Text: Brave heart
As an industrial product of modern civilization, the recorded history has just passed one hundred years. Prior to this, the inheritance of human music civilization, in addition to music scores, mainly relied on live music performances. For thousands of years, listening to live music has been the only way for ancient people to get a sense of music. Even today, when the recording industry is extremely developed, the live performance still calls thousands of musicians into concert halls and dance halls with her lively kindness and warmth. . .
As a musician who has just come into contact with European classical music, the charm of live performance must be full of reverie and temptation in our minds. Before we are about to enter the Philharmonic Hall with incomparable religious excitement to worship music, in order to let us experience and feel more and more happiness from the "sound" we are about to hear, the following experiences and precautions are probably something that every friend who has just come into contact with classical music must understand and master.
Selection of concert tracks
In big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, there are countless concert halls and concerts are held almost every day. Beijing Concert Hall, for example, has a full performance schedule for next year by the end of the year. We must use the limited funds and time in our hands to choose the most suitable performance from the dazzling array of performances. There are two main reasons for choosing:
First, choose the tracks you are interested in and like to listen to, so that even if the performance skills of the performance groups are not satisfactory, the music itself can still bring us the touch we deserve. For those tracks in the record that you don't care about, no matter what others say, it is after all the feelings of others. If you encounter the poor performance of the band again, those great music will never turn over in your heart!
Secondly, we will focus on the performances of some internationally renowned music groups and musicians in China. This rare performance is often only once every few decades in China. Especially for some elderly artists, their performance in China is probably the first and last time. If they miss it, they will probably regret it for the rest of their lives. For example, in the autumn of 2000, the exchange performance between cello master Rostovich and conductor Seiji Ozawa in Beijing Century Theatre brought us not only musical touch, but also their musical personality charm.
Preparation before the performance
If you are very familiar with the track you are about to hear, and you can even find several classic recorded versions at hand, then you'd better avoid listening to these wonderful recordings at this time, so as not to cause too deep preconceived obstacles in your mind and affect your concentration in listening to the scene. The overall level of Chinese symphony orchestra is the highest among domestic music groups, but some friends often show great disappointment with their live performances. The main reason is probably that we have listened to too many excellent classic recordings of famous foreign orchestras. The more others listen to and understand the recording, the more obvious the gap and the greater the disappointment.
If you are unfamiliar with the track you are about to listen to, you should collect and understand as much relevant information as possible, and it is best to find a recording to listen to first, so that you won't feel too sudden and confused when listening to it on the spot. As for the sources of relevant materials, there are many ways, such as libraries, the Internet and, of course, friends who like music.
Matters needing attention in concert hall
In the impression of ordinary people, it is necessary to wear a suit and tie to listen to the symphony. Actually, it's not necessary in China. After all, suits are not our traditional etiquette clothes. As long as the clothes are clean and tidy, not sloppy, and allowed to enter the lobby of star-rated hotels, the concert hall is acceptable. The costumes of some classical musicians are staggering, such as cellist Maisky and violinist Kennedy. Their clothes have always been very individual. Leisure, comfort and leisure are not only the trend of modern clothing, but also the inevitable trend of concert hall dress. Of course, there are also some specific concerts, and there are specific dress codes that must be observed.
On the day of the performance, be sure to arrive near the concert hall as soon as possible and enter in advance. Admission in advance has many advantages, such as calming your mind, calmly waiting for the music bath, having enough time to read the detailed introduction of music, bands and conductors in the program, and avoiding hasty browsing during the performance. . . Of course, the most important thing is the minimum respect for performing groups and artists. At present, many concert halls refuse to let latecomers in the middle of sports. Even so, during the short break between movements, it is not only troublesome to find a seat in the dark audience, but also will attract white eyes and unhappiness because the seat affects others.
The sharp ringing of mobile phones and pagers is absolutely frightening in concert halls, especially during performances. In order to avoid this extremely discordant sound and the "annoying" eyes of people around you, you'd better turn them off before entering the venue. If you really want to wait for a particularly important page, you must set it as a vibration prompt. Try to avoid bringing noisy items, such as plastic bags, plastic bottles, shopping bags, etc. Generally, there is a place to store these small items for free in the lobby of a concert hall.
