I have to admit, I'm fairly new in the classical music scene here in Metro Manila. That doesn't mean I can't empathize in the pet peeves of tenured concert-goers, however. And although I've yet to see every antic, the inconsiderate rowdiness of some audiences alone can strike a nerve.
Too bad I can't bitch slap them garrulous mouths right then and there.
In a Facebook note, PPO conductor Maestro Olivier Ochanine took the words right out of my mouth and straightforwardly expressed what needed to be expressed. He spoke not only for himself, but for everyone who loves music and enjoys the ineffable purity of a great live performance.
Read, and be informed.
I've had it. Enough is enough. Time for some frank and blunt words. And before some people accuse me of being a non-Filipino jerk who likes to complain about a culture of which he is not originally a part, let's understand one thing: music (or the arts), to which this pertains, is not specifically about the Philippines, or any other country. It is about humanity and the need for all of us to express ourselves. And, just like the need to express ourselves, we have the need to experience others expressing themselves. It's part of a civil society!
Here is the dilemma:
Before moving to Manila, I was a regular concertgoer, whether it was to hear the LA Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, or even university groups and soloists. It was necessary for me; I needed it in order to feel fulfilled and healthy. This is not so say that concerts were attended solely by well behaved concertgoers; we've always had our share of candywrapper folks and chronic coughers. But - at least - once you were seated, it was pretty impossible to leave the hall, and it certainly was impossible to interrupt a performance by entering in the middle of it. This was because ushers were decently trained, which means they refused entry to anyone that was late - no exceptions. It was also because people understood the concept of respecting the performance atmosphere, from performer to fellow audience. Like I said, there were some exceptions, but overall, it was enjoyable to attend concerts.
Here are my blunt words, which some in Manila will not like to read; I imagine, however, that those who respect music and need it in order to breathe feel exactly the same way I do. If they do not feel this way, I presume they are part of the problem.
ATTENDING ROWDY CONCERTS
As long as I've lived in Manila, it has been virtually impossible to attend a concert or theater production (plays/musicals) wherein I was truly able to immerse myself in the experience. It never has failed; people talking like they are at a bar, people casually walking in and out of the performance venue multiple times as if they were in their living room, or cell phones going off. I'll never forget a performance by Rachelle Gerodias and Arthur Espiritu a couple years back, during which a cell phone alarm kept going off for several minutes without the owner doing a thing about it!! This even happened three times before finally an audience member yelled 'would the idiot with the cell phone please turn the thing off or leave!!?'.
Have we lost our marbles? Or just a sense of decency and respect for our fellow human beings? I'm not even referring solely to respect for the performers, but also for the audience members who have come to experience the most sublime of communication - music.
Earlier today, I attended a performance during which I experienced all the following:
1. some woman unwrapping her candy over the course of 3 minutes, not even caring to do it under her legs or inside her purse - just right in the open!
2. a young man (in VERY casual shorts) walking in and out in the middle of a serene musical moment on stage, as if he was king
3. a videographer who constantly stepped up on a squeaky ladder to monitor her recording (in the front row, mind you!)
4. hordes of people being allowed to enter in the middle of a Chopin piano concerto, slamming their seats down and giggling as they settled in
Why does this all anger me? Simple. It happens at EVERY performance I attend, and my need for cultural fulfillment is at an all time low. Recently, I attended a performance of the Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra in Taipei's national concert hall, and that really helped me a little to regain some sanity.
What really angers me with all of this though? This problem can and should be fixed in the schools, and yet all recitals I've attended at UP, UST and some other schools have the same atmosphere. I find that music teachers should not be allowing this to happen. How can we teach music students the importance of making music and not simply playing notes when we do not enforce the necessity for a conducive performance environment? If we expect the public to respect our performers, we must teach our performers to respect each other, starting at the college level if not before.
ELITISM VERSUS RESPECT
Am I preaching that classical music or theater should promote an aura of elitism? Absolutely not. What I believe is that, for far too long, we have associated respect with elitism. Attending a performance and respecting those who are working so hard to bring us the experience is a FAR CRY from acting elitist!
