This was a response to a comment by Dolores Cascarino on my hasty, impressionistic post yesterday about the overwhelming experience of hearing Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony on Friday afternoon with the Philadelphia Orchestra, an experience so sublime that for me it defied criticism. (The final performance of the three-concert series will be given at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts this afternoon at 2:00.)
Evidently, I warmed to the subject, so much so, that I think it bears repeating as a separate post. I hope you’ll find it worth reading, especially in light of Timothée Chalamet’s recent blithe dismissal of ballet and opera, remarks I have to say were stunning in their ignorance, and so unnecessary, especially from one whose mother and sister danced professionally.
But I am, after all, in radio. As one who has said some pretty boneheaded things off the cuff myself, perhaps I should cut him some slack. It’s just unfortunate that such a prominent figure – a teen heartthrob AND an Academy Award nominee for Best Actor – should make such a widely-seen, unhelpful flub.
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Increasingly, I’m realizing how lucky I am to be hearing any of this music live. I mean, I understand from years of concertgoing how rare it is to hear certain pieces performed that you might encounter on recordings or semi-frequently on the radio. If you miss them when they’re played by your local orchestra, they might not turn up again for decades. Of course, that is not the case with Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony, which is justifiably popular and guaranteed to pack the hall.
But as the recent remarks of Timothée Chalamet confirm (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, google it), classical music has become so marginalized, at least in terms of “relevance” to the masses, in a society in which education is in the toilet and maximum profit drives everything, performing arts organizations are in perpetual danger of withering and dying. These groups can no longer depend on the moneyed classes or corporations or even the government to help sustain them, and revenue from ticket sales are not enough to cover Mahler, much less a world class production of one of the great operas.
Anyone who hasn’t experienced these live has no idea what they’re missing. I’m not saying all of this music will connect with everyone, but there is nothing in the world of popular music that can make you shudder, shatter you, reduce you to tears, and elevate you, like Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. It’s tragic that there are so many people who dismiss this kind of music without ever having experienced it or even considering it, or most criminally of all, even knowing that it’s out there. For me, life would be so much poorer without it.
The tendency to judge and compare performances is natural, and thoughtful criticism can be informative and helpful. (This part has nothing to do with Chalamet.) I am interested to read the thoughts of a person of some experience and see how they processed what they heard. As time passes, such writing takes on added significance as it becomes part of the historical record. It’s often helpful, or at least interesting, to see how a work or performance was received in the past.
It’s the easiest thing in the world to be supercilious – to nitpick or dismiss something out of hand because we think we know better – but we should never lose sight of just how lucky we are to be able to experience this music at all and how sublime it can be.
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PHOTO: Chalamet (right) makes an ass of himself with Matthew MacConaughey
Don’t Be Like Chalamet: In Appreciation of the Performing Arts
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7 responses to “Don’t Be Like Chalamet: In Appreciation of the Performing Arts”
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Hear, hear, Ross! Seattle Opera, not one to lose out on this opportunity, is offering a special “Timothee Chalamet Discount” code for its May performances of Carmen, good this weekend only: https://operawire.com/seattle-opera-announces-timothee-chalamet-discount-code-for-carmen/
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Mather Pfeiffenberger I saw that! Discount code: TIMOTHEE 😄. Everyone’s trolling him. Looks like he lost more than “14 cents.” But again, he was probably just talking in the moment and playing to the crowd and trying to be a regular guy. I feel for him, but it was an unfortunate thing to say. As I say, I’ve been there.
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In the vernacular “I was there,” in more ways than one. Yes, I was there on Saturday night, not in a seat that I have ever sat before. Rarely do I sit on the “house right” especially in the first tier.
When I was introduced to classical music, while working my way through Temple University in the 1970s. My “mentor” introduced me to the basic repertory – it was a column in Stereo Review, a pamphlet, and a book written by Martin Bookspan. The most dominating piece of learning centered around Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. I would say that Beethoven, Gershwin, a little of Wagner, Bach through the auspices of Karl Ristenpart’s Brandenburg Concertos and even the phenomenon of Last Night at the Proms with a recording conducted by Colin Davis. Even with the Toscanini Brahms recordings, both NBC and those in England from the early 1950s, I thought both Brahms and Mahler were too boring overly dramatic and long. Well, length is true of Mahler; in hindsight there is not an extra note.
Over time, I learned to appreciate Mahler’s Symphonies, especially through the San Francisco Symphony recordings with Michael Tilson Thomas.
About 10 years ago, a life changing incident happened. I had time to attend symphony (and chamber music concerts) that I hadn’t had the opportunity in prior years. That first season, 2015-2016, I remember two Mahler Symphonies – The Eigth which found its way to a recording and Mahler 10th to close out the season. The impact was so great, I had to get whatever seat was available for the final concert of the year, Mahler 10th. I heard Brahms in new and “better” ways hearing something I hadn’t “heard” 40 years ago. I attribute the differences to hearing recordings in my youth compared to listening to live performances of today.
For whatever reason, Yannick has his detractors and supporters. However, what he is done with the orchestra is nothing short of phenomenal. I have developed better listening skills by attending multiple performances of the same concert. I think back to earlier times, attempting to read a book like Copeland’s “What To Listen for In Music” and maybe falling asleep, or forgetting the paragraph I just read. Now, i can’t tell the sound of an American oboe versus a European oboe sound, but i can see the way Tondre plays in the orchestra. While not to everyone’s style and taste, he brings a superb level of musicianship to the position.Media: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10227063037716927&set=p.10227063037716927&type=3
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Kenneth Hutchins Well said, Ken. For the record, before I heard him in concert, whenever I heard his symphonies come on the radio, I thought he was incomprehensibly tedious (except for maybe the First Symphony). It was only as I began seriously collecting recordings in my 20s and hearing the works in concert that I realized how gloriously, irrationally transcendent he could be.
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My life is as rich as it is because of Gustav Mahler and classical music. I hear classical music dismissed and discredited by uninformed normies who are still listening to tired and tedious popular music. My life is enriched daily by the music and lives of great composers and artists. I have enjoyed Chalamet’s work in Villeneuve’s Dune films, but
can’t understand why he would disrespect fellow artists and performers. Humility is one of the attributes I most admire in an artist – his conceit and dismissive attitude is a big turn-off. Artistic groups and performers are naturally offended and defensive because their work and careers are threatened by public apathy and governmental interference. I will hear Peter Oundjian and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra perform the Mahler “Resurrection Symphony in May – a work I have loved for over fifty years. These people don’t know what they’re missing.The Resurrection Chorale, Mahler Symphony nr. 2, Kaplan Foundation manuscript facsimile.Media: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10242155070402213&set=p.10242155070402213&type=3
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David Woodward Yeah, it turned me off to him too. I was very sorry that he said it and then actually managed to make it worse with his follow-up asides (losing 14 cents, etc.), because his performance in “Marty Supreme” is brilliant. In the best picaresque tradition, he plays an insufferably arrogant, totally repugnant character, yet somehow you can’t look away. But here, it turns out, he actually has a little Marty in him. Be that as it may, enjoy the “Resurrection” Symphony!
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Thank you for this post.
When people find “ways to get around the truly important things” it is imperative to call them out. We humans need that uniting force of music to maintain compassion.
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