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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