Random Monday: Phoenix Symphony Gets Serious, Inside Grant Park, and Civility to the Rescue

Random rumblings and ramblings.

• Taking social media seriously

  For any non-profit organization using social media, the old axiom of “build it and they will come” does not really apply anymore. The Internet is just too busy of a place to sit back and wait for things to happen. Eyes and hearts get easily distracted.In a positive step forward it appears that my hometown Phoenix Symphony Orchestra has engaged the services of a social media consultant. This is a good thing — they needed some help.

  Countless arts organizations have jumped on the social media bandwagon only to realize that it takes time and thought. It takes some skill to tie together all the multiple platforms into something meaningful.

  Examples like the local MyArtsCommunity.org experiment have shown that even the most noble of causes cannot succeed without good background knowledge and a sustained effort.

• Make love not war (a related tangent

  with operatic overtones)

  The PSO is already ahead of the curve of most orchestras its size in terms of its social media. One can only hope that this consultant firm will nudge things in a more positive direction.

  [Maybe they could adopt some great ideas like these.]

  For my own selfish interests (and those of my opera orchestra colleagues), I would love to see the PSO focus its attention on innovation and fund-raising, rather than on an opera orchestra hostile takeover.

  Most likely, if things had gone differently a few years ago this scenario might have been a reality this upcoming season.

  Worth noting is that the PSO and Arizona Opera performance calendars this season have only a few conflicts; the two schedules are, for all intents and purposes, practically symbiotic. In planning ahead for a potential takeover, these ducks needed to be lined up a few years in advance to assure that one set of musicians could cover both duties.

  In any case, a takeover might have turned out to be a mixed asset for the PSO. It would have pushed about 50 other independent local musicians out of work and most likely would have drawn the negative national spotlight on the PSO management — once again.

  We opera musicians can be a very noisy and well-organized bunch when motivated. Maybe some of that drama onstage rubs off on us.

  Might we look forward to a more enlightened future of mutual cooperation and less hostility between the symphony management and opera musicians? This is yet to be seen. One can only hope for the best.

• The inner workings of Grant Park

  Grant Park Music Festival Second Horn Neil Kimel , a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera, began playing with the ensemble as a regular member since 2000. In an interview by Drew McManus at Polyphonic.org he talks about his orchestra committee duties.

• Where’s the sizzle?

  In another clever twist of metaphor, Phil Collins makes an excellent argument for a balanced, flexible tone quality. Occasionally one hears about players that go to one extreme or another in pursuit of an ideal — almost monotone — sound concept.

A master painter uses a palette of many colors. Why paint everything with the same hue?

In the rush to go for the big sound, be careful not to sacrifice penetration potential, or “pokability”. Equipment can be geared for huge sound quality, and you can shoot for the richest, fattest, most beautiful, gorgeous, velvety sound possible. No problem with that, but make sure to keep it balanced.

A great sound must have its share of bright highs as well as dark lows and be able to travel farther than a few feet. So whatever your concept or equipment choices, remember you must be able to do it all: high and low with highs and lows.

Be able to wield the shot put and hurl the javelin.

• Civility in the face of adversity

  Composer Igor Stravinsky had quite the reputation as a very stoic conductor. From The New Statesman

  an article by David Attenborough, in an excerpt from his memoir, captures a classic Alan Civil moment.

  Stravinsky’s conducting of Firebird in the second half was electrifying. His craggy, aged face was immobile, but somehow radiated vigour and ferocity. At one point he gave a savage stab with his baton to cue a blast from the French horn. But it was two bars too soon. Alan Civil, the instrumentalist concerned, was too experienced to be fazed by this and remained silent.

  Stravinsky turned his eyes away from him. Two bars later, the notes came, correctly timed, from Civil’s horn and a transitory but grateful beam flitted across the composer’s face. It was, I think, his only change of facial expression throughout the piece.

• Why everything sucks

  Late Night Host Craig Ferguson explains it very well I think.

• This week @ the Horndog Blog
  A review of an excellent horn-related video channel, some Photoshop humor, a jaw-dropping live performance and some pretty pictures.