Beijing poly theatre has now banned children under 1.2 meters in height, which is really wise! According to scientific research, children under the height of 1.2 meters generally do not have the ability of emotional control, that is, it is difficult for them to keep quiet for a long time and listen to music in the concert hall. Their unconscious "action" consciousness not only affects parents' appreciation mood, but also disturbs the listening environment of the surrounding audience. Therefore, in addition to some concerts specifically for children, try to avoid taking those children who have no emotional control to the concert hall, otherwise not only the children are uncomfortable, but also the parents, the adjacent audience and even the conductor will be affected and disturbed to varying degrees.
Several points for attention in listening comprehension
All the above points are for better access to the best listening service. And when we finally hear the wonderful and moving Yue Xian, what problems should we pay attention to while being moved by the words?
The first point is not to clap and cheer. It is said that when western artists played symphonies hundreds of years ago, the audience could applaud between movements. When applause and cheers are too enthusiastic, the conductor will improvise and repeat the movement just played for the audience. However, hundreds of years have passed, and today's customs have changed a lot. It has become a customary etiquette not to applaud between actions. Keeping quiet between movements can not only ensure the integrity of a grand work, but also ensure the continuity of our appreciation of ideas. Therefore, no matter how wonderful and moving the previous movement is, we can only release all our heartfelt thanks and passion until the end of the song.
If you don't know much about the work being played, there is a simple way to judge when the music ends and when to applaud: spend some time before playing to familiarize yourself with the program, know the number of movements of the work, and count the number of movements carefully during the performance. Generally, the conductor and performer on the stage will have a simple rest action between actions, and the audience under the stage will also adjust their posture and cough wildly. After all the movements are finished, the conductor usually turns around and bows to take a curtain call. At this time, you can do it. The reason why I let you count the movements with your heart is to prevent you from blindly following some irrelevant people to clap and boo, which will add chaos to the movements.
I have seen several jokes in Beijing, all because the applause between actions is too warm. At the opening ceremony of Beijing Music Festival in 2000, a large part of the audience enjoyed government reception tickets. As a result, as soon as the first movement of sarah chang's Tchaikovsky violin concerto was over, the audience burst into thunderous applause. The warm applause shocked the lady who was in charge of offering flowers outside the venue, so she hurried onto the stage with flowers. The next scene really embarrassed the Chinese people. . . The other time was in Tsinghua University Auditorium. The first movement of Brahms' violin concerto just ended, and the applause thundered. Several female students also heard the voice and ran to the stage to offer flowers. . .
The problem of blind applause has been solved, and all that remains is to avoid disturbing "small moves" by whispering, reading programs, drinking water and eating melon seeds. No matter what you do, you should first consider whether your behavior will affect the people around you. After all, this is not a comfortable environment for listening to the stereo at home alone!
Many classic records are produced by the most prestigious orchestra, the most outstanding conductor, the best recording venue, the best equipment and the best sound engineer. Coupled with careful post-production, the auditory performance of Heaven and Earth is far better than an ordinary domestic live performance. If we listen to a band with poor quality in a concert hall with unsatisfactory acoustic conditions, we will never forget those "heaven and earth" in our minds. We are here to listen to the "real" live music, not to find gaps and shortcomings, not to criticize (of course, gaps and shortcomings must exist). The positive and wise way is to put aside all preconceptions in your mind, actively immerse yourself in the music you hear on the spot, feel the music itself with your heart, and capture those musical moments that are enough to shock and touch us. This is also the real purpose of ordinary musicians listening to live music, and only in this way can we be worthy of our hard-earned money and precious time!
When the song ended, people dispersed.
In the regular music season, regular bands usually don't have extras (extras) after the formal songs are sung. However, those exchange visits are always indispensable, because it is rare to see and hear. At this time, the orchestra and conductor will try their best to dedicate their most wonderful and moving moments, and their purpose of encore and encore depends largely on the applause of the audience.
Out of courtesy, as long as the band leader (the one sitting in front of the first violin) doesn't get up and leave, we viewers had better not get up and leave in a hurry. Wanli came all the way to give you a performance. We shouldn't rush these minutes!
When you are intoxicated with the aftertaste of music and have to leave, don't forget what you left in your seat and what you left at the door.
If you like, after listening to the concert, you might as well exchange your feelings with some friends of the Philharmonic Orchestra, or write down some unforgettable feelings, so that more friends can indirectly feel those musical moments that you will never forget through your description. "Being alone is not as happy as being alone", which is also a wonderful thing!
Do as the Romans do? -Thoughts after the concert
Author: Hao Jian
How can we go to the concert?
