The Blog
A COLLECTION OF RANDOM THOUGHTS ON OPERA, MUSIC & ART
April 20, 2019
A new model for classical music marketing?
A recent article by Doug Borwick in the Artsjournal.com newsletter caught my attention because of the research I have done on the problem of audience engagement in classical music. It is entitled Eureka! because of the simple but important observation that the article puts forth: orchestra and arts organization marketing is very self-focused, in opposition to other types of marketing, which is consumer (i.e. audience) focused. An exception that proves the rule is cited in the Austin Symphony’s marketing material, which features pictures of the audience enjoying the concerts, rather than pictures of musicians and conductors etc. It definitely made me wonder: what if orchestra marketers put the focus on the audience as music participants instead of just the folks on the stage? It seems like the old attitude of: “Classical Music is good for you, so you should really attend” or the “eat your vegetables” model of concert-going, might be in need of revision. Perhaps a model such as “Come hear exciting live music and have yourself a great experience” might be a way of re-framing the concert-going paradigm with the audience as co-musicmakers. The concert experience is not complete without an audience, and their presence and emotional reaction is critical to what we do as musicians. It is important to acknowledge this collaboration and not get stuck in a top-down, exclusive mind-set. We are not making music just for ourselves.
April 12, 2019
A Strong Case for Rhyming Opera Synopses: Opera Guyed
When I was given a copy of Opera Guyed some time ago by a fellow opera buff, it was a curious gift. First of all, it is a very old book, first published in 1923. And its title is a bit odd too, until you understand the book’s intention: it is both a spoof and an homage to the art of opera. The book gives pithy summaries of several standard repertoire opera plots such as Rigoletto, Tosca, Das Rheingold, etc. But it does so in verse - usually, but not always, humorous - sometimes written as if by a character from Guys and Dolls who had just seen an opera for the first time - but always somehow uncannily accurate. For instance, the book tells the final scene of Samson and Dalilah like this:
Then Samson grabbed the pillars of the temple on each side
And with a mighty push he sent the columns flying wide
The roof came tumbling on his head
The Philistines were all knocked dead
“Well that brought down the house,” he said,
And turned around and died.”
The other entries in the book are similarly tongue-in-cheek and irreverent (and often a product of 1920's humor). But it is important sometimes to appreciate and even celebrate the fact that opera plots are often rather ludicrous, especially to the layperson. It is the music that elevates these stories into art, of course. But a witty synopsis of a melodramatic opera plot can remind us to laugh at ourselves, and may even pique the curiosity of the non-operagoer. (The illustrations are also incredible.)