What defines "new" music?

[ReinerTorheit]

Originally Posted by Mambo

Their popularity though leaves a lot to be desired, since most concert
goers are looking for things that are 'tried and true'

I fear you might be right there - although I wish you were not!

However, our experience here in Moscow with our orchestra is that public is mostly motivated by the prospect of a very high-quality concert - by which I mean that everything will be perfectly played and rehearsed. And in fact that same "tried and true" formula often doesn't sit well with the idea of impeccable quality... because conductors and players often don't bother hard with well-known works.

For example Dmitry Jurowsky (the brother of Vladimir, and MD of the Russian Philharmonia Orchestra) nearly had a riot with his new orchestra, when he held a three-hour rehearsal of Tchaikovsky 4. "We KNOW this!" they cried. But in fact the resulting concert was outstanding... not a "normal" performance at all.

Once an orchestra, or a conductor, or sometimes a concert-hall gets a reputation for offering only "excellent" performances.... then people will come to those concerts. For example, we have a Subscription Series at the moment with the Soloists Ensemble of our orchestra (The Svetlanov Symphony Orch). The theme isn't very peculiar, but many people said it was "Box Office Suicide" to call the series "Seminal Works Of The C20th". There's no music before 1905 in the entire series, and much of the music is from the late C20th. BUT tickets are 100% sold-out!! Even for our July concerts.

Winning audience confidence is not an easy job. A lot of PR has to be done (we've been working hard giving radio and tv interviews about our work, playing excerpts of pieces, profiling the players and the conductor etc) - but it pays off.

There is a particular problem here in Russia that many orchestras still believe it's the moral duty of audiences to come to concerts... because classical music is "good for you", like eating fish oil as a child. Times have changed!

[Mambo]

Originally Posted by ReinerTorheit

I fear you might be right there - although I wish you were not!

However, our experience here in Moscow with our orchestra is that public is mostly motivated by the prospect of a very high-quality concert - by which I mean that everything will be perfectly played and rehearsed. And in fact that same "tried and true" formula often doesn't sit well with the idea of impeccable quality... because conductors and players often don't bother hard with well-known works.

For example Dmitry Jurowsky (the brother of Vladimir, and MD of the Russian Philharmonia Orchestra) nearly had a riot with his new orchestra, when he held a three-hour rehearsal of Tchaikovsky 4. "We KNOW this!" they cried. But in fact the resulting concert was outstanding... not a "normal" performance at all.

Once an orchestra, or a conductor, or sometimes a concert-hall gets a reputation for offering only "excellent" performances.... then people will come to those concerts. For example, we have a Subscription Series at the moment with the Soloists Ensemble of our orchestra (The Svetlanov Symphony Orch). The theme isn't very peculiar, but many people said it was "Box Office Suicide" to call the series "Seminal Works Of The C20th". There's no music before 1905 in the entire series, and much of the music is from the late C20th. BUT tickets are 100% sold-out!! Even for our July concerts.

Winning audience confidence is not an easy job. A lot of PR has to be done (we've been working hard giving radio and tv interviews about our work, playing excerpts of pieces, profiling the players and the conductor etc) - but it pays off.

There is a particular problem here in Russia that many orchestras still believe it's the moral duty of audiences to come to concerts... because classical music is "good for you", like eating fish oil as a child. Times have changed!

[Mambo]

Thanks Reiner. I could not find anything to disagree with.
Audiences can be a fickle bunch. The orchestra i feel is always trying
to put on an optimum performance.
And the choice of works to be played is critical, which it sounds like
you are all too familiar with, when trying to maximise attendance.
Liked the last part of how orchestras and lovers of classical music
(and other art forms) in general sometimes feel an obligation
to convert not-so-artistic persons over to their view,
in the spirit of that "it has to be good for you" .
If the potential convert is receptive, ok; otherwise (i won't
enumerate all the retorts)

continued success with your endeavours

[ReinerTorheit]

Thanks for the good wishes, Mambo

At least for this season, we've had good audiences for contemporary and C20th music - including 3-4 premieres and 2 new commissions