I don't…but I can write about what they program all day long.
In a perfect world, a theme would be chosen and the organization would have their choice of the perfect programs to put into place to forward that theme. But in reality, at least for smaller orchestras, what can be programmed is affected by many things like budget, guest artist availability, and market competition. So keeping with a theme is a challenge. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I'm guessing many small orchestras experience this.
Keren Nicol says
I agree about your sad press releases Greg, but seems to me your issue is more with the programming than the the communications team. Though, yes, some of them aren't even trying. Having cut my teeth in classical music marketing, I now work in theatre. While it may be peculiar to my little theatre, I now have far more in – depth discussions with my Artistic Director about the rationale behind programming decisions than I've ever had at any of the classical music organisations I've worked on. Not only that, but my opinions and the rest of my marketing colleagues is actively sought when decisions are being made. It's made my job far easier and far more enjoyable.
Beth Buelow says
Regardless of what orchestra is being singled out as an example, there's an important point being made here. Press releases have often been seen as utilitarian, written by the PR staffer who's trying to cover as many bases as possible as efficiently as possible, hoping that the arts reporter will be interested in actually doing a story, rather than just a "here's the schedule" piece. But these days, a paper is probably lucky if it has an arts reporter or critic on staff, and whoever is there doesn't have time to tease out the interesting tidbits and make a story out of it.
In that regard, Sandow is exactly right. Most press releases are a bore. They're written for the media, not the public. They're not meant to be sales pieces. BUT they should be to a certain degree. Yes, communicate the basic facts, but then sell the media on why they should care. You have to connect the dots for them; not because they're not intelligent, but because they don't have the time or resources. Tell them the strategy behind the programming… how it connects to the community or was inspired by something people can identify with… why the conductor and/or musicians are excited to present and share the music… how the season reflects the vision of the orchestra and their role in the community.
Granted, some reporters just want the facts. They don't want you to write the story for them. That said, there's still room to include a human element, the points that make this season different from the last and different from the ones to come.
All of this points to a larger issue that is out of the hands of the person writing the release: the programming. If an orchestra isn't programming with relevancy and community in mind – if they're in their "gated city" – then the best press release in the world isn't going to make a bit of difference.
So I do have sympathy for the press release writers who have to cram in scads of programming details and probably aren't given much else to go on. In their defense, they go to the press with the programming they've got. In an ideal world, they would interview the conductor or artistic director, the concertmaster or a soloist or two, and humanize the laundry list of symphonies and concerti. Anything to make it less interchangeable with every other orchestra release! (BTW, the same could be said for artist bios – PLEASE, somebody, start writing about things that actually give us insights to the person – 99% of artist bios are boring as heck, interchangeable, ego-driven, and exactly like Frederic states above – blah blah blah Ginger blah blah blah!)
At the end of the day, the communication (to media AND the community) that flows from an orchestra's team has to be relevant, relatable, and audience-oriented. If it's not, there are (at least) two things to examine: programming and PR. If programming is great and the PR needs some sizzle, that's fixable. If programming is lacking, then that's a bigger nut to crack.
Great feedback. I agree 100%!
Though I've been known for many years as a critic, most of my work these days involves the future of classical music -- defining classical music's problems, and finding solutions for them. Read More…
This started as a blog about the future of classical music, my specialty for many years. And largely the blog is still about that. But of course it gets involved with other things I do — composing music, and teaching at Juilliard (two courses, here … [Read More...]
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