By Magnus Blechohr
I can not understand why the house is not packed, SRO, at the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Last night’s performances reminded me of this question because at the end of each of the two pieces the crowd hooted and hollered like they were teens at a rock concert. The standing ovations were well deserved. The orchestra performed flawlessly in a beautiful hall that sports the best acoustics in Fort Wayne. There is no better performance in Fort Wayne than a FW Phil master works gala. None.
The night started with a Johannes Brahms’ piano concerto. I arrived at my seat early enough to read the program notes that described the young composer’s disappointment with his piece, as well as how it contained passages that spoke emotionally to his love of another man’s wife, the famous Clara Schumann, the wife of the equally famous Robert Schumann. Guilt, understated, restrained passion, remorse and more passion growing less restrained were easy to hear. It you have ever been truly in love you would recognize the feelings transferred by the genius Brahms, then a mere 20, to paper and then into the air to remind us of our own passions. It was forbidden love expresses through strings and woodwinds and a keyboard.
A guest pianist, an rising star, Andrew Von Oeyen, was accompanied by the Phil and he ran the equivalent of a piano marathon for some 45 minutes of frequent long and dynamic passages. He must have played ten thousand notes ranging from sublime, intimate soliloquies to heart-beating, table pounding runs. He played them all with emotion balanced with precision. As he played I could image when Clara first heard the work from her unrequited lover she surely must have swooned from emotion. Brahms was consumed by his love and the Philharmonic with Mr. Von Oeyen was translated that love eloquently. Close your eyes and watch the poignancy unfold in each movement.
The second piece was Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. I had listened to a couple of recordings to familiarize myself with the piece, another disappointment in the eye’s of its composer, the now most celebrated name in all of Russian music. Neither interpretation, played in the soft acoustics of my home, in my music room, on a very good system could come within miles of the complexity of tastes and sounds the Phil threw at us. An earful of Malbec and Riesling and Tannat. The Philharmonic captured the Russianess of the piece as well as the universality of European high classical music. It was sweeping, majestic, grand and powerful. At times you could hear the soaring romance of Wagner and the trudging Russians of Borodin. Top notch.
So, I come back to the first question: why only 1800 or 1900 people in a hall that would seat 2300? Is the average Fort Wayner so dumbed-down, so fat and under-sexed that we can’t appreciate Tchaikovsky, as well as Led Zeppelin? Are we so cheap that $30 is too much to spend on uplifting, grand, enlightening and theraputic music, an exhilarating night out? Are we too lethargic to rise from the aptly named Lazy Boy, put down the beer comb our hair and go downtown? Who knows? The Embassy should be packed to the gunwales whenever the Phil offers to perform. It is, simply enough, that uplifting.
In many years of watching Buketoff, Brichetti, Ondrejka, Tchivzel and this chatty Englishman, Constantine, the orchestra has never, ever sounded better. If you want to feel what Fort Wayne could be if we set our minds to it come to the Phil. We can be as good as anyone anywhere.
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Mr. Blechohr, thank you for such a complete commentary on the night's affairs. I know that you are truly a connoisseur of this type of entertainment, and your love for music is unquestioned.
If I might offer an answer to your first question regarding a non SRO audience. Please consider that the reasons might be two-fold. The most obvious is the premium price for attending. I'm sure that you have lived in Fort Wayne long enough to realize that most people do not appreciate a live musical performance that does not include thousands of amplifiers, blinding automated spotlights, smoke machines, live animals and performers who might well be mistaken for escaped inmates from the local mental institution. Also, I don't think the Philharmonic offers any "2 for 1" or "all you can eat" coupons in the infamous Mad Money coupon book which the masses so willingly embrace and highly prize.
The second explanation is, again, that this type of performance is only truly embraced by the 1%, while the other 99% and their families could easily watch the Derby Girls in action, attend a church-sponsored all-you-can-eat fish fry/barn raising, or simply stay at home feasting on Domino's and watching Human Death cage Matches on their Comcast Pay Per View.
Speaking for myself, (as I do much to the chagrin of those who maintain this site), I was not aware of this performance. Since I'm deemed unworthy of listening to Public Radio since I won't give them any money (I do toss and turn at night with guilt, however the Federal government funds them, don't they?), I am not in the loop to know who is performing what and by whom. Add to that my limited intelligence reinforced with the shame of not only a public education but also attending a public university in a racist southern state where most professors aspired to the title of "Bubba", you can, I'm sure, understand that I am hardly the target audience for last night's performance. My loss, I know. I doubt I could still get into my tux, even if I were compelled at gun-point to attend.
And to wrap up this uneducated, ill-informed and rather obtuse posting, Mr. Blechohr, I would further submit that 1,800 to 1,900 well educated, well informed and well dressed patrons you saw last night is far more important than a house full of a typical a Fort Wayne audience, complete with the requisite "late arrivers", "loud coughers", "out of control" free-range children, smelling of cigarette smoke and cheap perfume/cologne) who will sit in rapt attention, not knowing that there will be no "50/50" raffle at half-time.
From your commentary, it would seem that a good time was had by all, and there were no injuries. Not bad for a Saturday night in Fort Wayne.
My wife and I were out watching Sherlock Holmes, followed by wings, beer for me and wine for her. Otherwise, we might have been there. Incidentally, I have been reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes (read it on my kindle while sitting in the Denver and Chicago airports) and I do think the eccentric character of Holmes in the movie is exactly the character that Sir Doyle met to portray. I think Hollywood's initial depiction (circa 1930's/40's) of Holmes was way off. He is not a stuffy character in the books but rather quite interesting as he is in the movie. However, I digress—I certainly appreciate the Phil as one of the more classier things from Fort Wayne. It is underappreciated.
