a slightly more active culture
Jul. 9th, 2012 12:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
twoelevenmy main local source of culture, the delaware symphony orchestra, is in bad shape. about a month ago, they abruptly suspended (read: "canceled") their 2012-2013 season, because they weren't gonna be able to meet payroll. the announcement was so abrupt that the musicians didn't get any warning before the public pronouncement, and -- having checked -- nobody in the usual high-culture grapevine knew either.
now, things are looking up: they have a bit of money and part of a plan:
source: [french-named] Co. money to revive Delaware Symphony Orchestra's chamber series (will disappear behind a paywall soon.)
i like chamber music, so the season is salvaged AFAIAC. i do wonder if they'll try for more popular (read: "cost effective") works, such as vivaldi's "the four seasons", the other three brandenburg concerti, or beethoven's string quartets. the last are popular among the music-snob crowd, and if they're paying only four musicians, the maximum plausible ticket-sales/salary ratio is pretty high.
maestro amado's point about less complex works is well-taken on that score. the DSO staged two within the last few years: orff's "carmina burana" and beethoven's "ninth symphony". both require an augmented orchestra and a large chorus, and the "carmina burana" also needs a full children's chorus. both sold out pretty quickly, but the cost of 200-300 musicians and singers is astronomical. even given the larger venue, there's no way they can do better at ticket-sales/salary than a quartet, and would have difficulty matching the cost-effectiveness of the 11-piece ensemble that performed the brandenburgs we saw.
i was surprised, tho, at the cost of works still under copyright. are the composers/publishers really so greedy as to price themselves out of the small market for their works? dïe überblönde thinks it may just be the cost of printing up all the copyrighted scores, but still, they could be sold as a package.
naetheless, it looks like the DSO will limp ahead for another year. i'm curious to see what sort of season we'll end up with, since chamber music won't pay anybody's annual salary.
now, things are looking up: they have a bit of money and part of a plan:
While the Delaware Symphony Orchestra continues to weigh its financial future, [french-named] Co. has kicked in money to revive the DSO’s chamber series at the Hotel [french name] and Music Director David Amado is proposing a scaled-down season that cuts the programming budget by more than half.
Last month, the symphony announced the suspension of its 2012-2013 season because it had exhausted its operational funds. Executive Director Lee Williamson, who had started in March, also resigned last month, explaining that she wanted to give the symphony time to regroup.
Among Amado’s suggestions: Cut big-budget productions such as Ravel’s “Daphnis and Chloe,” which involves the full orchestra plus a dozen extra contracted musicians. Similarly, contemporary works are particularly expensive due to copyright issues. Instead, focus on 18th century and mid-19th century compositions that involve fewer musicians and less rehearsal time, such as the originally planned Brahms’ “Symphony No. 2.”
...
source: [french-named] Co. money to revive Delaware Symphony Orchestra's chamber series (will disappear behind a paywall soon.)
i like chamber music, so the season is salvaged AFAIAC. i do wonder if they'll try for more popular (read: "cost effective") works, such as vivaldi's "the four seasons", the other three brandenburg concerti, or beethoven's string quartets. the last are popular among the music-snob crowd, and if they're paying only four musicians, the maximum plausible ticket-sales/salary ratio is pretty high.
maestro amado's point about less complex works is well-taken on that score. the DSO staged two within the last few years: orff's "carmina burana" and beethoven's "ninth symphony". both require an augmented orchestra and a large chorus, and the "carmina burana" also needs a full children's chorus. both sold out pretty quickly, but the cost of 200-300 musicians and singers is astronomical. even given the larger venue, there's no way they can do better at ticket-sales/salary than a quartet, and would have difficulty matching the cost-effectiveness of the 11-piece ensemble that performed the brandenburgs we saw.
i was surprised, tho, at the cost of works still under copyright. are the composers/publishers really so greedy as to price themselves out of the small market for their works? dïe überblönde thinks it may just be the cost of printing up all the copyrighted scores, but still, they could be sold as a package.
naetheless, it looks like the DSO will limp ahead for another year. i'm curious to see what sort of season we'll end up with, since chamber music won't pay anybody's annual salary.