Thank you to everyone who attended tonight's concert on both sides of the proscenium. To the band, I constantly throw very challenging repertoire at you and it never ceases to amaze me how well you pull it all off! Both from a technical and musical standpoint, I consider tonight to have been a big success.
To the audience, thank you for supporting us. Your role in the concert experience is no less challenging than the musicians. where the musicians have six to eight weeks to get to know a work and come to an understanding of it, you get one shot! To digest something as complex as Chris Marshall's Renascence in one listen is a daunting task. I truly hope that you were moved by Mr. Marshall's brilliant writing and Jane and the band's outstanding playing.
I have to say that I was disappointed in tonight's turn out. I appreciate each and everyone who was there and had a chance to speak to many of you. If you have ideas on why tonight's attendance was atypically low or what you think would draw larger audiences, please let me know privately by emailing info@pswe.ca or commenting here on the blog. Comments to the blog can be made anonymously if you desire.
Our last performance of the season will be on May 10 and will include, among other things, Mussorgsky's great Pictures at an Exhibition. Encourage your friends to come out to a concert experience that you cannot get anywhere else!
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3 comments:
Marc, you say:
"I have to say that I was disappointed in tonight's turn out. ..... If you have ideas on why tonight's attendance was atypically low or what you think would draw larger audiences please let me know..."
I have an idea. Don't include the premiere of a seriously challenging work by a little known New Zealand composer. However, speaking as that composer, I am so grateful that you did. I guess it's easy for conductors to fulfill their bums on seats quota by cramming every programme with audience favourites. Thank you for your rare courage in yet again matching your spoken commitment to new music with action. Somehow it doesn't surprise me that PSWE is the first of the commissioning consortium of 36 bands to take the plunge. Being first takes guts.
Over the course of the next few months and years most of the remaining bands and possibly even more than that number from outside the consortium will follow your example. As you hinted, some new works benefit from such a 'performance history' before they can speak clearly to most listeners. Other new pieces remain as inaccessible and alien after 100 performances as they do at the premiere. I sincerely hope, well, I actually believe Renascence belongs in the first category.
I wish circumstances had allowed me to express my support for you, PSWE and Jane through my attendance at this important milestone in my career. All I can do is just extend heartfelt thanks to you all - and eagerly await sharing in your achievement via the recording.
Sincerely,
Christopher Marshall
THANK YOU CHRIS MARSHALL for saying what you did: that it takes courage and guts to program innovative and challenging repertoire... and not many groups in the world are willing or able to do that. I'm proud of our Music Directors for making these kinds of musical choices and keeping it fresh for players like me. Your encouragement is worth much- because as you can see, we can get caught up with beating ourselves up for "coulda woulda shoulda".
Many of us in the back row (of the band) commented on how your piece grew on us, and how we enjoyed playing it on concert night. And even listening to again on youtube!
Thanks for your note, Chris:
It is wonderful to hear your perspective on the commissioning/premiering process. I have to say that I can't take your advice, however. I think that the wonderful thing about the wind band at this moment in history is that it is the most vital and exciting instrumental large ensemble performing. It is the new works that you and others are writing that keep the concert from getting stale and predictable. Do I wish that there was a larger standard repertoire for this instrumentation? Sure. To a point. But isn't it the Wind Band's desire to grow and develop a repertoire that attracts you to the medium as well?
It excites me to build friendships with composers like yourself. To have done the Canadian premiere of Aue! a few years ago and to have followed your growth since has been wonderful. As much as I like Aue!, I think that Renascence and Resonance are on a different level. These are major works that I think will stand the test of time. In 50-100 years, people will be playing Marshall because it is vibrant music that touches people in a meaningful way. To have been here for the first performance and done our small part, is significant.
I hope that we continue to find like-minded people in Vancouver's Lower Mainland so that we can continue to do this important work.
Thanks for having faith in us.
Marc
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