When listening to a song, do you ever wonder how it came to be? Do you wonder what exactly it is you are hearing – not just the basic information, but the reasoning behind each note?
These are the questions ProMusica Chamber Orchestra has been aiming to answer with its Naked Classics series. The series, which launched in fall 2016 and features two shows per season, takes audiences along as the orchestra deconstructs and explores the details of classic pieces of music.
The series is the brainchild of ProMusica Music Director David Danzmayr, who wanted to make classical music more approachable.
“We have a role and responsibility to our audience of creating access points for those who might want to come, but feel intimidated or don’t know how to act,” says Janet Chen, ProMusica executive director. “I think Naked Classics is a great entry point for those who want to get a feeling for different kinds of music. It’s for those people who are ready to have a deeper understanding rather than just enjoy it.”
Danzmayr knew just the right person to put together the series. He reached out to Scottish composer and educator Paul Rissmann. Rissmann has spent his career attempting to make music accessible for everyone, from music education for younger audiences to events for all ages.
“I think the world of classical music has so many misconceptions. People think, ‘The orchestra isn't for me, classical music isn’t for me,’” says Rissmann. “Some have maybe never attended or haven’t ever been pulled in. Here, the format really gets people interested.”
Naked Classics has a simple formula. During the first half of the event, Rissmann walks the audience through bits and pieces of the composer’s work, highlighting different aspects that add up to the full symphony.
“Music is a universal language, and Naked Classics is a wonderful way for anybody and everybody to come and not feel intimidated." - Chen
After intermission, the orchestra takes center stage and plays the entire piece, hoping the audience has new insight into, and appreciation for, the work.
“At most concerts, the music is literally thrown at you and you have no time to settle. With Naked Classics, half of it is settling into the music, whetting the appetite for your ears,” Rissmann says. “After the first half, you can feel the level of engagement from the audience. They are primed and ready to listen.”
The next Naked Classics show, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella, is set for April 6 at the Southern Theatre. It follows Beethoven 5, which was in October.
“Music is a universal language, and Naked Classics is a wonderful way for anybody and everybody to come and not feel intimidated. We’ve also noticed that more people come to our regular concerts thanks to Naked Classics,” says Chen. “We compare it to a cooking show. You watch a chef telling you ingredients and parts of the dish. It’s the same; we learn why this and this was put together. Unlike a cooking show where you can’t taste it, here you can hear it in its entirety.”
Lindsey Capritta is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Keeping You on Your Toes
The Naked Classics concerts would be nothing without a great piece of music to highlight. The next event showcases Igor Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella.”
Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer who came to prominence writing for the Ballet Russe company in the early 20th century. His most famous work was the revolutionary ballet The Rite of Spring in 1913. The experimental work was so shocking at the time that its premiere performance in Paris incited a riot in the theater.
“This is a guy who has been credited as being so forward-thinking, so visionary,” says Paul Rissmann, host of Naked Classics. “Stravinsky changed the world, and what do you do after you change the world? The answer was to work backwards. He looked at music from the past 200 years before him.”
This look backward developed into his ballet score, “Pulcinella,” which was based on an Italian play from 18th century, Quartre Polichinelles semblables (“Four identical Pulcinellas”).
“It’s fun for me, because this is some of the greatest music written for dance, but these incredible works are often performed as a static concert experience,” says Rissmann. “We hope to bring in the energy so that with the absence of dance you can really focus on what it is you’re hearing.”
“Pulcinella” premiered at the Paris Opera in 1920 with a prestigious crew, including original sets and costumes designed by Pablo Picasso. The score was the beginning of a new era for Stravinsky and his music.
“The unique thing Stravinsky did was he took a whole series of pieces from the 18th century and cloaked them in the 20th century,” says Rissmann. “In a way, the concert reflects on the past, but also completely looks toward the future.”
ProMusica Chamber Orchestra presents Naked Classics: Stravinsky’s Pulcinella
April 6, 8 p.m.
Southern Theatre
