2 classical performances by a quartet in one afternoon: which to attend?

March 23, 2021 7:39 AM

Classical musicians: Our local chamber music society is hosting an outdoor string quartet concert next month that looks great (two 21st century and two classical pieces) but there are two performances of the program on the same day, 1pm and 3pm. In your experience, which performance is likely to be the most exciting? Is it dull for you to perform the same program twice in quick succession on the same day, so the first one would be better? Or is the second more likely to be looser, more assured after the warmup of the first?

I'm sure both will be enjoyable, just curious about the experience from the performer's end.

posted by mediareport to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

It’s going to vary based on many factors. How many rehearsals have they had before the performance? How far in advance have they gotten their music so they can practice? Have they played together before or are they a pick up group? For me if I have multiple shows in a day the first one is generally better because I’m more fresh, but I’m a brass player and fatigue sets in faster for us.

Excitement or boredom is going to be a personal thing, but when I’m playing a long run of shows I usually peak around the third show. After that I may begin to make small mistakes due to lack of focus or attention. This is only an issue during longer runs though, like 22 Nutcrackers in a row or a couple weeks of a Broadway show. I personally don’t become bored during a one day only performance of chamber music, especially if it involves 21st century music that I’ve never performed before.
posted by Kicky at 8:14 AM on March 23, 2021 [4 favorites]

I've spent much more time performing rock or jazz (very little classical performance since college), but spent a ton of time "behind the scenes" working sound for a wide variety of musical performances, very much including classical.

This is sort of a "cake or pie?" question from the musician's standpoint. (They're both good, and if you offered me one of each I wouldn't refuse.)

The first performance can have a certain intensity, as everyone is fresh and really concentrating on the material. Sometimes this all clicks with all the performers and that first show just captures lightning in a bottle.

The second will quite possibly be "looser" and more assured (don't discount the glass of wine the musicians may have had between shows), which often gives the musicians the confidence to try some subtle variations or changes to their performance compared to the first - "let's take that first movement just a touch slower", "I'll dig in a little harder in this section", "I'll play just a touch louder in measures 55-72", etc etc etc - and adding all that up can lead to a "better" second performance.

But as far as a guide for which to attend as an audience member?

Coin flip. Or both.
posted by soundguy99 at 8:51 AM on March 23, 2021 [4 favorites]

I performed in theatre and musicals for years and on two-show days both shows were usually good. As an actor I tend to prefer the later show because the audience is more reactive after dinner, and their laughter feeds the performers. For a classical concert I don’t think that would really apply though.

I agree with Soundguy99 that the earlier show would likely be more technically perfect and crisp; second show would likely be a bit more fun and loose.

At any rate, it’s most likely that both shows will absolutely be good; artists take pride in their work and generally deliver!

If you’re able to attend both, it might be fun to compare?
posted by nouvelle-personne at 9:15 AM on March 23, 2021 [5 favorites]

I would say that your question can't really be answered. Looseness versus getting warm, for instance, is very personal and since this is chamber music, group dynamics will play in that nobody can predict. The other question is also, how "warm" are the audiences at different times of the day?

I played two one-hour same-program harpsichord solo recitals last October on the same day (4 pm and 6 pm) for socially-distanced church audiences. Just talking of my experience, from the player's perspective, there were advantages to both occasions. Provided one is well prepared, the first round shouldn't be stiff, and there's certainly some fresh brand-new-experienceiness about it all; the second round offers the possibility for trying out new things (within the confines of abilities, style and musical text), which can (ideally) be feedback-loopy inspiring; but there might be some fatigue toward the end. Two concerts with all the gearing up is a lot to do on a day.
I wouldn't predict in any case that the musicians found the second round "dull".
posted by Namlit at 11:43 AM on March 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

It depends on whether the group is under-rehearsed or over-performed. I agree that the audience is probably not going to play a big role. One other factor is if the pieces are really long and/or have lots of fortissimo tutti sections, earlier would be better. But all things being equal, if it's a volunteer group or strictly local pros, my guess is that they're going to do better with the practice. Conversely, if they're very skilled pros and already comfortable or bored with the material, the first one might be better.
posted by wnissen at 2:10 PM on March 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks for the interesting answers. The group is definitely pro; here's the program, if that helps. Caroline Shaw, Jessie Montgomery, Haydn and Ravel.
posted by mediareport at 7:06 PM on March 23, 2021

That sounds like a wonderful concert. If it were me, and I had the time and money available, I'd go to both - I've missed live music so much and it would be interesting to mull over your questions as I listened each time. I suspect your questions aren't truly answerable, but that doesn't mean they're not interesting.
posted by altolinguistic at 6:48 AM on March 24, 2021

I think the one other factor is whether it will be a little physically warmer outdoors at 3 pm rather than 1 pm. If everybody's fingers are cold, that could make it a little harder to play as precisely as they want to.
posted by kristi at 4:51 PM on March 28, 2021