I would have loved to attend the concert. I have an appreciation for many different types of music. Unfortunately, it's not in my budget at the moment. Maybe there is someone out there that had an extra ticket and would have loved to have a friend to go with them. I agree, I do need to get out more and meet others that share similiar interests as I. On the other hand, maybe I would not be welcome because of my current financial situation and my inability to go buy a new outfit and get my hair and nails done! ~Laura~
I attended and enjoyed the evening. There was one moment, a soft passage, when a stage hand's radio went off to the disappointment of many. Such is life. The music was fine, there were no "free-range children" there and the Derby Girls have their own box off to a side. Tickets start around $20 and, Laura, just wear a shabby-chic hat and gloves.
People in Fort Wayne have a hard time discovering worthwhile locally-produced entertainment because Fort Wayne receives no legitimate arts-and-entertainment media coverage. Whatzup Magazine and Fort Wayne Newspapers refuse to genuinely criticize local arts-and-entertainment productions because they crave the advertising income from producers with money to spend.
Real criticism is too biting for the hands that feed. Consider the classic saying: "If you can't say something nice, you can't have these ad dollars, yo."
Journal Gazette entertainment writer Steve Penhollow whips out the poison pen for national arts-and-entertainment endeavors but dare not offer authentic criticism of local artists and works. Penhollow completely ignores the 2007 TV show "Summit City Noise" and the 2011 documentary "Nova Rex: Ain't East Being Cheesy," which were produced and directed by Fort Wayne native, movie maker, resident and former Journal Gazette TV Editor Dean Robinson. That's me, people!
Without doing any research (or reading an email sent to him), Whatzup publisher Doug Driscoll calls the Nova Rex documentary a "faux rockumentary." When asked where he came up with such a wrong description, Driscoll tells Summit City Noise "I pulled it out of my ass."
That is how Driscoll treats Fort Wayne arts outsider and former Whatzup writer and advertiser Dean Robinson, the master of ceremonies for the first Whatzup Whammy Awards at Columbia Street West.
Whatzup office manager Bonnie Wollums tells Summit City Noise that the nominees list for the Whatzup Whammy Awards is devised by Whatzup advertisers and contributors through select balloting.
As far as local media are concerned, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING produced by the establishment Fort Wayne arts scene is super great and awesome. IPFW Department of Theatre, First Presbyterian Theater, Arena Dinner Theater and Civic Theatre actors and artists are constantly coddled, never challenged. Whatzup allows producers who advertise in the magazine to write editorials about their own work. All shows at the Embassy Theater are considered excellent before the shows happen. The work passes without criticism.
Without real criticism — honest descriptions of the good and bad — artists cannot grow. They cannot get better by being babied all the time.
As long as Arts United and Steel Dynamics Inc. continue to put their money where the arts are, local media will keep them happy with friendly press for the constant flow of advertising dollars. Real artists need not even contact the media … unless their checkbooks are open.
Sure, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic may be great and all, but apparently so is Chevelle and Middle Class Riot with Janus at Piere's this Saturday night brought to you by WBYR-FM the Bear, Federated Media's real rock station!
I attended and enjoyed the evening. There was one moment, a soft passage, when a stage hand's radio went off to the disappointment of many. Such is life. The music was fine, there were no "free-range children" there and the Derby Girls have their own box off to a side. Tickets start around $20 and, Laura, just wear a shabby-chic hat and gloves.
Mr. Robinson, unfortunately all those other exceptional acts were not on stage that evening otherwise I would have mentioned them as you suggest.
Magnus and Jim: Please read the last paragraph of my text again. There was no mention of other acts performing with the Philharmonic last weekend. The acts mentioned in my text will be playing at Piere's this Saturday as originally noted.
Fort Wayne media offer equal praise to all arts endeavors. Real criticism is never levied. No honest feedback — just public-relations editorial content for ad dollars.
The point is that publications like the Journal Gazette and Whatzup refuse to offer any objective criticism of local arts-and-entertainment endeavors. TV and radio are no better. Too many ad dollars are at stake from producers with thin skin and fat wallets. Because of that, local inhabitants do not receive credible information regarding arts in Fort Wayne.
What good is being special when everything is considered special? I think Dash in "The Incredibles" said that. Journal Gazette entertainment writer Steve Penhollow probably reviewed that movie. Penhollow has no interest in honestly reviewing locally produced movies.
Jim and Magnus, read carefully and relax. You did not miss Chevelle at the Fort Wayne Philharmonic performance. You can see that awesomely great show this weekend at Piere's in the Marketplace of Canterbury. I can submit this information again if necessary.
Thank you, Mr. Robinson.
As the President of the Philharmonic from 1985 to 2005, I can attest that, for Masterworks Concerts, a full house was the exception, even in 1985. A lot of things changed in the early 80's, the most significant being the effect of reducing music education in the public schools in the 70's. But, the Philharmonic never enjoyed consistent sold-out houses, even back in the 50's and 60's. It's just never been the case in Fort Wayne. It is true that the Philharmonic (I refuse to refer to it as "The Phil," which I find trivializing) doesn't get the press it deserves, and never has. And it's not for want of trying. And, except for a few brief periods, there haven't been reviews of Philharmonic concerts since the 70's, much to the orchestra's detriment.
Thank you, Mr. Guerin; the community owes you a debt of gratitude for working so successfully to bring superb music to Fort Wayne. In the future we shall refer to your alma mater as the Philharmonic.
Dear Magnus, Thank you for the kind words. Best regards, Christopher