Stephen Hough is cheered by BBC Radio 3's decision to broadcast hundreds of live concerts per year:
Concerts have a sense of danger about them which a CD can never match. It’s not just a matter of “will she forget, or make a terrible mistake, or walk off the stage?”, but the more subtle and profound risks of interpretative freedom – hearing a piece played as it’s never been played before. To be able to share in such creative moments, as they actually happen, whether in the hall or on the radio, is hugely exciting. The crackle of the audience’s conversation, dropping down in an expectant diminuendo as the lights go down and the conductor walks on stage, is one of those magical rituals that cannot happen elsewhere and which never fails to thrill.
Better than a CD, I'm sure. I find that recordings, due to their inevitable requirements for technical perfection, are generally very mechanical and lacking in expression. An unfortunate side-effect is that audiences, who listen to recordings a lot more than live music, come to concerts with the expectation of hearing inexpressive performances, and performers unfortunately regularly satisfy this expectation. Let's hope that doesn't undermine this project.
Anyway, even though a broadcast of a live performance is better than a CD, I think there's still one critical element missing: the visual. Watching a performer or ensemble play or sing or conduct connects the listener to the music in a more complete way. There's a reason that music videos have overwhelmed radio in the younger set.
Aside from the absence of distractions, there's a physicality to performing which changes (hopefully for the better) the listener's impression of the performance. I went to a high school performance recently including hundreds of students and dozens of faculty members in a custom-written "musical" consisting mainly of medleys of pop songs sung in unison. The acting and singing were nothing special, but the energy and enthusiasm were compelling, and I enjoyed the entire thing. If I'd heard a recording, I'd have been bored out my mind.
I'm always disappointed when I go to a YouTube video of a choral performance and find that there's just a static picture rather than an actual video, and I'm not a TV-watcher at all. But for all that, the BBC announcement is good news. Maybe some of the corporate-bland American media will make the same change (ROFL!).
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