In recent years, there are more and more symphonic concerts in China. There have been many concerts in Beijing recently. Domingo gave a solo concert at the end of May, and in June 1, the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra took Lang Lang to the Great Hall of the People for a symphony concert. Only after 20 days, only two or three arrows were moved, and the three tenors came to the cave again. I went to the scene to listen to the scene in Philadelphia, and Sangao watched the live broadcast at home. A topic that I wanted to write a few words when I was an undergraduate bothered me again: shall we go to the concert?
What I want to say here is by no means the topic of "I can't understand symphonies". I have always felt that music is not like words. It doesn't matter whether you understand or not. If you like listening, you will understand. Listen if you like, and listen if you are fascinated. Music, as long as you want to listen and enjoy, is to understand and like. If you have a little fever, read some books on harmony and counterpoint, and learn some knowledge of music history, you will naturally be able to keep up with the development and changes of the theme and the integration of music ideas. But I know nothing about music theory. As long as I listen more, it's still sweet. I am an example myself. Don't know harmony. So far, I don't even know the staff, and I can't read it well. But this can't stop me from listening, from having a fever, and from being familiar with many tunes.
What I am thinking today is whether we should respect some hard truths, some visible and audible rules and customs that have been formed in other places for hundreds of years when we go to the concert. Recently, many listeners and intellectuals are talking about these rules, which I find very interesting.
Someone will laugh at me if I say it. When I was an undergraduate 20 years ago, I wanted to write an article for the school newspaper introducing the code of conduct for listening to concerts. The title is When You Go to a Concert. This is just a terrible joke. I haven't written yet. Thinking about these rules now may be a bit cumbersome, but it is very important. It may be a bit exaggerated and annoying to say this every day. Look at our behavior at the concert and listen to some of our cultural people's views on it. I really think it is necessary to talk about it every month every year.
First of all, be careful not to go out. If you want to go to classical concerts and operas, you should pay attention to your clothes. Even in summer, many traditional western men wear suits and ties, and even if it gets hot later, they put suits on their arms. Needless to say, ladies usually wear dresses, which is a ceremony and an opportunity for them to show off high-end expensive clothes or unique ideas and tastes. Of course, if you watch AIDA, a landscape opera, or a concert at Wumen Square in Shanghai Stadium, you can also diversify your clothes. Many young people and children wear sports shoes.
Then, be sure to go out early, because the most taboo is being late for the concert. As long as the conductor comes out and stands on the podium, the audience should be quiet. But we often have a lot of voices here, and cell phones and pagers come and go. 1996 At the end of May, it was Sabar who brought the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra. On the first day, he performed in the Great Hall of the People. After he came out, many viewers remained the same. He stood on the platform, turned to look at the noisy audience several times, and once left the platform altogether. The conductor of the band should "conduct" with the audience, so it is very characteristic of China to hold a concert. When the conductor raises the baton, the audience who are late will stand at the door and wait until the first movement or piece of music is over before entering. This is the rule of all concerts in other parts of the world. This is what we asked for on the plane ticket. However, it seems that the management of the Great Hall of the People has not informed its men and women night watchman of this provision so far. They let all the latecomers in, and I also saw them enthusiastically pointing out the mountains and rivers for the latecomers, helping the old and taking care of the young, providing services in place, and keeping the aisles flowing.
Of course, many years ago, the opera was not so quiet at the beginning, so there was a prelude. Teacher Zhong's youngest son, Acheng, said in The Venetian Diary that "the opening gongs and drums of China opera have the same early function as the overture of Italian opera, which is to suppress the noisy voices of the audience and remind the drama to start ...". Now everyone has formed a good and accepted habit in communication: the audience should be quiet in the music. It is said that there was a "battle" between players and individual travelers in Shenzhen: on that day, violin soloist Lv Siqing was more serious. As long as there is a mobile phone and a BB machine ringing below, he will put down the violin and stop playing. He stood there looking at the audience. When the audience was quiet, he set up the violin and pulled it from the beginning! This scene is too dramatic.
Then the problem comes: the interval between actions should not be applauded. In my opinion, this rule is difficult to implement, and it is most understandable to ignore or trample on it here. Because most people who come to the concert now are not so familiar with music, as long as the music comes to an abrupt end and people think it is over, they will take the initiative to applaud the performers according to their emotional reactions. In fact, the necessary condition to follow this rule is not how high the music level is, nor do you need to have a good idea of the works performed on the stage. As long as you have a little general cultivation, know the truth that when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and know that you should not clap between actions in general-just clap behind others' backs when they know what to do.
