Last weekend I was able to attend a wonderful concert where I heard Chanticleer. If you are unfamiliar with this group, it is an all male ensemble consisting of only 12 voices. They have been called "an orchestra of voice," and they truly are. Sitting in the concert was an amazing feast for the ears. The harmonies produced by only 12 men was amazing. Many times you could hear lush harmonies that were so thick and complex that you wondered how they could ever tune the chord.
As an audience member you should know that Chanticleer is a group of classical singers and they do a wide range of music from Renaissance and Classical to Gospel and Contemporary. However, this group is the direct opposite of the Straight No Chaser. The first half of the concert that I attended was full of wonderful classical music and the second half was filled with classic holiday favorites. Overall a wonderful mixture for any lover of choral music.
When the concert was over, I had to rush out before the encore in order to get home to relieve the babysitter. This allowed me to walk out with an interesting group of people. I could tell that they went to frequent concerts and were very well educated individuals. However what happened next caught me off guard. When we entered the elevator they asked me if I enjoyed the concert and I said, Yes. They immediately said how disappointed they were with the concert. I could feel my jaw drop! WHAT! They concert was amazing. Not one note out of place. How could they feel this way? The conversation continued. "I thought this was suppose to be a holiday concert!" one man said. Another said, "They could have at least done something with the lighting." Yet another said, "I wanted more pieces that I knew. What about Jingle Bells and others like that."
Once I got to my car I started to think about all of their comments. Did they have a legitimate point or did they not know what kind of concert they were going too? I have come to the conclusion that it is a mixture of both. They were not too familiar with what kind of group Chanticleer was and since it was on the Carmel Center for the Performing Arts Holiday Concert series, they expected more holiday favorites.
In a world on instant gratification, fast paced media, and shows like Glee, The Sing Off, and The Voice where do we fit in? Is choral music being left behind or is it time to do a little face lift on choral music? Is it wrong to have some interesting staging and to change the lighting to highlight different pieces or to change the mood? As directors we also need to remember who our audience is and sometimes a piece of cake after eating the vegetables is not so bad.
I feel very torn on the subject. But as we look to the future of choral music I think a face lift may be just what we need to help keep it alive and interesting to the next generation.
Yes, times are changing and I'm certain they will change again. I think that music teachers agree that our duties include exposing students to music of all types. It's okay not to enjoy it - but it should be appreciated for what objective value it may have.
ReplyDeleteI recently attended a party which hosted a unique performance that included a modern, almost middle eastern, string performance. The violin was adorned with led lights and plugged into an amplifier. The performer was scantily clad while parading through a thick wash of neon glow. I did not know how to begin enjoying this performance. Later, I was asked my thoughts on the evening's entertainment. "It really wasn't interesting to me" I replied; to which I was asked: "Was she (the performer) not a good musician?" I hadn't really thought about it - she indeed was very talented. I was then reunited with the idea that my interest in music doesn't hold any merit to the quality of the performance.
What I mean to illustrate is this: I see no problem with allowing ourselves to change with the times just as long as we don't allow our preferences or those of listeners around us to monopolize our repertoire choices to the point that what we are limiting what we expose to our students.
Students need music and music is an evolving form. The very nature of evolution presumes that it will continue to do so. If you've ever been to the Field Museum's exhibit in Chicago "The Evolving Planet" you may have had the experience to understand how beautiful our lives have become by being allowed to see the development of our planet and it's species through time. In my opinion music isn't so different. So, give 'em what they want - but also give them what they deserve: the chance to appreciate music through exposure to all of it's beauty - past and present.