A(tlanta)SO "Lord of the Rings"

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Doug@GT
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A(tlanta)SO "Lord of the Rings"

Post by Doug@GT »

The atlanta symphony is performing "The Lord of the Rings: a Symphony in six movements" tonight, through saturday at symphony hall. Full orchestra, chorus, gwinnett childrens choir, and Sissel, led by composer/conductor Howard Shore. I went to the first performance tonight, and all I can say is, "Wow." In fact, I'll be going back Saturday for the 2:00 performance. If you are in or near Atlanta, this is one concert not to be missed.

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Atlanta S.O.

Post by TubaRay »

This concert sounds like it will be great. Seems to me that this is the type of programming our modern orchestras need to consider in order to bring in modern audiences, and to survive into the future. If I were anywhere near Atlanta, I would certainly want to support the effort(and to hear the performance, as well).
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Doug@GT
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Re: Atlanta S.O.

Post by Doug@GT »

TubaRay wrote: Seems to me that this is the type of programming our modern orchestras need to consider in order to bring in modern audiences, and to survive into the future.
This first thing my dad pointed out in the lobby was "Different type of crowd for this one." I immediately thought of the Conan O'brien joke about the nerds pushing up their glasses, donning pocket protectors and yanking out calculators to watch this year's oscars. It wasn't quite that extreme, but were I'm normally one of the youngest audience members at an ASo concert, Thursday I was happily within the median age. And the hall was PACKED. Afterwards I remarked that this was probably the most enthusiastic audience response they've had all year. Especially after last year's HORRID "El Nino" by John Adams.

The remarkable thing is, this wan't by any means a "pops" concert. Seriously high quality music, and a lot of audience members who probably associate "going to a show" more with piercings and moshing than with violins and chorus.

I just hope the ASO will do the smart thing and commission a recording. Or at least a live DVD.

So, in short, yeah Ray I agree with you ;-)
"It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged."
~G.K. Chesterton
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Post by Dan Castillo »

I liked El Nino. It was very creative. I wasn't "HORRID" by any stretch of the imagination.
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Post by Tubadork »

wow,
I loved El nino, I think that John Adams is really amazing and I hope that some day he would write a tuba concerto (if you want to check out his concerto writing listen to the violin concerto). Or you know what as a community of tuba players let's ignore all of the major contemporary composers (especially the ones that WILL or already are going to be written down in the history books as a genuis) and have some no name comsposer write us another piece in which all of our musical coluegues would ask "Who?" when we told them who wrote is for us.
We should be going after people like Adams, Rouse, Schwantner, Danielpour, Glass, Boulez, Aaron Jay Kernis, George Crumb, Tan Dun, Gorecki, Joan Tower, Elliot Carter gosh, the list is endless and not necessarly going after "tuba composers" (people who write all of the time for tuba, not tuba players who are composers) all of the time. NOW, I am not suggesting that we become super snobs and not play a good piece only because it was not written by someone famous, BUT, I am suggesting that we should focus some of our collective energies on the future of our instrument. Imagine if Vaugn Williams or Hindemith had decided NOT to write for our great instrument.

with love and respect,
Bill Pritchard
(p.s. I'm going to try not to sprain my ankle on my way off this soapbox)
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Post by TonyZ »

Exactly!!! I would play a Corigliano Concerto in a second!
Tony Z.
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