Classical music: where technology meets tradition

 

By Julia Hudson 

An orchestra clad entirely inbright red, skinny trousers? While unexpected, the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America bounded onto the Albert Hall stage on Sunday night in anticipation of a thrilling concert. Dressed as teenagers, albeit clearly very talented ones, this slickly-branded new ensemble represents young people aged 16-19 from 42 states brought together for a summer school and tour, this year under the baton of Valery Gergiev and with soloist Joshua Bell.

Beginning with a commission by Sean Shepherd, the orchestra were disciplined and poised, traits which continued for Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Joshua Bell, who contributed a stunning performance. In Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony, however, while the young ensemble may have missed some of the dramatic subtlety and emotion of the composer, you felt their energy, drama and excitement instead. Two rows in front of me, in perfect complement, was a small boy. Perhaps ten years old, he was utterly entranced by the music, sitting forward in his seat and occasionally (and imperceptibly) whispering questions. His bouncing applause at the end of each half – not, unlike much of the audience, between movements – emphasised the sheer power of live music. With 120 players on stage and the promming circle full, the feeling of a shared experience is hard to escape. With cinema ticket prices rising (and certainly eclipsing the £5 promming tickets), there really is no reason not to join in and be a part of a nightly living performance.

Many venues are attempting to increase inclusivity and attract more young people to concerts, introducing schemes such as Glyndebourne’s Under 30’s scheme and English National Opera’s Opera Undressed (tagline: ‘Too pricey? Too pompous? Too posh?’). The former is a gift to young people – the unforgettable experience of dressing in black tie, sitting on a coach for hours and hours and combining your hastily-assembled picnic with stunning music, sets and some of the best seats in the house is a treat for all, without the prohibitive price tag. The latter seems almost unbearably condescending – come to the opera, they are saying, because you can wear jeans and drink beer in the bar. We young people don’t need to be patronised, just included, as Glyndebourne do so well.

This inclusion, to create another generation of culturally literate young people, is key. Concert-going is not just about hearing the notes any longer – we are surrounded by our Bose speaker systems and HD televisions. As with so many industries in this commercialised market, the artist or venue must consider their ‘brand’, their USP, and this starts with their red trousers and ends with champagne on the Glyndebourne lawns. Why buy a ticket? It becomes an immersive experience, and no-one is more aware of this than LSO St Luke’s, with their multi-sensory ‘Eclectica’ concerts, or the Bristol Proms, where no concert is just about the music. In both cases, although in different ways, the integration of technology into the concert-going experience is being tentatively explored. Techniques range from ‘tweet seats’ in some of the world’s leading venues to ‘digital hacks’, where media technologies are used to help the audience listen more actively and achieve a deeper understanding of the activities taking place in front of them. Of course, these ideas are only suitable in certain environments; Gergiev would not have taken kindly to a heat map of his various bodily positions. However, provided these innovations are being used to complement and explore rather than to subvert or distract, they undoubtedly open the world of classical music to a wider audience. The repeatedly full Albert Hall might suggest that there is no need for this, but in five years’ time, when the small boy in front is a teenager in a generation increasingly dependent on constant interaction and peer validation through technology and social media, it might just make his day if Joshua Bell gave him a retweet.

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