April 20, 1970 The N. C. Essay Page 3
STANDING OVATION FOR ORCHESTRA
BY MARK POPKIN
If the enthusiasm of the aud
ience, which filled roughly three-
quarters of the NCSA auditorium last
Thursday evening, was any indication...
the concert was very difinitely a
milestone in the careers of Marc
Gottlieb, conductor, Cynthia Mechem,
pianist, and of course, the NCSA
Orchestra. It was all the more
remarkable in view of the fact that
all three above-mentioned were
beginning their respective careers
and it is a most pleasant task to
offer encouragement at this time.
There was no doubt that the basic
approach to the music was a c^ynamic,
driving one and was most appropriate
to Wagner's Overture to Die Meister-
singer von Numberg and to Beethoven’s
Fifth Symphony. Ravel's La Valse
was appropriately orgiastic, the
decadent climax of which was
heightened by some delicate and
beautiful woodwind playing at the
beginning.
Meohm ^s Secvo'e
Cynthia Mechem was the very
accomplished and secure soloist in
MacDowell's Second Piano Conaei'to.
She managed to overcome the banal
stretches of the piece with delicate
playing and brought a good deal of
beauty to the many genuinely creative
sections. As a pupil of Marjorie
Mitchell, who is an authority in this
area (her recording is a definitive
performance), she communicated a very
valid conception of the work. Miss
Mitchell might be surprised to know
that I performed this work with her
at a MacDowell Festival concert in
New York City...about ten years ago.
In general, the orchestra had a
vibrant sound, especially noticeable
in the strings. From the opening
chords of the Wagner, one was aware
of their solidity supported by the
brass and woodwinds, no doubt rein
forced by the many repeated performan
ces of their recent tour.
There were, however, very apparent
difficulties with which the perform
ers had to contend and which adversely
affected the performance. Sympto
matic of the basic problems were
difficulties with orchestral
balance, tone production, cohesive
sectional definition and intonation.
These problems were minimized by
Gottlieb's strong rhythmical approach,
but nonetheless, warrant discussion.
As a performer who has played
many times on the stage of the NCSA
auditorium, I am quite familiar
with its limitations and try to guard
against its pitfalls. In short, the
auditorium is a very difficult one
in which to play..as it rightfully
should be since it was obviously not
designed accoustically for musical per-
formaces. It is roughly opposite, in
terms of design criteria, to that
which is necessary for the performance
of music. A music auditorium should
have a "live", reverberant stage
which would resonate evenly at all
frequencies produced by the performers,
as well as a moderately "dead"
auditorium which should not amplify
the sounds of the audience but should
reinforce the sound of the orchestra
and transfer it to the audience.
We have just the reverse at NCSA.
Therefore, it is difficult for one
sectiom of the orchestra not only to
hear itself but to hear the other
sections. In addition, the tone
produced on stage seldom sounds
pleasing to the performers. These
difficulties increase as one approaches
the rear of the stage. Also, the
stage is too small to adequately
accomodate the full orchestra and
become marginally acceptable for us
with a soloist or chorus.
The natural reaction of the play
ers, in these circumstances, was to
overplay. The results were oftea
unfortunate since there was a degrat-
dation in tone, especially in the
string and woodwind sections, with
consequent lapses in intonation.
Quite often, due to the deadness of
the stage, were exaggerated by the
live auditorium which, while
acceptable for chamber music ensem
bles, resonates unmercifully and
obliterates the fast passage work of
the larger orchestral sections. The
cello and bass sections, for in
stance, were observed to play
beautifully in the fast, canonic
developments in the Beethoven but
this definition was degraded by the
resonance of the hall. In addition,
the timpani, which was undoubtedly
balanced on stage, boomed through
the audience swamping the rest of the
01TCll6S liir3
SOLUTIONS TO ACCPUSTICS
Two solutions might be possible.
First, an improvement in orchestral
sectional balance might be achieved
by reseating the orchestra in the
"Stokowski" configuration with
the strings in one group placed to
the conductor's left, the woodwinds
to the conductor's right at the
front of the stage and the brass to
the rear of the woodwinds. This
arrangement has the advantage of
permitting the woodwinds a greater
range of dynamics while reinforcing
the unity of the strings.
Second, a limited amount of
alteration of the auditorium might
yield significant improvements. A
wooden shell, consisting of
portable pljTwood sheets which could
easily be moved to accomodate other
than musical presentations, could be
installed on stage while portions of
the auditorium could be accoustically
\ treated, beginning with the rear
walls. In addition, the stage could
be extended several feet into the
audience with portable risers. The
last performance of the Clarion Wind
Quintet was aided by the installation
of these risers with the kind
assistance of Dean Pollock.
All these difficulties not
withstanding, the concert by any
standards was a definite success.
It accomplished what performers always
strive for..the communication of
musical excitement. The audience
was always aware of the performers'
dedication to the music and that
enthusiasm was generously recipro
cated by those fortunate enough to
attend.
By MARK POPKIH
UlSlTinG,
TO
omce DGPf)RTm€nT
P.W. Manchester, editor of
Dance News, is currently visiting
NCSA to teach an introductory course
of Dance History.
Born in London this "con
temporary editor and critic" became
interested in ballet after seeing
Diaghiler Ballets Russes,perform.
Later Miss Manchester became ballet
critic for Theatre World in
London. In 1951 she was invited to
the U.S. as guest editor of Dance
News. She remained as managing
editor.
Since 1960 Miss Manchester has
been the New York dance critic for
the Christian Science Monitor.
She is the contributor of Ballet
Annualy co-editor of Dance Encyc
lopedia and other dance publications.
Currently she is a professor at the
University of Cincinnati, where she
teaches Dance History and Vocabulary
and Style (Dance Glossery).
Also visiting the Dance Department
to teach advanced ballet students is
Igor Schwezoff, Russian dancer,
choreographer, and teacher.
Born in St. Petersburg in 1904,
Schwezoff studied at the State School
in Leningrad. Leaving Russia, he
joined the Ballets Russes de
Monte-Carlo in 1932. Thereafter he
appeared with a number of companies,
appeared with a number of companies,
including the Original Ballet Russe,
and formed his own group in Rio de
Janeiro in 1947. There he staged
"Swan Lake" and "Les Sylphides" and
also his own ballets, "The Red Poppy"
and "Eternal Struggle". Returning to
New York, he taught at the Ballet Theatre
School.
Schwezoff has written) numerous
articles published in Holland,
England, Austrailia, Brazil, and the
U.S. He has also written an auto
biography, 'Russian Somersault.