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By Julia Hudson
Reading this excellent Gramophone blog article over breakfast last week, I found myself agreeing and arguing in equal measure.
It is evident that the arts, both in terms of funding and geographical density,
are overflowing in London and sadly lacking in parts of the country. “There are seven full-time symphony orchestras
in the capital if you include those resident at the two opera houses and there’s
always been debate about whether that’s too many”. While I couldn’t help jumping up and down at their
attestation that there was no professional symphony
orchestra “in the whole of
Somerset, Devon and Cornwall…you’re lucky if there’s one concert performance
from a professional symphony orchestra in a year”, I had to admit that they are
technically correct. However, we are a professional chamber orchestra, and regularly perform sizeable concerts across the south of England, with six performances in the above counties already confirmed in this season alone.
I wonder why this dearth is
there? Some of the comments on Andrew Mellor’s article mention programming; are
London audiences more knowledgeable, and thus can cope with more inventive,
unusual programming? From my knowledge of our audiences, I think this is
unfair; everyone likes to hear a piece they know, but paired with something new
and challenging (a common Proms formula). This way, they are comforted and
tested in equal measure, as we did in our most recent subscription concert,
pairing lovely Brahms 4 with movements from edgy Britten concertos.
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I think we are nearing the
point, however, here: “the
five concert-giving London symphony orchestras increasingly manoeuvre
themselves into brand-aware niches catering for the ‘pic n mix’ London
concertgoer”. This week I found myself at the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment’s ‘Night Shift’ at 10pm, gin and tonic in hand, as the players
explained their way through each movement of Beethoven’s 8th
Symphony, prompted by Alastair Appleton. Lovely as it was to see some familiar
players’ faces in a London setting, as I collected my free branded Oyster card
holder I felt that it had been a fun, new concert-going experience but that I
had, ultimately, been distracted from really comprehending a new piece of
music. However, I don’t think the answer is for regional orchestras to trot out
the same repertoire and shy away from inventive concepts and programming,
especially given that “there’s no longer a quality gap separating London
orchestras from their regional counterparts.” With the breadth of activity Southern
Sinfonia undertakes, ranging from jazz to educational work to Baroque continuo to
al fresco opera, we are living proof that there is scope for progression
outside the capital (if we only had the funding to make the most of it).
On a
happier note, and because I can’t avoid it any longer, the festive season is
approaching, and with it an annual renewed appreciation for music. With Handel’s
‘Messiah’ emanating from so many churches and concert halls around the country
(many played by us) and Christmas carols drifting around street corners (this
year sung by us, excitingly!), everyone will get a taste of classical music,
whether they choose to or not. How can we capitalise on this, and maintain this
level of pervasiveness? Is it by offering a badge and a DJ set with your dose
of Beethoven, or is it purely by increasing the available quantity (taking
quality as a given) of classical music, particularly outside of London? If
funding was more widely spread, ticket prices could be kept low and more artistic
risks could be taken, broadening the audience base and demographic and, in
turn, strengthening the position of existing organisations. As well as the
orchestras, “the real winners, of course, would be those south western
taxpayers who enjoy live classical music (apparently more than anyone else) and
crave a notable local institution to be proud of.”
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If you would like to come and hear us sing carols in aid of this appeal, please join us in Newbury town centre on Thursday 5th and Thursday 19th December.
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