Breath of fresh air
In a recent piece for the Guardian conductor Charles Hazlewood discusses his motives for curating a series of unconventional orchestral performances on a farm field in England. Among them are a desire to foster inclusiveness and an attempt to expand possibilities for discovery, both often absent from symphonic settings. In Hazlewood’s view natural engagement between performers and listeners is essential:
It still amazes me how many musicians aren’t really interested in engaging with their audience at all. Music is communication, a two-way street. If I’m conducting several nights of an opera, the pace, colour and mood of each show will be directly affected by each evening’s audience. At every live event, there is a tangible relationship between the spectators and the artists, and so there should be.
A breath of fresh air indeed, and one I hope is already familiar to those of you who attend my performances.
Update: The Association of British Orchestras responded to Hazlewoods’ article on Twitter [@aborchestras] with some info of their own about other English orchestras exploring new audiences and modes of presentation. I say forget the bickering – bravo all around for these worthy efforts!