If it is common sense that there is no need to clap between actions, then it is common sense that there should be no talking and the sound of mobile phones and pagers during the performance, and there is no need to be a member of * * * to cultivate. Sometimes even better. Lang Lang and the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra led us on the stage that day. Two or three men and women who were late behind me actually quarreled about whether to invite the "audience" who had already occupied their seats first!
Finally, after the songs specified in the program are sung, you can applaud for the extra performances and repay them. This is the evaluation and encouragement of the band's performance level, and it may also be the satisfaction of our own unfinished business. More broadly speaking, this is a dialogue between us and musicians, and it is a routine ceremony of social activities. Applause is the rule, but extra performances are not the rule. When the conductor is unwilling or unhappy, they can also not play. As far as the concerts I have heard are concerned, Tang Muhai doesn't like extra performances. Just now it was mentioned that the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra 1996 performed in the Great Hall of the People, but Sabar Shi did not perform. Not because you are angry, but if you are listening to an opera, a concert for one person or several people, clapping and returning are the tacit rules of the game. Two days ago, because the audience in front of the Wumen Three Boys High School concert was not very enthusiastic-I don't know if it was because there were more spectators giving tickets and fewer experts and real fans-the three singers didn't get any response, and even the tracks indicated in the program almost fell off. According to the newspaper, China's songs were originally prepared. Probably because no one cheered, they also gave up.
The following article is about the etiquette of enjoying music.
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How do we view the differences in cultural customs?
What if I can't do these rules well for a while?
Of course, there are some realities. Our audience here has some China characteristics. Music literacy is not very high, and people who usually make money are not punctual. Why should they be punctual when they spend money on concerts? Compared with the usual restaurants, public meetings and make a scene, we have been restrained and panicked when we entered the concert hall. We are also asked to turn off all mobile phones and pagers, and we are also asked not to clap casually when the music stops. How do I know which is the interval between actions and which is the elegant ending?
Some of them are unreasonable, which is determined by material reality and has little to do with cultural literacy. The Great Hall of the People is big enough to hold 200 people. If you perform in the Beijing Concert Hall, you have to sit hundreds of people. If the appearance fees of the three tenors are charged according to the organizer's method, wouldn't the ticket price be sold to $ 10000? Then the music will return to the nobility. When will we ordinary music lovers hear it? However, in the Great Hall of the People, it is a big event for tens of thousands of people to enter, and punctuality is a difficult task. In the middle of the performance, one or two of the 10,000 people have to answer the mobile phone BB at any time, so the other audience must "listen to cricket".
But that's not our excuse. Many things can be done. From the organizer's point of view, don't let Sabar have already started beating gongs, and tickets are still being sold here. I was told that I would be late. Since a parking lot has been opened in the holy land of Tiananmen Square, let all the cars park in it. Don't let the later car turn into a headless fly, drive around the Great Hall. If he does this, he is sure to be late. The audience has no common sense about the concert, and the organizer knows it. Late comers must wait until the end of a movement or the first piece of music before they can enter the stadium. This requirement is also quoted in the tickets. However, the organizers just refused to make it clear to their gatekeepers, which allowed them to take the late old ladies and gentlemen everywhere.
From the audience, first of all, it's not about our musical literacy. As long as he goes to the concert, even if he has never heard dvorak's music, he always knows that quarreling at the concert is a gesture that sweeps the world. If you are three or five minutes late, it's because of the traffic jam. But it has been more than half an hour since the concert started, and we are still looking for seats there. Can we still call it being late? The cultivation of habits has a process. We have been listening to symphonies for more than 20 years since 1979 when Seiji Ozawa took Boston Symphony Orchestra to perform in Beijing Hongta Auditorium. After more than 20 years, the audience in Beijing as a whole is still so unruly. Our study is too slow. I don't think this is because we are stupid, because many other things have proved many times that Beijingers are not so stupid, making big money, corrupting and developing high technology. Five stresses, four beauties and three loves, our learning creativity is absolutely enough. It's Pavarotti. We have been listening for more than ten years. I sometimes wonder whether Pavarotti is worried that Peking man's progress is too slow to listen to opera and will not behave like this, from the performance of 1987 at Tianqiao Theater to the Wumen Square at 200 1. In fact, it is not a question of musical accomplishment at first, but a question of common sense and whether you are willing to abide by the rules. Nowadays, mobile phones have vibration function. If it is really necessary to urgently summon the central leaders to discuss state affairs at any time, it is no problem to put a vibration block. I think it still depends on whether the organizers and participants have the desire to abide by the rules, whether they are motivated, and whether they respect other people's ideas.
