A few months ago, I met Sean Watterson, co-owner of The Happy Dog, in the Gordon Square Arts District in Cleveland at a party thrown to raise awareness of the district. We chatted, and I realized that he presents musicians at the bar regularly. How about classical? He was game, and, thus, OMD was born.
I galvanized some colleagues from the orchestra: Frank Rosenwein, principal oboe, Amy Lee, associate concertmaster, Joanna Patterson, viola, and Charles Bernard, assistant principal cello to join me in an evening of chamber music at The Happy Dog. We called it an experiment. And it worked: there was a line out the door and up the block for most of our first set, there were lighters waved above heads, there was raucous cheering, there was an invitation to come back. And, there was a great article a few days later in The Plain Dealer.
On October 13, we did "The Second Mouvement." We were joined by a wonderful pianist, Christina Dahl. And this time, surprisingly, we had a preview featured dead center on The Plain Dealer's front page a couple of days before, coverage on NPR and in the New York Times, and a whole lot of classical-music-blogging. (There are a lot of these. See below for links.)
I wonder what has generated all of this excitement. As some of the writers have indicated, the idea's not really new: ClassicalRevolution chapters are popping up around the country, cellist Matt Haimovitz has been playing Bach to Penderecki in bars for a long time, and musicians used to do this sort of thing all the time in the 1800s. I'd be very interested in hearing any theories on where all this buzz is coming from...
Here's what's exciting for me: I think that people are more than ever eager to be engaged in process, not just product. Just think about the popularity of reality shows focused on behind-the-scenes, from Top Chef to Top Model. Or the ramping up of the slow food movement, which fosters an interest in where our food comes from- how it's grown, cared for, transported to us- and which, in turn, celebrates the experience of eating.
I love sharing what I do with people. And I love that I can do this in many ways. The concert hall experience is wonderful, and our orchestra is one of the best in the world. But bringing intimacy, connection, and, especially, awareness of how spontaneous and vital and alive classical music can be off the stage and into places where people least expect to engage with it might serve to draw people into the experience in a different way.
Thankfully, we've been very well received. And very well hosted. The staff at The Happy Dog is exemplary in making us (and their crowds of excited patrons) very comfortable. I'd love to do more of these. And I'd love to explore how and when and where to do others. In even more unusual places. Any ideas?
October 13 sets included selections from:
Ernst Dohnanyi String Trio
Shostakovich Second Piano Trio
Bartok/Arma Hungarian Peasant Suite for flute and piano
van Appledorn Incantations for oboe and piano
Brahms G Minor Piano Quartet
Ravel Tzigane
Corigliano Violin Sonata
Piazzola Le Grand Tango for viola and piano
Copland Duo for flute and piano
Bolcom Old Adam Rag
Hetu Trio for oboe, violin, and piano
Villa Lobos Jet Whistle for flute and cello
Casadesus Oboe Sonata
Fauré Aprés un Reve for viola and piano
Shostakovich Cello Sonata
Debussy/Samuzlieh Afternoon of a Faun for flute and piano
Handel/Halvorsen Passacaglia for violin and viola
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3 comments:
Glad you posted about this experience! Over at my blog, I've been doing a bit of tracking of this sort of thing. Most recently I wrote about a Classical Revolution chapter popping up in Madison, WI. There's an opera company in London doing it's shows in a bar too. I'll try to do a cross post about your experience later this week.
I'm really excited by this new "trend." Please keep us all informed of how this develops for you.
Thanks!
Grant Charles Chaput
@GCComposer
KillingClassicalMusic.com
This is a thoughtful and fun blog post. Not as fun as the actual Happy Dog experience, but a unique perspective from the stage looking out. Thank you for taking the time to share it.
What generates the excitement, you ask? I think it's simple: Today's networking.
Classical music is now more available through web sites like YouTube and it's very easy for people to pass the word on anything that interests them through email and links.
27,000,000 people have watched the Christmas Flash Mob sing Hallelujah at the Welland Seaway Mall! People who have an interest in almost anything can now find others who share it online. If someone likes Copland with their Biscuits & Gravy, there is probably a table full of others who would love to dine with them. :-)
I'm musically illiterate. In the past, I'd hear a classical piece I loved on some radio station that never bothered to mention the title of it. I had no way to learn more about it or purchase a recording. Now, I can track it down online. Example: I just saw "Out of Africa" for the first time (I know, I'm a procrastinator) and was reacquainted with a Mozart Clarinet Concerto. I waited to read the music credits at the end so I could find a slew of versions online along with all sorts of other information about it. Virtually anything I want to know about music, composers, performers, and music history is now no farther away than my keyboard.
In the past, classical music was lucky to get a tiny blurb in a newspaper to announce the date and time. Now, anyone interested can form their own web of sites/blogs/social media so they can stay informed about things that interest them. And then there's the mighty cell phone network to provide wonderful musicians like you with a "Flash Audience" at the drop of a tweet.
Happy New Year, Josh.
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