Without music life is unthinkable. Audience members and musicians are passionate about it, yet few people realize that decibels can be dangerous! Our world is toxically noisy and our hearing is jeopardized on a daily basis. The majority of cases of hearing loss and injury occur due to loud noise. There is no escaping the constant barrage of sound in our lives.

It’s not just “old people” who suffer. According to the American Medical Association, one in five teens are losing their hearing and cannot hear whispers, raindrops or consonants. Among college freshmen, 61% have hearing injuries.

This increase could be caused by frequent use of ear buds and headphones. We use them to hear the music we like to hear and to block out unwanted sounds. Unfortunately, we tend to crank the volume well above safe levels.

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Edward Elgar

Symphony No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 55

Musicians love audiences. The more of them there are, the merrier. Little do they know that they are as visible to us as we are to them. Audiences think that musicians are so immersed in their playing that we don’t notice their idiosyncratic behavior.

Audiences have personalities. In Minnesota perhaps in contrast to the harsh winters, audiences are nice. “Minnesota Nice” we call it. They applaud politely and unfailingly offer us an affable and self-conscious standing ovation. New York audiences are discerning but brusque. They listen with critical acumen; applaud with haste and then they dash out of the hall – a standing evacuation.

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The Minnesota Orchestra
Anton Bruckner

Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, WAB 104, “Romantic” (1888 version, ed. B. Korstvedt)

Beethoven

Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, “Choral”

Proms. The word brings to mind memories of parties past, giggling girls, corsages and hesitant dancers. In the music world, the BBC Proms is the ultimate party: the world’s largest classical music festival with close to 90 concerts packed into 58 days. There are an astounding 250,000 tickets available. Despite this huge number, an online waiting room is necessary. Hailing from 1895, the festival is more than a tradition. It is a birthright.

The BBC Proms festival takes place each summer in the Royal Albert Hall in London. The crowd is unique. Experienced, insightful listeners, they come in droves to hear orchestras from around the world and to root for their favorites. World-class performances are held each summer in the colossal red brick, round, multi-tiered structure, accommodating over four thousand people. In front of the stage on the main floor is the arena – a large concrete circular area, devoid of seats, reserved for a special breed of concertgoers.

These aficionados, or Prommers, vie for inexpensive tickets for the privilege of standing in this area flush to the stage, close to the musicians. Their tickets can only be purchased on the day of the concert. Long queues form, sometimes many hours prior to the performance. For a particularly outstanding performer or program they will even camp out overnight. There is a camaraderie among the Prommers that includes sharing food and drinks, as well as debating the latest performance. They jockey for position. Although there are 1,400 standing positions there is no guarantee of a special spot.

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Igor Stravinsky
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring – Dance of the Earth

Fryderyk Chopin
Chopin : Waltz in D major, op 64 “Minute”

Injuries among musicians occur mainly due to overuse. Repetition, excessive force, poor posture, awkward positions, and little respite from our wonderful profession when stirred into the mix, is a recipe for disaster. Half of the injuries seen in musicians are muscle/tendon overuse injuries. Other injuries that may occur include nerve entrapment injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Who among us has not heard of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)? It has become the malady of the twenty-first century – the computer user’s malady. CTS is common in non-musicians as well as instrumental musicians.
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Helmut Rilling
Bach : Mass in B minor

Edo de Waart
Minnesota Orchestra
MAHLER, G.: Symphony No. 1, “Titan”

Audiences regard the maestro with awe. Their god-like stance on the podium and their mesmerizing control over the musicians is the stuff of legend. Those ruthless dictators are beyond reproach, known for their demanding rehearsal techniques and brusque manner. But surely it is intimidating to stand before one hundred or so (sometimes hostile) musicians. Within one upbeat the performers size them up. Although their stance in front of the orchestra seems so majestic and commanding, they too have their foibles.

