Have You Started Attending Concerts?

[richardfinegold]

I might—I’m still wavering—begin Friday. I live close to a University that has an active Symphonic Band and we are close and neighbors with the Professor and Conductor. They are having a free Concert in their Chapel, with a Pianist who the Conductor and his wife rave about, featuring Gershwin Rhapsody In Blue. We can walk there, and if we don’t like the setup, turn and go home.
The CSO has started up, limiting players to 45. The programs seem to be tailored for this—more Classical Era than the norm, no Mahler 3 just yet-but we haven’t considered going.
Barbs and I had a bit of discussion about balances in a recording made with social distancing. It’s just a recording, but I thought the balances were distracting. Perhaps live that won’t be as significant, but it is off putting that in addition to taking a health risk as a Concert Attendee, the Artistic Product might be so altered as to render it meaningless

[Bryn]

I have attended a couple of gigs at Iklectik but that's a small, airy venue. I'm hoping that the City Univerity Performance Space returns to public use soon, but being at basement level the air change regime needs to be considered there. The recent removal of late-night public transport options from the RAH (both rail and bus services have been cut) prevented me from attending any Proms this summer.

[Dave2002]

Yes - but now I'm having a rethink. So far I've been to more than a dozen concerts and in indoor venues. So far - over a period of two to three months - we seem to have survived.

However the post I made earlier http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...179#post862179 is making me think again.
From the NYT interactive map it looks as though the USA and the UK are heading the list for coronavirus cases, so is that an illusion?

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-cases.html

How does that square with the relaxation of some rules in the UK - and perhaps other countries too?

I just don't know.

[bluestateprommer]

FWIW, I think that this thread needs to be migrated to the "Talking About Music" section, or some other section away from The Proms, since this isn't a Proms-themed thread as such. That aside, to answer RF's very important question (the implicit subtext being, of course, indoor concerts): speaking for myself, I have, at least with my trip to Santa Fe this summer. All audience members were required to wear masks, and while proof of vax wasn't required, my guess is that pretty much everyone in the audience was vaxxed. Some concerts were pretty well packed, others not so much. I didn't have any issues with wearing masks, and with keeping a suitable distance from other patrons.

With the start of the fall concert season, the local orchestra has said that proof of vax or a negative COVID-19 test is required for entry into concerts, and mask wearing is mandatory. Separately, a few weeks back, I attended a chamber concert where masks were required, though not proof of vax (and again, IMHO, my guess is that pretty much all attendees were probably vaxxed).

I wouldn't be surprised if the USA were top of the list, in a bad way, on new COVID-19 cases, especially with COVIDiot governors in Texas and Florida specifically being the destructive thuggish goons that Abbott and De Santis are. But that's getting way off topic.

[cat]

Yes, in theory, although I haven't actually attended one yet due to the concerts I'm planning to attend not having happened yet.

I couldn't care less about COVID case rates, just whether my double vaccination continues to protect me against serious illness, which at the moment it does.

[Dave2002]

Yes, in theory, although I haven't actually attended one yet due to the concerts I'm planning to attend not having happened yet.

I couldn't care less about COVID case rates, just whether my double vaccination continues to protect me against serious illness, which at the moment it does.

Isn't that the same for most of us who'd prefer to stay alive than otherwise?

The case rates might give some indications, as indeed the hospitalisations and deaths. Right now it's perhaps still too early to tell whether things are going to really get worse - or not.
Some people who have had vaccinations have still been quite seriously ill. You won't know whether your double vaccination will protect you, only if it doesn't!

[Old Grumpy]

I have been to several concerts held in Grinton Church as part of The Swaledale Festival. Numbers were limited an different "bubbles" were separated by spaces. All tickets were bought in advance and you sat where you were placed. Audience members wore masks throughout the 45 minute performance. I felt perfectly at ease with this arrangement and greatly enjoyed all the concerts. Not sure how I would feel in a large hall, though.

[rauschwerk]

I attended six concerts at Snape Maltings in August, and enjoyed them all. Masks, a degree of social distancing, no interval. I shall return in the autumn.

[cat]

Isn't that the same for most of us who'd prefer to stay alive than otherwise?

