On a near-perfect evening last night, The Knights—Colin and Eric Jacobsen’s ambitious “flexible orchestra”—performed at Central Park’s Naumburg Bandshell, now in its 114th season. The mostly geriatric older audience packed every one of the 1,500 available seats for a wide-ranging program that opened with music by Bach—both J.S. and C.P.E.—and Stravinsky.
After intermission, they acknowledged Benjamin Britten’s centenary with a performance of his rarely heard Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, featuring Michael P. Atkinson on horn and the fast-rising Nicholas Phan, who was pitch-perfect in his tender, yearning delivery. If Phan is this strong in Britten’s concert music, it surely can only be a matter of time before we see him on the opera stage. (Messrs. Gelb and Steel: Are you listening?)
But the real surprise came at the end, when The Knights went free-form with …the ground beneath our feet: a melange of everything from free jazz to bluegrass and calypso. At the end, violinist Christina Courtin—who moonlights as a successful singer-songwriter—came front and center with her cuatro to sing an uplifting song about overcoming adversity. Who knew we were in for an indie show?
If you missed it, the concert was broadcast live by WQXR, and will be archived soon on their website here. More pics on the photo page.
To quote: “The mostly geriatric audience…” Simply insulting. That puts your focus on who ‘you’ would like to be sitting with rather than the content itself; the music. I was there and had a wonderful time with said people. We didn’t talk about health care but rather the poor posture of all those youngsters with their heads down.
It might help to look at the numbers and see where the patrons for classical music remain while they consistently dwindle in generations y and younger.
Perhaps regard this phenomenon in a separate article and check your naivete and insults at the door.
To quote: “The mostly geriatric audience…” Simply insulting. That puts your focus on who ‘you’ would like to be sitting with rather than the content itself; the music. I was there and had a wonderful time with said people. We didn’t talk about health care but rather the poor posture of all those youngsters with their heads down.
It might help to look at the numbers and see where the patrons for classical music remain while they consistently dwindle in generations y and younger.
Perhaps regard this phenomenon in a separate article and check your naivete and insults at the door.
To quote: “The mostly geriatric audience…” Simply insulting. That puts your focus on who ‘you’ would like to be sitting with rather than the content itself; the music. I was there and had a wonderful time with said people. We didn’t talk about health care but rather the poor posture of all those youngsters with their heads down.
It might help to look at the numbers and see where the patrons for classical music remain while they consistently dwindle in generations y and younger.
Perhaps regard this phenomenon in a separate article and check your naivete and insults at the door.
To quote: “The mostly geriatric audience…” Simply insulting. That puts your focus on who ‘you’ would like to be sitting with rather than the content itself; the music. I was there and had a wonderful time with said people. We didn’t talk about health care but rather the poor posture of all those youngsters with their heads down.
It might help to look at the numbers and see where the patrons for classical music remain while they consistently dwindle in generations y and younger.
Perhaps regard this phenomenon in a separate article and check your naivete and insults at the door.
To quote: “The mostly geriatric audience…” Simply insulting. That puts your focus on who ‘you’ would like to be sitting with rather than the content itself; the music. I was there and had a wonderful time with said people. We didn’t talk about health care but rather the poor posture of all those youngsters with their heads down.
It might help to look at the numbers and see where the patrons for classical music remain while they consistently dwindle in generations y and younger.
Perhaps regard this phenomenon in a separate article and check your naivete and insults at the door.
To quote: “The mostly geriatric audience…” Simply insulting. That puts your focus on who ‘you’ would like to be sitting with rather than the content itself; the music. I was there and had a wonderful time with said people. We didn’t talk about health care but rather the poor posture of all those youngsters with their heads down.
It might help to look at the numbers and see where the patrons for classical music remain while they consistently dwindle in generations y and younger.
Perhaps regard this phenomenon in a separate article and check your naivete and insults at the door.
Thanks for your thoughts, Petr. Did not mean any offense, but I would strongly disagree with your contention that there isn’t an enthusiastic young audience for classical music. If they stay away, it is mostly because they feel alienated by those who would prefer classical music to be an exclusive, rather than inclusive activity. We’d all better hope that more and more young people support this music sooner than later!
Thanks for your thoughts, Petr. Did not mean any offense, but I would strongly disagree with your contention that there isn’t an enthusiastic young audience for classical music. If they stay away, it is mostly because they feel alienated by those who would prefer classical music to be an exclusive, rather than inclusive activity. We’d all better hope that more and more young people support this music sooner than later!
Thanks for your thoughts, Petr. Did not mean any offense, but I would strongly disagree with your contention that there isn’t an enthusiastic young audience for classical music. If they stay away, it is mostly because they feel alienated by those who would prefer classical music to be an exclusive, rather than inclusive activity. We’d all better hope that more and more young people support this music sooner than later!
Thanks for your thoughts, Petr. Did not mean any offense, but I would strongly disagree with your contention that there isn’t an enthusiastic young audience for classical music. If they stay away, it is mostly because they feel alienated by those who would prefer classical music to be an exclusive, rather than inclusive activity. We’d all better hope that more and more young people support this music sooner than later!
Thanks for your thoughts, Petr. Did not mean any offense, but I would strongly disagree with your contention that there isn’t an enthusiastic young audience for classical music. If they stay away, it is mostly because they feel alienated by those who would prefer classical music to be an exclusive, rather than inclusive activity. We’d all better hope that more and more young people support this music sooner than later!
Thanks for your thoughts, Petr. Did not mean any offense, but I would strongly disagree with your contention that there isn’t an enthusiastic young audience for classical music. If they stay away, it is mostly because they feel alienated by those who would prefer classical music to be an exclusive, rather than inclusive activity. We’d all better hope that more and more young people support this music sooner than later!