One of our beloved guest conductors, Helmut Rilling, is one of the world’s preeminent interpreters of Bach and the choral repertoire. We performed an unforgettable Bach B minor Mass with him. A diminutive man with a mild manner, he is unassuming off the podium and a bit absent-minded. I remember a Messiah performance at the Saint Paul Cathedral – a massive, ornate rotunda of marble and wood, adorned by stunning stained glass windows and oil paintings. The performance was packed. The first half of the concert went splendidly with gorgeous vocal solos and stylistically authentic string playing – not too much vibrato!
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When we think about the wonders of the world, we think in terms of natural marvels or edifices. Typically, we don’t think in these terms when we describe creative artists but Janos Starker, qualifies. Virtuoso cellist, master pedagogue, articulate advocate and visionary, Starker has had an extraordinary impact on cello playing and music making. He has performed on virtually every continent. His discography numbers over 165 works on a host of recording labels, and he has been a professor at Indiana University since 1958 holding the title of Distinguished Professor.

Starker was born in Budapest, Hungary – which certainly contributed to my father’s keen interest in my studying with him. Starker’s cello lessons began at age six, he was teaching by the time he was eight and he was performing at age eleven! I actually came across a photo of Starker as a little wunderkind, playing cello in short pants. I know my mother had a crush on him.

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Looking good, feeling good and sounding good are inextricably linked when it comes to playing our instruments. We strive to play with “good technique” but do we have the same commitment to play with good posture? Good posture helps our body function optimally, promoting efficiency of movement and stamina. When posture is “good” bones are properly aligned, and there is minimal strain on joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Musicians sometimes perpetuate what I call the jazz “look”. When we bend and twist, writhe and lean, does that really convey intensity or passion? These postures are risky for our bodies and our playing health. Long-term, they affect how we sound. Undesirable postures are those that load or put stress on joints in an uneven or asymmetrical way, due to awkward, fixed or stiff body positions.

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Las 4 Estaciones Portenas (The 4 Seasons of Buenos Aires)
(arr. L. Desyatnikov for violin and strings)

I have long had a love affair with Astor Piazzolla’s music. Several years ago I heard the wonderful recording of Le Grand Tango for cello and piano performed by Yo Yo Ma. Written in 1982 and dedicated to Russian cellist, Mistislav Rostropovitch it was premiered by him in 1990 in New Orleans.

I was transported by the piece and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the music to play it myself. I fell in love with the driving syncopated rhythms and the beautiful melodies, perfect for the soulful voice of the cello and The tango rhythm is simply an 8/8 common time signature, but it is transformed when it is grouped in three accented groups 3/3/2. It becomes passionate, unrelenting, unrestrained and the ending of Le Grand Tango leaves both the audience and the performers breathless.

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Mahler Symphony no. 1 in D major “Titan” (1888)

Non-musicians (civilians we call them) like to get behind the scenes. Sometimes they ask questions that surprise us, such as: “You play for a living — do they pay you for that?” or “What’s your day job?” or one I love especially — when I am home during the day practicing, and I answer a phone call — “Janet did I wake you?”

All of this prompts me to describe a couple of weeks we recently experienced that might shed some light on the rigors of orchestral life. While the time period I’ve chosen was unique, it included a tour to New York City still the musical and physical demands are those that symphony orchestra musicians encounter regularly.

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Ravel : Bolero

Sibelius : Oceanides

We musicians just want to make music. We are willing to self-destruct if need be. But the goal is to re-create great music with ease and expressiveness. It’s vital to keep in mind that our violins, cellos, flutes and trombones are only half the musical product. They can do nothing until they interact with our physical, emotional and very human beings.

It is now widely known that it can hurt to play. Playing too much, too intensely, over weeks, months and years can do cumulative damage. Perhaps right now you can launch into any concerto or difficult orchestral work, any time no problem, and pretty much nail everything. Due to a wear and tear in your muscles that occurs over time, however, you may become less able to do these things and you may be at a higher risk for injury. Overuse is a loose term applied to several conditions in which body tissues have been stressed beyond their biological limits. These disorders of the musculoskeletal system can affect bones, joints and such soft tissues as ligaments, tendons and muscles.

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