Musicians can’t not make music. And when creative people, well, get creative, wonderful things can happen. What does an orchestra do when everyone has to stay home?
Watch the Toronto Symphony Orchestra play Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring.
Seeing this video made me think of a comment by artist Janet Cardiff, highlighted in my Virtual Choirs post. She said that visitors to her sound installation would frequently walk directly up to a speaker projecting a singer’s voice, something that you could not do with a live choir. The visitors literally got close to the music, hearing each singer’s voice in a way that you cannot do under normal circumstances. In the Toronto Symphony Orchestra video, you can see, frequently close up, each musician, a view that you cannot get, certainly at live performances, and even in recorded concerts. They are all wearing different clothing, you can see them as individuals. And there is something very warm in that.
I can only hope that the resourcefulness that is now being displayed during this crisis will not be forgotten once the crisis is past, and that we will find new ways to bring more music to more people in more venues, and find ways for musicians to be justly compensated for bringing their music directly to their listeners and viewers.
So, let’s hear some more music!
Here is an article from the CBC providing details on “6 cool classical concerts to watch right now.”
L’Orchestre symphonique de Montreal is streaming concerts from its archives every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:00PM ET (GMT -4).
At this link you can see the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra perform Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto and his Sixth Symphony “Pastorale”. It is a top-notch performance.
If you find great performances or live concerts I haven’t discovered, be sure to share them with everyone in the comments. Thanks!