Posted by Volker /AUDIENCE on November 02, 2002 at 05:04:59:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Again String vs.Tuba Post.Analyse posted by AW on November 01, 2002 at 17:47:49:
You are more than right! Whenever you get away from the lemon juice faces to be found in the ususal serious big orchestras, you can match the audience' wishes, no matter what genre is performed. Here in Europe, we have a "sparkling" example: the Andrč Rieu strings orchestra. They play the entire Vienna (Strauss dynasty)repertoire - ... but all in contemporary costumes, smiling faces, small humoristic in-between moderation, interactive audience (for example by letting them dance in the "gangways"), or think of the Pop Classic nights that are performed in a similar way. Strauss was out, but they provid full houses wherever they play, and André developed from a "normal" symphony violinist to a multi-millionaire orchestra leader within only a couple of years.
Clever compatriots even have exaggerated the entertaininment effect at the expense of
instrument playing skills: We had some cases (even up to court persecution) of trumpet "stars" - being well known from many TV events - who were blamed to use other artists' trumpet solos in play-back for public performances. Obviously, they were the better entertainers rather than the better musicians.
My recommendation: Not to take everything too serious. Let the audience even smile about a sousa on stage, if the musical quality is okay. Better colorful pleasure and amusement than the dry, saur, funeral atmosphere that you find in some concert halls, and that many people don't find attractive in spite of good music!