Of course, there is another way, that is, simply developing China characteristics. What is gentle and honest, and what kind of gentle country, as long as you come and go, will turn into northwest wind and become a sandstorm on the loess high slope. As long as the symphony is performed in China, as long as you think it is well performed, you applaud. You can be late if you like between performances, leave early if you want, and sell melon seeds when you leave the venue. What if the mobile phone and BBs ring a few times? China is a developing country, and everyone is very busy. The rules are not made by people. What's the point? But when I think about this idea, I really can't think of it. Some small things seem unreasonable, but behind the small truth is the big truth. For example, when it comes to this concert, if we from the organizer to the audience think that we should focus on me and develop a symphony concert with Beijing characteristics, then you should at least make it clear to others in advance that it is such a thing to come to our place to hold a concert. Do you like it or not? I'm worried that if I make it clear to people, even if the appearance fee is high, not many people will come. I'm also worried that people will have to pay more for their appearance. Because people will say that going there to perform is a battlefield art troupe, and it is necessary to perform while playing.
Another way is to follow the existing rituals as long as you make a symphony. If we want to cross our legs, knock melon seeds and fly towels everywhere, we will go directly to restore the old theater. If you sing well, give it a good listen, show your timidity and call a favor in time. It's fun, it's programming, it's emotional. However, if you want to play a symphony, you should follow the accepted practice and don't combine it with domestic practice at will.
The head here is a self-disciplined mentality. Sometimes, the rules are complicated, but since you are playing this game, you should abide by them. In fact, I once understood this truth when I was in kindergarten. People jump houses, attack cities and play hide and seek. If I make another dish, they won't take me to play. If you brag all day that I want to play beyond the limit, people won't play any games with you.
Only with a disciplined attitude can we advocate art. Arty is actually a good suggestion. I don't know whether the music is over or the movement is over. Don't take me as the center, don't follow others casually, and wait for others to know what to do before following up. There's nothing shameful about being three seconds slow at this time.
Leaders should make a good start.
What I am talking about here is not that leaders attach importance to it, and they will not relax once they grasp it. I mean, leaders should not lead a bad head. Of course, it is better to lead everyone to civilization. On that day in Wumen Square, the three tenors were at halftime and the chorus had already started. At this time, a group of leaders came late. One of them seems to be Ms. Wu Yi who is famous for listening to classical music. Don't come before the opening, don't come at halftime, you have to come. You have to wait until the intermission is over and people begin to perform. I don't doubt that leaders have high musical literacy, but they seem to lack a common mentality, a mentality of being polite when in Rome, and a mentality of obeying rules. A leader with this mentality will not talk to others about entering the GATT easily, so I think he will talk for more rounds. Of course, it may also be the responsibility of the office under the leadership. Then I will be bolder. I can criticize a few words: your level is too low. Arrange leadership activities and let leaders embarrass you in front of the people and the world. What should you do?
Why do you think of talking about leadership? Because I found a strange phenomenon. The order of listening to concerts is the slowest in Beijing. According to the truth, there are many music performances and leaders here, and the cultural level of the people is not lower than that of other places. In addition to the material factors such as the large performance venue, I think the human factor is the first. There are many people here who are arrogant, dare to despise common rules, like to find a sense of maverick arrogance, and there are also many men who engage in small country cultural chauvinism. More or less related to the official standard culture. There are many free tickets and many laymen. I saw with my own eyes that a row of seats were all an office or a family. Such an audience is easy to be around when performing, and it is easy to feel the feeling of listening hall. It is also these areas that draw the most lots halfway. Interestingly, the complimentary tickets are all front row seats, so the visiting orchestra saw the performances of these audiences for the first time. Seven years later, Beijing will host the Olympic Games and build tall buildings. We only have money and migrant workers just around the corner. However, what kind of spirit we greet our guests with, whether we have a normal mind to abide by the rules, and whether we have any intention to do things and talk about the rules, all of which can not be piled up immediately with money.
Again, what mountains to go to, what songs to sing, in the country, do as the Romans do. If we are going to listen to rock, of course, we don't need to care so much. I want to emphasize that I like listening to symphonies very much, but I still can't hear that symphony music and opera are more serious and elegant than rock and roll. So far, I haven't seen any difference in morality, ideals and sentiments between the two audiences. I just want to say that chess is the rule of chess and Go is the rule of Go. Don't be confused.
(Hao Jian film theorist)