A useless fact that you may or may not want to know about me
is that I always read the Metro on my way to work in the morning. The majority
of this paper is fairly useless information that will make no difference to the
way I live my life. Sometimes, however, there a couple of little gems.
On Wednesday, in the section called Scene (Music, Film, TV
and Comedy), there was an article titled “Video games set to thrill harmonic”.
Despite the rather cheesy title, the article actually describes a new event
which fuses video gaming and a live orchestra. As a fan of both entities, this
is an extremely exciting venture. A great deal of music written for video games
is fantastic, and even warrants CD releases as its own entity (the LSO actually
recently recorded the soundtrack to The Final Fantasy series for symphony
orchestra).
Video Games Live will hit the UK this week before headlining
none other than the Royal Albert Hall next year. It is labelled as an
“immersive concert of scores from classic games, performed by a live
orchestra”. The orchestra will simply play one big medley of soundtracks from a
variety of different games, satisfying all types of gamers. It won't just be a
standard concert, though; Video Games Live will use a huge LED display snowing
sections of the games as the medley moves through the different soundtracks.
The show even boasts the opportunity for one lucky participant to play a game
live on stage, whilst the orchestra will follow their movements in real time.
For a gaming enthusiast, this will be an absolutely exhilarating experience;
logistically, it could be slightly challenging for the orchestra and conductor.
But that's not for us to worry about anyway.
In my opinion, the
most important aspect of this scheme is the attraction it will hold towards the
younger generation. Music education is, as ever, a huge problem; initiatives
such as the BBC's “Ten Pieces” are attacking this problem, with the majority of
their efforts concentrated on primary school education. An area that is perhaps
slightly neglected though is 14-19 year olds. A project such as Video Games
Live is arguably a perfect solution for a great number of those in this age
bracket. The vast majority of teenagers use video games, spending hours playing
them, and in turn listening to the music. Without them knowing, they have
become fans of the music; with Video Games Live, perhaps they will see
classical music in a better light than before!
With the ongoing battle with music education, initiatives
such as Video Games Live will no doubt make a difference. Granted, it isn't
Mozart and Beethoven, but it's a start; it's within the classical music genre
and could even inspire audience members to pick up the Violin. We must continue
to challenge the limits of classical concerts, without challenge, who knows
what could happen.
To find out more about Southern Sinfonia please visit our
website, Facebook or Twitter page.
I’ve been to a number of different concert halls across the country. Until moving down to London, they tended to be more northern cities, like Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester. More recently, now that I live in London, I have ventured out to a few of the capital’s concert venues.
Last week, Sir Simon Rattle criticised these venues, and laid his claim for a brand new concert hall for the capital. He labelled what is perhaps the best venue at present, The Barbican, as ‘serviceable’, stating how amazing the LSO could sound in a great concert hall. Perhaps his comments were deliberately timely, given that he is favoured to take up the LSO’s reigns after Gergiev leaves later this year. It has been said that he is very close to agreeing a contract with the London orchestra; however, if they don’t meet his request for a new venue, things may change.
None other than the Chancellor, George Osborne, supported Rattle in his request. In partnership with the mayor, he has announced an official viability study into the possibility of a new concert hall for London. Osborne states the ‘significant artistic, educational and economic benefits that a modern concert hall would bring not just London but the whole country.’ He is probably not wrong in saying this; a new state-of-the-art concert hall would benefit those who already attend concerts, but surely it has to have other uses too? Nicholas Kenyon and Kathryn McDowell, managing directors of the Barbican and LSO were quoted in referring to a ‘state of the art performance and education facility for the digital age’. Knowing that two leading figures in the development of whatever this turns out to be feel this way is extremely positive.
With the huge cutbacks and devaluation to music education in recent years, education must be kept at the heart of this new project. I can see the huge potential benefits a brilliant new concert hall would have on myself and other classical music lovers (we are now one of the few remaining European capital cities without a ground-breaking facility). I fear, however, that if the hall isn’t a multi-use facility, we could further alienate the problem of music education. It could also further enhance the problem of diversity amongst audiences. If the powers that be create a venue with a ridiculous budget, that therefore ensured ticket prices were through the roof, it would only make those with less money attend even fewer concerts. Isn’t that the opposite of what we are all trying to do?
