DS “d’oh!”

Kathy and I face Friday mornings these days with a face full of free time, so unlike not so long ago, when Fridays made it paramount to getting al least a little work done before the weekend.  Every so often we’ll pick up after breakfast and head East to Dee-troit.  The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is a fine art museum, and every so other features an otherworldly artist, like Van Gogh, giving a wonderful chance to see some of that artist’s best works in a concentrated area (1).  But not far from the DIA on Woodward is Orchestra Hall also, on Woodward, a palace where the DSO has played since shortly after it’s early resurrection (2).  The DSO played its first concert in 1887, only to go slowly out of business until resurrected by a donations program run by some matrons of Detroit society; the new orchestra first played publicly in 1915 and occupied Orchestra Hall 4 years later.  The great building has gone through some changes, notably for a decade as the Paradise Theater, a venue that for 1941-1951 was as important for black jazz and R&B as the Apollo Theater in Harlem.  Renovations since have restored it to its former glory (3).             .

Now, Kathy and I absolutely love the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO).  The intonation and force of their brass ensemble is unparalleled and no orchestra is more disciplined.  Several of our little Chicago jaunts have strung around a CSO performance, and will continue to be.  But our little trip today got me going on some comparisons.  The spark was one of these “jamais vu” experiences expected from an aging brain.  I stood from my seat as I looked around in a pause between the first and second selections, looked around at the seats, balconies, and stage and figured “hey, I’ve got a concert to get home from.  How will I do that?”  Am I leaving from Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh?  The rescue light went on and I realized we’ re in Detroit.

The DSO parking lot is 41.2 miles from my house, quickly accessed by 44’ over a path that is almost all freeway.  Starting at my front step, Symphony Hall (CSO) is 244 miles away, 4 ½ hours of it on a nice train ride.  Google Maps says you can drive it in 3 hr 41’, but where’s the fun in that?  Surely none to be had when you’re playing bumper cars with all the others in the loop.  And what do you gain by the extra effort, time, and cost to come to the Windy City?  None will deny that CSO is among the nation’s 3 finest symphonies, along with NY Phil and Boston (4).  DSO’s still an up and comer.  But Detroit, not Chicago, has their toes dug more firmly in musical history.  Detroit Symphony had been playing publicly for 4 years before CSO launched in, although they rocketed higher, as the cadre of Chicago businessman seeking an orchestra for their town went and “bought” the best conductor available.  By 1904, Daniel Burnham (designer of Chicago’s “master plan”) had designed and built sumptuous Symphony Hall.  Alas, CSO and DSO have never had a battle of the bands.  Maybe they’re working on a home-and-home arrangement.  The DSO nearly saw its history vaporize in the 70s.  The building fell into such serious disrepair by 1970, word came that the once venerable hall would be demolished to make way for a department store.  Local citizens led by DSO bassoonist (and now Trustee) Paul Ganson rallied to save the building. Following a series of marches, several sidewalk performances, and tireless advocacy, the Save Orchestra Hall coalition of musicians, DSO fans, and concerned Detroiters successfully fended off the wrecking ball.  Efforts took over 20 years and cost $6 million, but by 1989, the DSO was back performing in Orchestra Hall.

So, going there is a marvelous experience.  So close and convenient to Ann Arbor.  Yeah, Hill Auditorium can pull in some world class acts, but the Hill wasn’t built for boomers who grew up to exceed 6’.  Many stubby Ann Arborites, so still many satisfied Hill customers.  Then these DSO matinees!  One thing by going, you’re assured that you’ll be most likely to be carded for a senior discount.  But you’ll meet a support staff proficient in handline stumbling, temporary confusion, and bathroom issues.  And no body-shaming.

Of course, designers of Orchestra Hall wanted you to sit in awe of the performance to come.  That happens, as you stare at that stage and with beautiful trim surrounding the “horseshoe”, probably unchanged in 105 years.

Symphony catalogues hit in fall.  But perusal usually hits only a few performances of interest.  Neither CSO nor DSO does full disclosure on it’s offering.  Today’s context caught us with the “Debussy/Rachmaninoff” pairing (1).  

We always love to hear of the faun’s afternoon and Rachmaninoff’s always good for a few fireworks.  DSO’s flautist lifted DeBussy’s faun for a light traipse through the sonic meadow, often suspended by threads as light as spiderwebs.  The Rachmaninoff was no holds barred, so I didn’t think he failed to omit a single instrument on the stage.

But a sandwich can’t be judged without its filling.  Director Jacobsen (who usually picks the program) chose to include: Dun Yun’s “Ears of the Book Co for Pipa and Orchestra”.  To show that we were being ripped away from Western Music, not only were exposed to the composer herself, a short stubby valley-girl equivalent wearing a polka dot black-on-white skirt and with platform white basketball shoes (5).  She promised “snapshots” instead of continuity, and surely delivered.  At least she didn’t sit around to conduct.  She kicky-skipped her way off the stage, but was followed by a countryman (at least by appearance), Wu Man, who was the maestro of the “pipa”, a stringed instrument some chunks larger than a lute (6).  As I watched Ms Man cradle the pipa to her spot on the stage, I turned to my wife and observed “Looks like a 2 man-lute!”

Her 2 little hands were all over that instrument for this section.  For me, string instruments either drive rhythm for a piece or keep it in the background.  Ms Man and her 13-37 strings tinkled away throughout.  The thing could use a pickup, but that would make it unauthentic.  At one juncture, I thought the picklings of the pipa were those of a marsh animal ready to get attacked by all the other instruments.  This seemed to occur without solution, and the pipa dominated the last measure.  Almost as if the non-Chinese bowed down to the Chinese.  I was waving’ no flags.

Even the last bars clarify what a pitiful piece this was.  At the very end, Wu Man was going nuts on the pipa, it settled down almost visibly to where you could see hand grooves on the stage to lift everything up.  It was like the orchestra was plying to keep her little butt plucking away!  And why? As we did get to a nice grove to the left, everybody paused.  It extended enough to the concertgoers who could could pray that the band had ended.  The band continued its pause, 

There’s more to this than getting annoyed with shitty music.  That’s a risk with any big symphony orchestra, who will want to slip in “new” music so it’s offerings might not seem stale.

But this is much different and please stick with me.  The composer of the featured piece is a Chinese Communist National; Du Yun is a Chinese National, alumna of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College (BM), and Harvard University (MA, PhD).  She’s tenured faculty at Johns Hopkins. She wrote this thing.

Do you see the conspiracy yet?  Can’t discern from the CSO website how much Chinese support they get.  They do have a number of Chinese nationals as key players.  Does the Red Dragon supply pressure to feature certain shows?   For sure you can make us put ‘em up, but we ain’t gonna like it.  There’s reason Thayrone Exington like to comment in the right situation “screwed up like Chinese music.”   Save us!  “Just say no” would be a good start.  Who knows what sublimable stuff they have buried.

China is our enemy.  Never forget!

References

1. Detroit Institute of Arts.  https://dia.org

2. Detroit Symphony Orchestra.  https://dia.org

3. Orchestra Hall.  https://www.dso.org/about-the-dso/our-history/orchestra-hall

4. Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  https://cso.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwwr6wBhBcEiwAfMEQswSbyOa_LZ7O0Ah3u0n7nWl5QOexnxpM0IhXV1R0DA8sj12TjVgEmxoCCEwQAvD_BwE

5. Du Yun.  Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute.  https://peabody.jhu.edu/faculty/du-yun/

6. Pipa.  Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.  https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/500625