It seems only appropriate that during Golden Week–the week so named for the success of the movie industry–HPAC would perform a concert of music from the manga-inspired anime and live TV series, Nodame Contabile. While I'm not personally privy, I understand that the show follows the lives of two music conservatory students, a romance and comedy of sorts. I was once in music conservatory; it is the stuff of anime dreams.
The show is highly popular and I find this wonderful and intriguing. If it is anything like our performance, the musicians become heroes in their own meta-narrative and the music becomes the object of fascination. As the cello section played one of the first themes in the Tannhauser Overture, our names appeared on the screen above us followed by a picture of us in rehearsal from two days before. A clarinet solo and violin duet, among others, received similar treatment. During the Dvorak New World Symphony, excerpts of the score were shown on the screen so as to give the audience a visual reference point for the themes that they could hear.
What is going on here? I'm curious about the popularity of the program and also the design of this concert. Could this be a way to personalize the musicians to the audience through the roles we play in the orchestra and the music we perform? Is it educational? Is it pop culture or elitist? As we explored creative ways to present concerts in America, I wonder how this sort of thing would work with an audience across the ocean. What is it that makes classical music worth listening to? Why do audiences come and is it the same reason for everyone?
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