So, what is the solution? I do agree that a new concert hall would be fantastic for London. I personally can’t really see how it would benefit the whole country, though, and do have my fears as addressed above. Having Sir Simon Rattle conduct the LSO is an exciting prospect, especially given the amount of positive change he has inflicted on the Berlin Philharmonic. It would be a huge project though, with a huge budget, the majority of which would come from the Arts Council, no doubt, an organisation already making mass cutbacks; could they afford it? All that said, wouldn’t it be great to have our own ‘Philharmonie de Londres’? A state-of-the-art facility that not only addressed London’s lack of a concert hall with brilliant acoustics, but also had education at its core.
Don't forget you can buy tickets for our March concert ‘Classical Celebration II’ by visiting our events page or the main Corn Exchange website.
To find out more about Southern Sinfonia please visit our website, Facebook or Twitter page.
I love a good finale, who doesn’t? Writing one is a real art, in my opinion. To try and end what is sometimes close to an hour’s worth of music in 5-10 minutes is no mean feat. Below is a list of what I believe to be the top ten finales in classical music. Anyway, enjoy!
Beethoven - Symphony no. 5, movement IV
performed by Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic
“It’s ended…no it hasn’t…yes it has…no, off it goes again.” The thought
process when listening to arguably one of Beethoven’s most popular works is
something like that, anyway. This is a great example of the mastery of
Beethoven’s art; just when you think it’s all over, he recapitulates the theme
in another different way. This, accompanied with the “tonic, dominant”
repetition in the final bars show just what a finale can be; a whole lot of
fun. Bernstein’s conducting here is fascinating to watch – arms flailing
everywhere, but control second to none.
Mahler - Symphony no. 8, Alles Vergängliche
performed by Sir Simon Rattle, National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus, London Symphony Chorus, Toronto Children's Chorus, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
This was actually
one of the first pieces of classical music I listened to. My best friend at
school showed me this exact video; we plugged it into his dad’s speakers and
turned it up to full volume. I don’t think it will ever stop amazing me when I
listen to it. To go from the extremely quiet tranquillity to earth-shatteringly
loud in the space of 5 minutes is madness; it is just incredible.
Strauss - Im Abendrot from Four Last Songs
performed by Jessye Norman, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Orchestre de la Suisse
One of two peaceful and quiet finales I’ve chosen on the list. Jessye
Norman must have been born to sing this famous song cycle. The final movement
is absolute emotional heartbreak tinged with a reflective feel. When sung like
this, I can’t think of many other pieces as beautiful.
Shostakovich - Symphony no. 5, movement IV
performed by Leonard Bernstein the New York Philharmonic Orchestra
I saw this piece performed at
the BBC Proms back when I was about 16. Unfortunately it wasn’t Bernstein and
the New York Phil that day, but it certainly blew me away. Tinged with irony
against the Soviet government; you can almost hear Shostakovich laughing to
himself as those endless high A’s go on and on. The variety of speeds used by
conductors for the end of the finale is astounding. I chose this Bernstein
recording mainly because of the slowing down in tempo right at the end. So
emphatic.
Mahler - Symphony no. 9, movement IV
performed by Sir Roger Norrington the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
(nb. movement IV starts at 54:40 on the video)
The finale of Mahler’s final completed symphony ends in utter tragedy.
As the final chord dies away with the direction “ersterbend” (dying), you can
hear the cataclysmic death Mahler is trying to portray. It couldn’t be further
away from the other emphatic finales listed here, but it still makes my list of
favourites. One of the most emotional pieces of music I have ever listened to,
our Patron does a wonderful job here with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony
orchestra.
Shostakovich - Symphony no. 6, movement III
performed by Valery Gergiev and the Orchestra of Theatre Mariinsky
(nb. movement III starts at 25:55)
Yes, I know, another Shostakovich…I only discovered this last September
and haven’t stopped listening since. Such an exciting finale to what is a rather
solemn, contemplative symphony in the opening two movements. Gergiev takes it
at the quickest tempo I’ve heard here; as a flautist I do feel for them
slightly!
Sibelius - Symphony no. 2, movement IV
performed by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra
(nb. movement IV starts at 28:25)
As the dramatic climax of the third movement merges into the grandioso
finale, a typically heroic Sibelius theme enters and pure music glory is heard.
