Had a concert with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra last week where we played Ligeti's Atmospheres, Gerald Finzi's Dies Natalis, and Holst's The Planets. Yours truly gave a pre-concert talk on the Ligeti (with PowerPoint and everything) that people seemed to enjoy--more on this later. Our own Karl Dent was the soloist in the Finzi, and the Lubbock Youth Symphony Orchestra was side-by-side with us on the Holst.
As usual, we got a standing ovation after the Finzi. By we, I'm not sure who I mean--Karl Dent, the Lubbock Symphony--someone. After The Planets we got a standing ovation. By we I mean the Lubbock Youth Symphony and the Lubbock Symphony. Nothing after the Ligeti--we basically had to tell them it was over on Friday night. The word on the street, though, was that people actually liked the Ligeti better than the Holst, which some found to be too long and unfamiliar (!).*
All this on the heels of a post by Michael Hovnanian, a bassist in an unnamed orchestra in a large, midwestern city, I got to thinking again about standing ovations (I think I may have written about them before on here, but I don't feel like looking it up). Hovnanian suggests--and I agree--that orchestra members might relish the occasional "boo." I think I might too. Or at least just polite applause if the thing simply wasn't that good. I don't take it personally. Maybe you didn't like the soloist, or the interpretation, or the piece, or my errant pizzicato during what should have been a grand pause. Please don't just leap to your feet because that's what you think we want. If you really liked it, great--feel free to stand, whistle, holler, whatever. If you didn't, that's fine too. Don't be afraid to let us know. The standing ovation, I think, has lost its power.
*The strong positive reaction to the Ligeti was no doubt a direct result of my eloquent pre-concert lecture.
As usual, we got a standing ovation after the Finzi. By we, I'm not sure who I mean--Karl Dent, the Lubbock Symphony--someone. After The Planets we got a standing ovation. By we I mean the Lubbock Youth Symphony and the Lubbock Symphony. Nothing after the Ligeti--we basically had to tell them it was over on Friday night. The word on the street, though, was that people actually liked the Ligeti better than the Holst, which some found to be too long and unfamiliar (!).*
All this on the heels of a post by Michael Hovnanian, a bassist in an unnamed orchestra in a large, midwestern city, I got to thinking again about standing ovations (I think I may have written about them before on here, but I don't feel like looking it up). Hovnanian suggests--and I agree--that orchestra members might relish the occasional "boo." I think I might too. Or at least just polite applause if the thing simply wasn't that good. I don't take it personally. Maybe you didn't like the soloist, or the interpretation, or the piece, or my errant pizzicato during what should have been a grand pause. Please don't just leap to your feet because that's what you think we want. If you really liked it, great--feel free to stand, whistle, holler, whatever. If you didn't, that's fine too. Don't be afraid to let us know. The standing ovation, I think, has lost its power.
*The strong positive reaction to the Ligeti was no doubt a direct result of my eloquent pre-concert lecture.