The case rates might give some indications, as indeed the hospitalisations and deaths. Right now it's perhaps still too early to tell whether things are going to really get worse - or not.
Some people who have had vaccinations have still been quite seriously ill. You won't know whether your double vaccination will protect you, only if it doesn't!

People can get seriously and die from lots of different communicable diseases. Flu for example. I never let that stopped me going to concerts before.

I've looked at the details and I judge my risk following double vaccination to be insignificant, but then I don't have any underlying conditions. YMMV etc

[teamsaint]

Yes, in theory, although I haven't actually attended one yet due to the concerts I'm planning to attend not having happened yet.

I couldn't care less about COVID case rates, just whether my double vaccination continues to protect me against serious illness, which at the moment it does.

A poor excuse.

I might go to the Anvil on Friday , but the thing putting me off is the threat of all the extra prodding, poking, checking, bossing around etc.

Are orchestras still masking up ?

[Simon B]

the thing putting me off is the threat of all the extra prodding, poking, checking, bossing around etc.

My anecdata is that few to zero places are bothering with much of that now.

Based on recent visits to ROH, RAH, Symphony Hall Brum, Barbican, Wales Millennium Centre: No measures of note beyond polite but not-in-any-way-enforced requests to wear face coverings to varying degrees. I do (FFP2 for as long as I can stand the discomfort). Many don't.

Orchestras - depends. ROH and LSO, pretty much all except wind players masked throughout. CBSO I think wear them for trooping on/off stage but then even the strings + perc discard. WNO orchestra likewise.

The Philharmonia will go bust if too many people are put off for too long by the prospect of prodding etc. Equally, they will go bust if too many are put off for too long by the prospect of a trip to ITU or worse.

They'll go doubly bust putting on Also Sprach Zarathustra and the Alpine Symphony* if nobody turns up in Basingstoke, having hired every extra brass player in London to put on a "stuff this chamber orchestra lark for a game of soldiers" type programme.

How to square any of these circles?

[*Such things are trivialities in the context of the wider discussion but Rouvali's previous go at the Alpine Symphony with the Philharmonia was transcendent IMV.]

[teamsaint]

My anecdata is that few to zero places are bothering with much of that now.

Based on recent visits to ROH, RAH, Symphony Hall Brum, Barbican, Wales Millennium Centre: No measures of note beyond polite but not-in-any-way-enforced requests to wear face coverings to varying degrees. I do (FFP2 for as long as I can stand the discomfort). Many don't.

Orchestras - depends. ROH and LSO, pretty much all except wind players masked throughout. CBSO I think wear them for trooping on/off stage but then even the strings + perc discard. WNO orchestra likewise.

The Philharmonia will go bust if too many people are put off for too long by the prospect of prodding etc. Equally, they will go bust if too many are put off for too long by the prospect of a trip to ITU or worse.

They'll go doubly bust putting on Also Sprach Zarathustra and the Alpine Symphony* if nobody turns up in Basingstoke, having hired every extra brass player in London to put on a "stuff this chamber orchestra lark for a game of soldiers" type programme.

How to square any of these circles?

[Such things are trivialities in the context of the wider discussion but Rouvali's previous go at the Alpine Symphony with the Philharmonia was transcendent IMV.]

Thanks Simon.

Probably clinched it with the last line.

Ticket sales looking very poor though.

[Simon B]

Ticket sales looking very poor though.

Yup. The financial problems for these larger organisations are only just starting, sadly. They will need their friends in high places and supporters with deep pockets more than ever if the current situation of them all having apparently survived is not to turn out to be a mirage.

This may be relevant to this specific event: https://theartsdesk.com/classical-mu...w-alpine-blaze

[muzzer]

I’m going to whatever I can. I’d prefer if proof of double jab was required from all, but at this stage I’m prepared to take the, as I see it, minimal risk. If I was over 70 I’d probably feel differently. But make no mistake, these venues and orchestras are not going to survive in any recognisable form unless we all support them.

[agingjb]

Two visits to the Turner Sims (Southampton); Paul Lewis - packed, Acoustic Triangle - half full.

Hand sanitiser on entry, masks (which we wore) about half and half.