Last week I began a discussion about what it takes to produce an Orchestra Kentucky concert. I began with a behind-the-scenes look at programming. Today, I turn to how I select the music that the orchestra performs.
Most orchestras are caught in a formula that has been used since the dawn of man (well, at least since the beginning of the last century). The concert opens with an overture, continues with a concerto, and ends with a symphony or other large work. Usually, there is nothing but the whim of the conductor to tie the program together.
I prefer a model created by Arthur Fiedler, famed conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. He divided his concerts between classical--both light and heavier works--and pops. As a result, he garnered a generation of new classical music fans.
So, my concerts are typically half classical and half pops. However, I don't randomly select music from each category. I've found that a theme of some sort provides the glue to make the program more than a random selection of my favorite tunes. The theme also helps create a marketing opportunity for the concert. After all, without a REAL theme, orchestras are forced to choose such "meaningful" themes as Great Romantic Classics. That one really makes you want to call for tickets!
Programming is the favorite part of my job. Once a theme is chosen, I begin the process of searching my memory, and other resources, for the perfect compositions that fit the theme. I always keep the audience in mind. I try to choose familiar classical works and also choose unfamiliar works to broaden their concert experience.
By way of example, several years ago I featured soloist Tim King on a concert. The concert title became Fit for a King. We ended up doing a movement of Haydn's Emperor quartet with the full string section, Music from the Royal Fireworks of Handel, and Strauss' Emperor Waltz. Tim sang Can You Feel the Love Tonight from Lion King, and My Way, The King's (Elvis') hit tune.
I'm not saying this is the only way to program. But it has worked well for me. The only down side is some of the criticism I receive. They say that Orchestra Kentucky is a pops orchestra. It's funny because if you look at a season of programming, we do just as much, if not more, classical music. And, although our concerts are sometimes all pop, they are sometimes all classical (case in point, The Planets). Orchestra Kentucky represents the listening habits of Americans. How many of us have only one genre of music in our CD collections (or on our iPods)? How many of us listen to ONLY one radio station? Orchestra Kentucky programs realize this and attempts to offer the variety that listeners enjoy. This approach also introduces the classics to people who would ordinarily not be caught dead in a concert hall. Isn't it better to play less classical music if more people hear it?
Tomorrow we will turn to the music librarian's job and how musicians prepare for a concert.
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