“From symphony orchestras to chamber concerts, instrumentalists are asserting their physical, individual presences in ways that are by turns whimsical, heartbreaking or strange,” writes Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim in Friday’s (7/28) New York Times. “At a performance of Dvořák by the Budapest Festival Orchestra at David Geffen Hall, a percussionist ambled to the front of the podium and from his tuxedo coat magically produced a tiny brass bell, which soon became the focal point of the music.… The challenge to classical presenters is to find ways to widen the sensory experience of a concert without losing depth or quality of sound.… Composers are writing choreography into their work, and chamber ensembles like Alarm Will Sound are adding stage directors to their roster…. Eighth Blackbird organized its first summer training camp for composers and chamber ensembles eager to expand the expressive dimensions of a performance.… During his tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert often encouraged the orchestra to bring more playfulness into its playing. The first was the deliciously rowdy semistaged performance of Ligeti’s ‘Le Grand Macabre’ in 2010…. During performances of Stravinsky’s ‘Petrushka’ in 2013, players stomped their feet, donned costumes and poured tea.”
Click here to read Symphony magazine’s Winter 2016 article about musicians performing from memory and with choreography.
Posted July 31, 2017
