The orchestra begins playing. An attentive audience listens as the first sounds fill the concert hall. As the music unfolds, many audience members begin to drift away - thoughts of this and that float in and out as they lose the musical thread...
It is not their fault - the core problem is that the structures and musical logic of the classical repertoire, regardless of the musical era they inhabit, often remain opaque and even intimidating to many classical music lovers because nobody has ever explained to them how these pieces work. Illuminating a simple structure (for us musicians) such as a minuet and trio, or a sonata form first movement from a symphony can make the world of difference to the level of appreciation experienced by an audience member.
The key element is the LIVE orchestra - the talk is illustrated by live examples from the ensemble/whole orchestra as the talk unfolds. Being able to have the musicians demonstrate a first theme, a texture or a harmony transforms what could be an intellectual exercise into an inspiring experience. The results are amazing - feedback is overwhelmingly positive with audience members feeling included and enlightened and most importantly, more engaged.
As Music Director of the Torbay Symphony Orchestra I regularly present pre-performance talks as part of our programmes. More often than not, we spend 10 -15 minutes on the presentation with the orchestra providing examples, followed by a performance of the work. We do these for contemporary works which audiences generally find more problematic than say a Beethoven symphony, but we give these talks for lots of conventional repertoire too. (watch the video below which is on Beethoven's 7th symphony). There is also a YouTube video with a talk followed by a performance of Ligeti's Cello concerto which you can watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoMNahwUsSA
In 2023, the TSO won the Inspiration Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society not only for our performances but for our work in education and our engagement with our community. I believe that involving our local communities in our activities as musicians is of the utmost importance, and these talks achieve that aim in a very powerful way. Instead of a concert scenario where the audience just sit and listen, these talks make them feel included and informed - it can be a transformative experience.
I am available for pre-performance talks in the UK and Europe. I am a fluent and engaging speaker and very experienced at presenting these talks. As a conductor with many decades of experience I also bring a depth of knowledge of the Classical repertoire including modern and contemporary repertoire.
I am also happy to give other music directors the benefit of my experience so that they can incorporate this idea into their group's performances themselves.
Please contact me via the website contact form, via email at richard@richardgonski.co.uk or on +44 (0)7446909337
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