Not breaking news, but an interesting journalistic take on it.
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Not breaking news, but an interesting journalistic take on it. -
...But in an age when conductors are meant to be social-media savvy, Petrenko presumably thinks tweeting is for the birdsOriginally posted by DracoM View Post
Can the Proms and R3 take a hint?
I saw the British conductor lead the audience in a Conga from Leonard Bernstein’s musical Wonderful Town. Petrenko isn’t going to be dancing in the aisles. Recording and education outreach work will continue, but in terms of repertoire the Berlin Phil has clearly decided to refocus -
He did Elgar's second symphony with them? Oh yes, I'd like to hear that!Comment
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There's no reason that they should, because social media are a present-day tool that can be used well, in the correct hands (the obvious incorrect counter-example from my side of the pond is too sadly obvious and appalling). Even the almighty Berlin Philharmonic has a Twitter feed:Originally posted by doversoul1 View Post
Every major, and probably even minor, orchestra uses social media to varying degrees of success. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra does have their "Sounds and Stories" blog, but at a guess, it probably gets only a miniscule fraction of the traffic that their Twitter feed gets. Somewhere, an opera singer (maybe someone like Christine Goerke; need to check this) has said that for singers getting started on their careers, Twitter can be extremely useful, since it's a lot cheaper than an agent for getting the word out about yourself as an artist.
My general understanding is that KP will speak publicly at the annual press conference of the BPO about the upcoming season (example here), and is willing to record interviews with orchestra musicians for their Digital Concert Hall. But that is admittedly it for him, regarding public speaking. I get the general sense that KP is something like a monk of music, if the comparison isn't inappropriate. As perhaps something of an even more far-fetched comparison, I wonder now if the KP chief conductorship of the Berlin PO may be something like the Carlos Kleiber chief conductorship of the Berlin PO that obviously never happened. CK only gave one interview in his life, and had been offered the Berlin PO post-Karajan, but had declined. In other words, instead of getting a highly regarded conductor who didn't give interviews back in 1989, the Berlin Phil now has a highly regarded chief conductor who doesn't give interviews now in 2019.
There's nothing wrong with a conductor being willing to reach out with present-day media tools to connect with contemporary audiences. Bernstein did in his day, as Previn did (Andre Previn's Music Night, anyone?), and Rattle has done in ours. This isn't KP's style, but clearly the Berlin Phil is willing to work around that. This may have the effect of putting the orchestra musicians themselves at the center of social media-like activities. As one example, Sarah Willis does extremely well as an interviewer.Comment
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Whilst I wouldn’t argue against any of the point you are making, it (re: the birds) sound like a breath of fresh air to me.Originally posted by bluestateprommer View PostThere's no reason that they should, because social media are a present-day tool that can be used well, in the correct hands (the obvious incorrect counter-example from my side of the pond is too sadly obvious and appalling). Even the almighty Berlin Philharmonic has a Twitter feed:
Every major, and probably even minor, orchestra uses social media to varying degrees of success. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra does have their "Sounds and Stories" blog, but at a guess, it probably gets only a miniscule fraction of the traffic that their Twitter feed gets. Somewhere, an opera singer (maybe someone like Christine Goerke; need to check this) has said that for singers getting started on their careers, Twitter can be extremely useful, since it's a lot cheaper than an agent for getting the word out about yourself as an artist.
My general understanding is that KP will speak publicly at the annual press conference of the BPO about the upcoming season (example here), and is willing to record interviews with orchestra musicians for their Digital Concert Hall. But that is admittedly it for him, regarding public speaking. I get the general sense that KP is something like a monk of music, if the comparison isn't inappropriate. As perhaps something of an even more far-fetched comparison, I wonder now if the KP chief conductorship of the Berlin PO may be something like the Carlos Kleiber chief conductorship of the Berlin PO that obviously never happened. CK only gave one interview in his life, and had been offered the Berlin PO post-Karajan, but had declined. In other words, instead of getting a highly regarded conductor who didn't give interviews back in 1989, the Berlin Phil now has a highly regarded chief conductor who doesn't give interviews now in 2019.
There's nothing wrong with a conductor being willing to reach out with present-day media tools to connect with contemporary audiences. Bernstein did in his day, as Previn did (Andre Previn's Music Night, anyone?), and Rattle has done in ours. This isn't KP's style, but clearly the Berlin Phil is willing to work around that. This may have the effect of putting the orchestra musicians themselves at the center of social media-like activities. As one example, Sarah Willis does extremely well as an interviewer.Last edited by doversoul1; 26-08-19, 15:28.Comment
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You're right Petrenko did; which in truth surprised me. Having said that what a wonderful work the Elgar Second is. Rattle used to farm some of the Elgar (Falstaff, Gerontius, Cello Concerto) off to Barenboim to conduct.Originally posted by silvestrione View PostComment
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The 'birds' quote is more Philip Clark projecting his interpretations on to KP's behavior, but point taken. I suspect, though, that precisely because the Berlin Philharmonic is so well established as top of the line among world orchestras, the orchestra's own recognition is such that KP can be allowed to maintain his modest profile, without participating extensively in publicizing the orchestra and its activities in the way that a Rattle would do. In the current cultural climate certainly on this side of the pond, being a great orchestra unfortunately simply isn't enough. The orchestra has to sell itself, and an American music director is expected to contribute in that regard. If the means involve Twitter, then so be it.Originally posted by doversoul1 View Post
BTW, you might like this NYT profile of KP and his start with the Berlin Phil, which is in the spirit of the Grauniad article:
Also, I did find that one article about classical singers and social media, which was indeed a feature on Christine Goerke, at Tanglewood this summer:
Here's the relevant section:
'As singers, "we're not in our own beds" — on the road, that is — as much as eight months of the year, Goerke says. So she is a fan of social media to keep in touch with family, friends and fellow singers. It also saves "thousands" in expenses for publicity agents, she says, thinking of putting two daughters through college.
Social media, she says, is "a part of the career today. It's "a really good way to keep in touch with people, and to have a social presence, and to allow people to know what's going on, to share information, to share anecdotes, to let folks know where I'm going to be."'Comment
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Originally posted by bluestateprommer View PostThe 'birds' quote is more Philip Clark projecting his interpretations on to KP's behavior, but point taken. I suspect, though, that precisely because the Berlin Philharmonic is so well established as top of the line among world orchestras, the orchestra's own recognition is such that KP can be allowed to maintain his modest profile, without participating extensively in publicizing the orchestra and its activities in the way that a Rattle would do. In the current cultural climate certainly on this side of the pond, being a great orchestra unfortunately simply isn't enough. The orchestra has to sell itself, and an American music director is expected to contribute in that regard. If the means involve Twitter, then so be it.
BTW, you might like this NYT profile of KP and his start with the Berlin Phil, which is in the spirit of the Grauniad article:
Also, I did find that one article about classical singers and social media, which was indeed a feature on Christine Goerke, at Tanglewood this summer:
Here's the relevant section:
Thank you for your reply and the information. I think, when it comes down to it, I am not interested in musicians as private persons who may or may not want to keep up with their families and friends. Maybe because in early music which is my main interest, hardly anyone is big enough for the world to want to hear about the musicians other than when they perform. Generally speaking, that is. Don’t take it too seriously. It’s just me being old and un-flexible
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