It is too easy to play victim here. The simple fact is that we as a society, whether in Manila or elsewhere, are losing respect for one another. We take each other for granted. Modern technology is probably the biggest culprit (decimating our attention spans and erasing our personalities). However, as hard as it can be for us to sit still during a performance, let's always remember that these difficulties can be tenfold as a performer on stage. Let's add to that a disruptive audience who cares not at all for the energy that should be shared between performer and audience, and we have a lost performance. Sure, we have notes. But when did notes ever move us? Believe me, they never do. Notes mean nothing. Music means everything, and without the right energy, aura and personality, music does not exist.
Performing artists require a very particular type of focus. This is not the focus we need when driving a car, or reading a book. This is completely different altogether. Interpreting a work, whether musical or theatrical, requires either complete silence (if we perform for ourselves) or complete silence plus a shared energy. When we respect our performers by sitting still and sharing the moment with them, we are respecting the hours, days and months they have put into breathing life into the notes or words at hand. When we do any of the things listed above, we are spitting in their face, crapping on their talent, and tearing down the construct of a civilized society little by little.
I want to mention another aspect of respect as well. In general, Filipinos are very respectful of their elders. The word 'po' is used for those who are older, and this is a culture that respects older people more than almost any culture I've encountered. That is superb, in my opinion.
But what of those who are no longer living? Should we not respect them, too? This goes also for composers whose works we perform. Dead or alive, composers deserve a respectful audience.
ENERGY BEGETS ENERGY
For those who are new to the concept of shared energy in performances, or for those who need a refresher, let me state it simply. When we are good audience members (i.e. being still, quiet and listening carefully), we become a part of the performance! There are performances, by the way, that at times benefit from participative audiences, such as pop music, or holiday concerts, among others.
As a conductor, flutist and contrabassist, I have performed countless times in my life, for all sorts of crowds. My most memorable experiences have not necessarily been the biggest crowds or the best halls in which I performed. They have been the performances for audiences whose energy interacted with mine to create something indescribable. For classical music, even the quietest audiences have a certain energy that a performer feels, and from which the performer can gather a cyclic energy that helps the performance.
Cell phones can kill a performance. During a performance of Mahler's 9th Symphony at the New York Philharmonic, a cell phone near the front row was going off. The symphony was stopped and they had to start up again. Even if conductor Alan Gilbert had decided to continue in the symphony, the moment had been killed.
WHAT MUST BE DONE
You see, this happens all over the world. I'm certainly not implying that Manila is unique to this. What I am stating is that the schools must work to fix this very real problem, because otherwise music in Manila will never be taken seriously, or be as intimate as it can be; if musicians do not take each other seriously, how will the public?
As a proud Manila inhabitant for the past three years, I want the best for the arts community here. Those who have read my writings know that I think very highly of the talent pool in the country and that I yearn for a better outlet for all Filipinos to express themselves, develop their talents and share their talents with the rest of the world.
I beseech the schools to work toward solving the problem of shabby performance environments. The rudiments of music include proper etiquette, both as a performer and as a concert goer. Part of the curriculum must delve into this aspect. Even the performers must be taught the crucial elements - i.e. leave your music on your stand after performing and first acknowledge your audience. I am told the late Erlinda Fule, dean of the UST school of music, was notorious for locking the doors of the performance venues after concerts had started. That's the spirit! What has happened since her reign?
If the schools can focus on the absolute importance of respect, we will go a long way here in Manila toward elevating our artists.
What else can be done? Usherings services must be improved. Very simply put, latecomers must not be allowed in! We are teaching people that coming late to performances is very acceptable. NO MORE!
'Filipino time' (which Filipinos do not mind mentioning all the time, even if jokingly) has no place in the performance venue. The performer made sure to start on time, and audience members better make sure to be there at the beginning or wait until after intermission or at least between major works. We can all be late (emergencies happen), but ushers should not allow us in during the middle of a performance.
SUMMATION
I hope my readers do not take offense. As I said at the beginning, those who do are quite possibly those who do not feel as passionately about music or the arts as I do (or as many of my colleagues do, for that matter). Let's stop being selfish; let's respect one another and feed positive energy into each performance we attend.
I also hope the schools will take note and take this a little more seriously.
