From: "alexander inglis" <alexander.inglis@canrem.com>
Subject: news: pavarotti booed out
Reply-To: "alexander inglis" <alexander.inglis@canrem.com>
Organization: Canada Remote Systems
Distribution: rec
Date: 15 Dec 92 00:52:13 EST

PH>> In article <1992Dec11.162515.27597#viewlogic.com> brad@buck.viewlogic.com
  >> >
  >> >I have never been extremely impressed with Pavarotti. I became convinced
  >> >several years ago that his really good singing is only when he does it
  >> >sotto voce. However, in spite of my less than rave review, I think it
  >> >extremely boorish of the audience to behave that way.
  >  I agree ...there was a tenor name wunderlich...that died just before his

Ah! You mean La Fritz! He really was a splendid voice that I've known
only on disk (died in an airport, I think, about 1966). There is some
extant Schubert lieder and Mozart opera (Tamino in Magic Flute) on DGG.

  >    Now in this country we may be more polite and put up with a lot more be-
  >fore we act that way but he  cannot make a mistake at La Scala.
  >    The number of people in an american audience that would know the materia
  >as well, are way in the minority. The euros do many things in their entertai

I think this is an overgeneralization. Okay, so certain kinds of
performances are more "events" than music outings and there will be a
dilution of the musical sophistication within the audience. But, hey,
how many people are REALLY going to fork out $40 to see four string
players beat up the violin family for a couple of hours ... unless they
like it? Ditto for those hundreds (or thousands) of symphony concertgoer
regulars ... they go primarily because they get something out of the
music.

  >ments that we don't agree with and think ill mannered but they feel the same
  >about us..because we accept it for the most part or are too ignorant of the
  >material to know any better. When it comes to opera I accept the euro stand-

I think, actually, North American audiences are a little *too* passive.
You don't have to be rude to indicate that, "Hey! This wasn't up to
standards!". Gunther Herbig, the Music Director of the Toronto Symphony,
actually went into this is a brief talk-from-the-podium recently. His
point was that, after describing some of the things we ought to listen
for in a new piece about to be played, that we ought to respond from
the heart: not two encores for an overture, three for a piece over 30
minutes! It was refreshing to hear from those quarters.

  >of the few that still exist here...that had I been there instead of booing
  >I would have just walked out. But then I only pay for what I want to see and

Walking out might be okay, but it doesn't really provide much feedback
... unless a LOT of people walk out. In any case, it disturbs the people
who *are* enjoying it and I don't think that's fair.

This whole business reminds me of the concert Alexis Weissenberg gave in
the dead of winter in an old concert hall here some years back (Massey
Hall, same vintage and style as the original Carnegie Hall). The place
doesn't have air conditioning or heating and Weissenberg actually
stopped the concert at one point and said "I'm cold" and left the
stage. He came back a few minutes later and played what I always now
refer to as the Weissenberg Edition of the Liszt Sonata in B Minor --
you know, the 18 minute version with a HUGE (12 minutes?) missing in the
middle. I guess the cold REALLY got to him! <g>

Remarkably, NO ONE booed. Hey, it was fine playing ... the part he
bothered with ... but ... I just think we can be TOO polite.

Alexander Inglis  |  InterNet: alexander.inglis@canrem.com
Toronto,  Canada  |  CompuServe: 70307,20     BIX: ainglis
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