Composition Matters

Roberto Sierra wrote :

“Robert, I believe that, as I have observed in all these years, conductors tend to be more appreciative of pieces that orchestra musicians appreciate and enjoy playing. I don’t think that this could be anything that can be planned, since it always happens in spontaneous ways.”

Absolutely right, and a variant of Chris’ thesis that orchestra musicians respond well to good pieces. Certainly that’s been our experience in Milwaukee with Roberto’s works; not only have we premiered a number of his pieces but several are pieces we play often for kiddie concerts.

Roberto also wrote:

“While many orchestra musicians like playing new works, there are those who do not, and this last group tend to be usually more vocal about their opinions. So, the ones more positively inclined should assume a more proactive posture.”

True enough, although I wonder why managements seem to pay so much attention to negative thinking. Perhaps orchestras could institute a version of the conductor evaluation process for new music and composers; that could provide a more balanced picture of the orchestra’s collective opinion.

Barbara Scowcroft wrote :

“Should the composers throw into their contracts specific guidelines for spending creative personal time with the orchestra during rehearsals, such as: question and answer, human interaction, etc?”

A really good idea. But not all composers will be interested. We’ve run across a few that seem to regard orchestra musicians as little more than instrument operators. Obviously those composers won’t be interested in personal interaction with factory workers, which doesn’t bother me, as they don’t deserve the benefits of such interactions.

One of the many reasons that Roberto’s music has been so successful in Milwaukee is the fact that he engaged in a great deal of such interaction while he was composer-in-residence here in Milwaukee.

Christopher Theofanides wrote :

“It is incumbent upon the players to literally insist that the programming committees of their orchestras not be a joke, but something which is taken seriously.”

Sadly, you’re preaching to the choir. The people that need to hear you are on the other side of the table.

Lastly, boeu-sur-le-toit wrote : [Moderator’s Note: Robert is responding to the original form of boeu-sur-le-toit’s comment. Since then, boeu-sur-le-toit has revised his comment; as such, some of the quotations below may not match the revised version]

“What distresses me the most in this discussion is the disdain of many orchestral musicians for their work, particularly when it involves new music. Don’t they realize it is a privilege to be an orchestral musician? To be the real-time, live communicative medium between artwork and audience, and to be paid a decent living for it? To perform new music that could change someone’s life?”

Where did this come from? I read no “disdain” from any of the orchestra musicians contributing to this discussion. Of course it’s a privilege to be an orchestra musician. It’s also a very frustrating line of work, at least some of the time. If Mr./Ms. boeu-sur-le-toit wishes to trash orchestra musicians, I’m sure there are other sites on the Internet more appropriate than this one.