As the longest extract shown here, the absolute beauty continues for nearly 15
minutes. It is one of those pieces that you just want to carry on past the end.
The heroic theme returns again right at the end played by emphatic trumpets -
classical music perfection.
Respighi - Roman Festivals, part 4
performed by Vasily Petrenko and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
I only came across this piece last summer at the Proms as part of the
Roman Trilogy (Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome and Roman Festivals). The
finale of this piece is in some ways indescribable. Presented here by the NYO
and Vasily Petrenko, it is absolute pandemonium from start to finish. Just when
you think it’s about to end, suddenly it kicks off in a different direction. An
electrifying piece to see live and an army of percussionists needed.
Tchaikovsky - Act IV, finale
performed by the Royal Swedish Ballet
What do I need to say about this? Dramatic, emphatic and beautiful all
mixed into one.
Stravinsky - Firebird, finale
performed by Valery Gergiev and the Vienna Philharmonic
(nb. finale starts at 41.30)
I really had to include this, didn’t I? This particular recording by
Gergiev and the Vienna Philharmonic is truly something to behold. Gergiev’s
control of those final brass chords is astonishing, they hit you like a wall of
sound. The most special aspect of this particular recording, though, is the
final chord. I’m not sure I knew an orchestra could keep getting louder as they
do here; Gergiev only uses his eyebrows to gesture to the bass drum player to
get louder, I wish I had powerful eyebrows…
So there we have it. I am certain that you will all have
your own preferences and favourites, just as I am sure you will disagree with a
lot of my choices. But that is the wonderful thing about classical music,
everyone has their own opinion on what is “the best”, but there really is
something for everyone.Please do
comment below with your ideas and opinions, it would be great to hear what you
think. Maybe yours will be less biased towards Shostakovich and Mahler…
I am 21, a classical music lover and have been for about 6 years now. I can still remember the first ever classical CD I bought; it was Shostakovich's Symphony no. 5 with Festive Overture on it, too. It's recorded by the Philharmonia Orchestra with Vladimir Ashkenazy holding the baton. It has always remained as one of my favourite ever recordings, perhaps purely because it was the first I bought. For the couple of years after this, I continued to buy a few CD's, namely a number of box sets that were extremely good value on Amazon. Obviously as I was only 16-17, I didn't have a great deal of money so these purchases were very limited.
For the past 4 years, though, I have almost only used online streaming to listen to classical music. I currently use Spotify, and pay £9.99/month. I chose this particular deal because it offers me unlimited use of their entire catalogue of music; this consists of over 30 million songs, with 20,000 new songs added each day. An extremely impressive catalogue, I'm sure you will agree, which was one of the reasons for choosing this service over others.
There is a wide array of different recordings of classical pieces, which makes finding something very easy. The difficulty, however, is finding a specific recording; this provides a bit of a problem when looking for a recording by a certain conductor, for example. An issue with having so many different recordings, though, is the difference in quality between some. With Spotify not being a dedicated classical music service, some recordings that creep on to their catalogue are slightly below par. Although search results are listed in popularity, it is sometimes difficult to find a really good recording without having previous knowledge of the orchestra or conductor to look for.
The overriding factor that becomes clear when describing streaming services is the simplicity of the system. At the click of a button I could have thousands of recordings of Bach's toccata and fugue in D minor at my fingertips. This, I feel, is what really sets it apart from the diminishing collection of CDs available. A sad moment for classical CD collections in shops was the closure of HMV's Oxford Street store. There, one could go into a large, dedicated room full of classical CDs, away from the other genres; Although something of the past, this was quite unique. Not only is there such a huge selection of recordings available online, there are now services such as Qobuz which offer recordings at better quality than a CD can offer. It is unsurprising, therefore, that more and more people are moving into the online cloud.
With this in mind, are we seeing the start of a long road to the end of CDs? In the classical genre, many people have there own personal favourite recordings, all extremely specific and sometimes very rare; will there ever be a time when an online catalogue has every recording in existence? A very high number of classical music lovers still have huge collections of CDs, which may spark memories of past performances or concerts; it is not clear whether an online collection could offer the same. I will still continue to use an online streaming service, but will also buy CDs. The satisfaction of a box set of the entire collection of Tchaikovsky's orchestral works is still too much to resist.
