BY ANGELO VALDIVIA
On June 21, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra will perform a matinee and evening concert called Silence with your ASO, in which it explores the idea behind a famous Mozart quote, “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between”.
The proposition is unusual when compared to more traditional classical concerts – and that’s what has us so interested.
Some enthusiasts also had the opportunity to snap up some premium yoga tickets, which will allow them to practice mindfulness and body-bending throughout the performance.
Repertoire will include Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 2: Solveig’s Song, Elgar’s Sospiri, and To His Servant Bach God Grants a Final Glimpse by Australian composer Graeme Koehne.
We reached out to conductor David Sharp to ask about some of the preparation involved in an experience like this.
ASO’s concert is titled Silence, and as such requests the audience to hold back its applause between pieces during the concert. How do you feel this will impact the experience?
While it is true that musicians love applause, I think it is really important in this performance that we maintain silence between each of the pieces. That way we create a more cohesive, holistic concert experience, rather than just a sequence of short (but very lovely) works.
Having said that, we are in somewhat uncharted territory for this orchestra, so we’ll have to wait and see how it goes.
ASO will perform the famous 4’33” by John Cage. How much preparation goes into a piece like that?
Surprisingly, quite a bit! This is not well-known, but the 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence in this piece is delineated into three distinct ‘movements’ or sections, which will be indicated visually.
It is really important that the timing of each of these is accurately performed to maintain the proportions of the piece. Without resorting to the use of a stopwatch, this presents quite a challenge.
Some audience members will utilise a space to practise yoga during the concert. How does a live orchestra affect this experience, and could this also have an effect on the orchestra?
As I’ve never performed in a concert with an audience practising yoga, I can’t honestly say. In fact, I’m not sure anyone knows entirely what to expect.
Some musicians practise yoga to help increase their stamina. Are there other unconventional ways musicians train for performance that you may have heard of?
Playing music takes a surprising amount of stamina, both physically and mentally, and I know many people find it useful to maintain a fitness regime. We have all sorts in the orchestra – cyclists, squash players, rock climbers…!
I enjoy running distance, myself, as it not only keeps me fit, but also gives me time to switch off mentally, which keeps me fresh.
Silence with your ASO will be performed at 1pm and 6pm on June 21 at Grainger Studio, Adelaide.
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Featured image via Unsplash by Dane Wetton. Images of David supplied by ASO.
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