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In Reply to: "New" Conductors: New Interpretations or New MUSIC?... posted by SE on April 10, 2007 at 04:37:13:
Every orchestra's season is dominated by guest conductors. Guest conductors typically choose to conduct core repertoire since they've never worked with the orchestra before -- or only a few times -- and have a limited amount of rehearsal time.
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I suppose, then, the responsibility falls upon the orchestra and Music Director. We'll take whatever we can get!
There's also the ticket sale factor, which is that Beethoven and Brahms pack houses, and with few exceptions, most 20th century music fails to draw an adequate crowd. I've observed a most striking incident of this two years with a Philadelphia Orchestra program that had the Dvorak Cello concerto before the intermission and Zemlinsky's Die Seejungfrau afterwards. Easily 20% of the audience did not return to hear the Zemlinsky. If people are not going to listen to it, why play it?This is where recordings come in. I always prefer to hear music live, but recordings are the most cost effective way to distribute contemporary music. Thankfully labels like BIS and Naxos will record the most unpopular non-mainstream music.
I wouldn't even have a reference to cite as the basis for wanting more new music to be made actively available. They should play the Zemlinsky for the other 80% assuming maybe half of those folks enjoy it. At least it's an effort. No effort, no future.
I've always felt that part of the solution is a supply and demand approach.The major orchestras give 3 to 4 concerts per week. If they put Webern on the program, orchestras see that as having 3 to 4 nights of bad ticket sales, and thus, don't program Webern at all. My solution: put Webern on the program, but only have the concert repeat once -- so 2 nights as opposed to 3 or 4. And when you put Beethoven's 5th on the program, repeat it up to 6 times. Now some orchestras do the latter, but not the former.
as much as pre-dispostion or actual experience. I agree with your approach.
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