Happy New Year from everyone at Southern Sinfonia, you can find out what we have planned for 2015 by visiting our website. You can also contact us through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
From my previous blog posts, you have probably
ascertained that I feel rather strongly about audiences in the concert hall, in
particular young children. In writing about this once again, I am running the
risk of repeating myself and sounding like a broken record. However, I'm afraid
I just couldn't resist writing about this particular topic this week...
Reverberating
through the classical music world this week was a concert at the Royal Festival
Hall. The concert, dubbed 'The Legend Returns', was performed by violin legend
Kyung Wha Chung. As the rather self-assured title suggests, this was her big
comeback concert after 12 years away from the performing stage. Reviews were
very positive about her performance, stating that she “gave a recital in which
every note was brim-full of her impetuous, intense personality”.
The focus
point of all articles about the concert, however, was not so positive. Kyung
had just finished one movement of a sonata and, as with every classical concert
that has ever happened, and ever will happen, a cacophony of coughs began to
ring around the hall. This then led to cause amusement amongst some of the
audience, who had a light chuckle. Unfortunately one young girl had a prolonged
tickle in her throat. We've all had this feeling, where you just can't stop
yourself from coughing, it's not a nice feeling. The remedy is simple; cough
more.
Now, Kyung took particular offence to this innocent young girl and
decided to shout something from the stage.
“Come back when you're older”.
I'm
not quite sure where to start in response to this quote. As a professional
musician, it is surely one of Kyung's responsibilities to actively ensure that
all of her audience feel comfortable when at her concerts, especially young
children. Also, after 12 years away, would you not just be grateful to have a
full audience of 3,000 people? Whether they are young, old, animal or human,
they all paid for their seat and made an effort to see her.
Kyung wrote an
article on the Guardian in response to the criticism she received. Perhaps
understandably, she began by commenting how classical music is still most
definitely 'alive' in the 21st century. This is true, and it has been shown by
the amount of national press this event has seen, despite it being negative.
However, for Kyung to then go on to say how she still believed the child
shouldn't have been at the concert was beyond me; as were her comments about
the ways in which we should listen to classical music in the concert hall.
Kyung
believes that listening should be done in complete silence with no noise at
all, as this is the only way to truly appreciate the beauty of what is being
played in front of you. What she doesn't seem to understand, however, is that
this is completely unnatural. Again, as I mentioned in my previous blog, I am
certainly not suggesting that we should all make noise constantly through a
performance. What I do believe though, is that we should all feel comfortable.
Feeling uncomfortable at a concert will not lead to a positive listening
experience. Kyung suggests that we need to educate young people on “the art of
true listening”, also stating that children should only attend “children's
concerts”. Is this not completely alienating them from the real classical music
world? In doing so are we not further enhancing the pre-conceived ideas many
people have about classical music concerts? It is not healthy.
This is
actually my final blog post of the year, and it is a shame to have to finish on
a negative story in the classical music world. However, it has to be said that
Southern Sinfonia do not feel the same way as Kyung. We want as many young
children as possible to come to our concerts; we actively encourage and
strongly believe that everyone has the right to experience musical excellence.
I can't wait for 2015 to start so we can show our beliefs through the many
exciting projects we have got coming up.
It’s been an extremely busy
month for us here at Southern Sinfonia; our Birthday concert on 31st October
in Newbury, two concerts on 8th November in Wells and Romsey, another on 22nd November
in Bath and then finally tomorrow evening back in Newbury. Phew! With it being
the 100th anniversary since the start of the First World War, a
lot of music performed in these concerts commemorated those who lost their
lives.
A few of the pieces chosen
have cropped up more than once. One that has recurred twice, in Romsey and in
Bath, was Dona Nobis Pacem by Vaughan Williams. Translated as “give us peace”,
the composer uses the phrase along with American poet Walt Whitman’s poem,
Dirge For Two Veterans. The piece is extremely atmospheric, with the title
frequently set to a haunting semi-tone fall. The final moments of the piece are
given to the solo soprano who sings the semi-tone fall gradually lower and
lower, dying away to pianissimo. When performed in venues like Romsey
Abbey and Bath Abbey, the haunting feeling is accentuated; “give us peace”
sounds like a strong heartfelt plea from soldiers on the frontline during the
First World War.
