tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post119294887653659112..comments2023-05-27T07:47:26.610-05:00Comments on Bass Blog: Week 44 Ravinia 02Michael Hovnanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07822257921093170726noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-86748183251521210402008-07-18T21:14:00.000-05:002008-07-18T21:14:00.000-05:00As for the differences in jacket colors - all the ...As for the differences in jacket colors - all the reason you cite contribute to the non-uniformity.<BR/><BR/>I'm glad you enjoyed the Mahler. I don't know what the 'bass tickles' could be - I can only imagine...<BR/><BR/>Yes we are more packed on the Ravinia stage. Also, onstage sound levels are darn near excruciating.Michael Hovnanianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07822257921093170726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-75805158967995883692008-07-17T10:06:00.000-05:002008-07-17T10:06:00.000-05:00Seeing the midwest orchestra last night brought to...Seeing the midwest orchestra last night brought to mind your jacket comments… and a grin. I'd always been bemused by the mix of white, cream, ivory, eggshell, lab-coat white, antique white, and almost-beige. Different dye lots? Manufacturers? Eras? Exposure/age?<BR/><BR/>I enjoyed Mahler 6 (esp. the bass “tickles” in the first movement) and was surprised to see so many empty seats. Ravinia management should realize this correlates with their change in seat prices. Seems that prices have gone up, and/or the “zone” boundaries have changed, so that a non-top dollar ticket puts you even further back or off to the far sides and corners. Bad move in light of today's market (gas to get to Ravinia, and other summer entertainment competition). <BR/><BR/>And while pondering the space in the audience, I also wanted to know… is the orchestra more crowded on stage compared to its downtown home? Full Mahler complement notwithstanding, you all seem pretty crammed in there, but it's hard to get a sense of the depth of the stage without the risers.Lillianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09894297247381689438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-86324149164253061712008-07-17T08:35:00.000-05:002008-07-17T08:35:00.000-05:00Our MC and its rhetoric sometimes seems hopelessly...Our MC and its rhetoric sometimes seems hopelessly stuck in the 1930’s, but to be fair, our dress code is clinging to 1830. Both could probably use an update.<BR/><BR/>I wonder if there is any correlation between players seemingly not caring about the visual component of the performance and our attire being so hopelessly elitist and out of date. White tie and tails belong on revivals of My Fair Lady or dinner at the white house. White jackets? Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, or an ice cream parlor.Michael Hovnanianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07822257921093170726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-71425435622736321112008-07-16T15:11:00.000-05:002008-07-16T15:11:00.000-05:00I'm one of the "we look better in coats" people. ...I'm one of the "we look better in coats" people. Classical music must be the only performance art form in which the performers refuse to believe that the visual component has any effect on the audience's experience. It gets comical sometimes. There are evenings when it is a bit warm, but definitely cooler than some nights at Orchestra Hall when the heat is cranking for some reason--and we are uncomplainingly playing in white tie and (wool) tails! I remember the Chairman of our august Committee just going at it hammer and tongs with a previous personnel mgr one such July night. "I refuse to compromise with the comfort of the musicians!" he fulminated. Like he was Winston Churchill taking a stand at the Battle of Britain or something.nocynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07998727400312237867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-42310327964889713412008-07-16T11:54:00.000-05:002008-07-16T11:54:00.000-05:00The personnel manager makes the call. I think if ...The personnel manager makes the call. I think if it gets over 80 degrees the coats come off. Sometimes it is more the humidity than the heat that makes us suffer, but I don’t think anyone measures it. <BR/><BR/>As with anything in this business, there is a division between those who favor coats and those who don’t when the situation is borderline. The coat people say we look better (more professional) with the coats and should endure a little discomfort. The no coat folks prefer comfort or (as in my case) have such wretched looking jackets as to completely negate the pro coat argument.Michael Hovnanianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07822257921093170726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-12637365116385261742008-07-16T10:22:00.000-05:002008-07-16T10:22:00.000-05:00Re: Mahler 6 in 90+ degrees, is there a clause in ...Re: Mahler 6 in 90+ degrees, is there a clause in your contract or some unwritten rule that dictates under what circumstances musicians can shed those off-white jackets and play in shirtsleeves?Adrielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14275988872730235045noreply@blogger.com