On Jul 8, 2007, at 10:00 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
message: 7
date: Sun, 8 Jul 2007 17:12:06 +0100
from: "Jonathan West" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
subject: RE: [Hornlist] re: National Symphony and "the year 1812"
An orchestra over here was denied permission to perform the 1812
Overture
because the hall's health and safety officer was concerned that
the cannon
effects might precipitate heart attacks in the audience.
I remember a story my parents once told me of a performance of 1812
they
played in about 40 years ago, in Brent Town Hall in London. Cannon and
mortar effects were banned as a result of a local bye-law prohibiting
explosive materials inside the building.
A microphone for the PA system was placed inside one of the timps
instead!
Regards
Jonathan West
Despite all the fun, I know at least two people who have suffered ear
damage during 1812 performances at 4th of July or outdoor pops
concerts. Apparently there is nothing like the enthusiasm some have
for pyrotechnics, explosives, battle reenactments, or, as one
particularly insensitive "expert" proclaimed as his specialty, "FX,"
or special effects. A number of years ago I contracted such an "1812"
3rd of July concert with my Mozart orchestra- slightly souped up, as
you might imagine- at the Greek Theater in Berkeley CA and the "FX"
people (a group we had never worked with before) had assured us that
all would be safe in their expert hands. I told them that we would
not have any explosives set anywhere near the orchestra and that they
had to be set well off stage behind a concrete wall. We did not have
a test in rehearsal because they were so sure of their expertise and
I was sure that the detonation wires led back behind the walls and
far away, which they did, when I went to dinner.
Well, during the dinner break, they proceeded to plant the charges
right in front of the main concrete wall that served as the shell,
right behind the bass section. The charges were now ON STAGE, right
in front of a concrete wall.
Nothing was noticed in the tangle of wires that fed microphones and
powered a "Laser Show"- in lieu of fireworks, which would have been a
fire hazard at that location- until the time came for the "cannons."
Then the loudest sounds I have ever heard ensued. The conductor tried
to wave the FX crew off but they took that as a sign for more and
improvised some extra shots. The conductor was freaking out and the
orchestra was in a state of disbelief- but still playing. I looked
over and the FX guys were laughing and high-fiveing each other. I was
surprised the orchestra kept playing. Players were ducking down and
covering their ears. Some, who were not in the direct line of fire,
just flinched and played on. For the only time in my life, I felt
like laughing- hysterically. The only thing I could think of as a
saving grace was that this was outdoors without a roof.
Honestly, in those moments- that seemed to go on forever- I was sure
that there WOULD be injuries. If not ear injuries, heart attacks or
powder burns. It was deafening. Earplugs saved some ears that night.
Imagine something like that going off about five feet behind your
head. As Garrison Keillor said, "most people who die at concerts are
killed by trumpet players." He forgot cannons, shotguns fired into
garbage cans and "juice cans" filled with gunpowder.
After the concert- which I finished standing back stage yelling at
the "FX" people- they told me that the repositioning of the "cans"
was a decision they had made for "artistic" reasons. They were also
"surprised" that I was so upset because they only used 1/4 charges,
instead of the 1/2 charges they had originally planned. Gee, thanks.
I was pretty sure at that point that they were actually deaf and only
pretended to hear anything you told them. .
We fired them on the spot, but before you wonder why we would bother,
they were scheduled to do a similar thing with us the next night at
another location. We also never paid them. They were lucky that no
one was hurt, because we would have been first in line to sue them.
As I walked out to the parking lot at least a half hour later- the
last to leave, as usual, for my Mozart concerts- they laughed as they
ran off another salvo of blasts that were even louder for an empty
amphitheater and nearby houses in the Berkeley hills. Just another
"boys night out" for the FX guys.
Little did i know then that another concert that night in San Jose
with my usual orchestra had actually injured two orchestra members.
That one had "real" cannons. In the haste and confusion of setting up
a rather large concert and crowd area in a downtown park, the cannons
ended up facing the wrong way, in a stereo "crossfire" kind of setup,
just behind and to the sides of the outdoor shell, which really
offered no protection. Earplugs were distributed, but after 1812 came
the Stars and Stripes, and some of the players apparently took the
plugs out for that- no cannons scheduled. The cannoneers decided a
few shots during that piece would be appropriate as well- what fun!
Result: two people have had some ringing in their ears ever since,
one very serious.
When I got home I had a bunch of messages on my answering machine. I
was sure they would be about our concert- with complaints and perhaps
injury reports- but they were all about the San Jose one. I couldn't
believe that something had happened that night that was worse than
what we had been through.
Frankly, I think this kind of thing and some of the other stories
posted only shows the low regard that some managements have for their
musicians. I'm sure a lot of it is unintentional, but more care
should be taken. I was embarrassed and ashamed that I had had any
part in what happened at my concert, even though it was the fault of
the "guest artists" and we did have earplugs. We had put on similar
concerts before with no problems (but not with "fx experts"). Just
think, it wasn't that long ago that we had no sound shields or decent
earplugs, and if you did have earplugs, you brought them and bought
them yourself.
The thing that turned it in SJS was when the famous "Sousa Imitator"
conductor that many of you have worked for, had a percussionist shoot
off a 45 caliber blank round during a pops rehearsal, inside a shell
with no warning, during a "Military" march. I felt the wax go down
into my ear canals. That was the end of indiscriminate loud noises in
the San Jose Symphony- and yet some people complain about union
contracts.
Well, gotta go. No more 4th of July concerts for me. Been there, done
that.
Sincerely,
Wendell Rider
For information about my book, "Real World Horn Playing", the DVD and
Regular and Internet Horn Lessons go to my website: http://
www.wendellworld.com
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