Another piece that has
occurred twice is Edward Elgar’s The Spirit of England, more specifically the
final movement “For the Fallen”. Elgar was reportedly extremely affected by the
events of World War One. His good friend, Sir Sidney Colvin, suggested that the
composer set music to the poems by renowned war poet Lawrence Binyon. In a
similar way to the aforementioned Vaughan Williams, the music and text evokes
strong imagery from the battlefield. The text used is particularly striking in
its solemnity. This is interesting given that the piece was premiered in 1917
when the public would perhaps have been expecting something rousing to raise
their spirits during an awful time in their lives. Instead, they were presented
with something of a remembrance; an elegy of those who had already fallen, and
those who continued to fall in the war.
They shall grow not old, as
we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn,
At the going down of the
sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Music is such a powerful
tool for evoking past memories. They can be in the form of people, places,
events; I would go so far as to say that music could evoke memories of
anything. But music that is used as a tool of remembrance for those who have
died in the war is extremely poignant. The Last Post is perhaps the most
striking pieces of music in this sense. Such a simple melody based on only
harmonics, albeit extremely difficult to play, is heard at remembrance
ceremonies and services all across the country. I travelled to see the poppies
at the Tower of London a couple of weeks ago, as many of you may have done too.
When I was there, a guardsman started playing the last post just as the sun was
setting; everyone around me, of which there were huge crowds, fell silent. It
really struck a chord with me, and demonstrated just how powerful music can be.
We have been extremely
lucky to be able to perform music like this in venues as beautiful as Romsey
and Bath Abbey. The Choral Societies did a fantastic job putting concerts on,
with healthy audiences too. Long may music continue to evoke powerful memories
for us all.
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I'm a flautist, in case you didn't know. As part of the woodwind family, we don't tend to mix too much with other instrument sections, let alone become friends with them. In fact, I actually lived with a cornet player at University; he played his instrument a lot, and on numerous occasions paraded around the first floor blasting out a rather average version of William Tell when we were all trying to sleep. As you can probably tell, they aren't my favourites, brass players...
It may seem unusual, then, that I am actually writing this blog about brass. Next Friday 21st, we have our final cafe concert of the Autumn series. Involving regular members of the brass section of the orchestra, the concert is a continuation of the popular 'Secrets of the Orchestra' series. 'Brass Unwrapped' will showcase the main four instruments of the orchestral brass section – trumpet, horn, trombone and tuba. In the chamber music repertoire that Southern Sinfonia regularly play, it is rare that we see the brass section in this sort of setting. Usually, they have been tucked away behind a pillar (ahem...because they play too loudly...ahem) due to space restrictions, or because they just aren't involved.
Despite my slightly less favourable feelings towards the brass instruments, this concert will be a fantastic experience. To see any sort of event in which a professional musician showcases their talents is a pleasure, and this will be no different. Whether you are young or old, it will no doubt be fascinating to learn new facts about the brass family. I am a firm believer that we should constantly continue to learn throughout our lives, and this is a perfect example of an event that is accessible for all.
We have 80 school children coming along next Friday. As an orchestra who prides itself on our work in education, it was music to our ears when the school expressed interest in coming along. What an experience it will be for them, too, given that the majority of them have been recently learning the trumpet! Hearing that year 3 pupils have been learning a new instrument, and are obviously keen to come and learn more about it, is very pleasing to hear on a personal level. I wish I had had the opportunity to be inspired at such a young age by an event such as this; I never really experienced music in this setting at all and only continued through a genuine passion.
In light of these school children who are obviously so eager to be involved in music, it was upsetting to see the Education Secretary's comments this past week about music and the arts. Nicky Morgan warned pupils that choosing to study arts subjects at school “could hold them back for the rest of their lives.” Nonsense. The recent success of the BBC Ten Pieces initiative has shown just how many children want to be involved with music; how far are they going to be able to continue this interest if our Education Secretary says things like this?
Southern Sinfonia will always to be committed to Education. No matter what anyone else says, the huge success of our Education projects have shown us that children want to learn. The concert next Friday is a chance for not only the young children, but for all of us to learn. Let's just hope the trumpet player doesn't send for the cavalry with William Tell, because a few of those angry thoughts may creep back in to my head...
By Richard Brewer 
