Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra
The following article appeared in Podium Notes
section of the quarterly issue of the Conductors Guild in September, 1999.
On a warm Tuesday evening this past June, located
in a local synagogue high on a hill with the lights of Los Angeles twinkling
below, the Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra realized the fulfillment
of a dream -- a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
It was the result of many months hard work
and planning, eleven rehearsals, and the cooperation and collaboration of
two choral organizations. It was an extraordinary experience for all involved.
The decision to perform such a massive work
with a community organization was one that required many choices. The first
was that it was to be the sole work on the program. I then decided we should
do the first three movements, take a short intermission to allow the chorus
to enter, and then proceed with the last movement. Although this process broke
the music connection and tension between the third and fourth movements, it
served well more practical functions.
The orchestra was comprised of nearly 75 volunteer
musicians -- 15 stands of violins, 7 violas, 10 celli, 3 basses and full winds,
brass, and percussion. I found that there were many people in the community
who, with a little urging from friends, were more than willing to join us
for the first time because they wanted to play this particular work. Programming
can affect who you get to sit in your community orchestra! As far as a chorus,
I could not find a school or college chorus willing join us. It was either
too late in the year, or they were too busy, etc. So I decided to help create
a chorus out of two existing smaller ones. Following two leads, I spoke with
each of the choral directors, cajoling them as needed, and instilling confidence
in them that this could be done. Each group prepared separately, then both
joined the orchestra for our final four rehearsals. This worked quite well,
and each of the choral directors was pleased with the result.
My soloists were professionals from the LA
area who did the concert at fees far below anything they would normally accept,
primarily for the opportunity of performing this work and adding it to their
resume.
It was a very humbling experience to have done
this work. I learned a huge amount about the music, about sonorities, about
voices, and about conducting technique. Someone said to me that it was like
climbing a mountain. I agree. I felt like I was climbing Mt. Everest. But
perhaps the most gratifying part, beyond the wild enthusiasm of the audience,
was the response from the members of the orchestra and chorus. I received
an email from one of my violinists who said "I was surprised to find that
I was emotionally spent after the concert, and didn't really recover until
about noon on Wednesday. I don't think I've ever had the experience of playing
a piece of music that left me changed like that, almost as though I had somehow
become a part of the music and was just being used up as the piece progressed.
[Others] told me that [they] also had a similar experience. Quite an extraordinary
and unexpected feeling." I wonder how many professionals have had that
experience recently?
I believe it is so important for those of us
who conduct community and university orchestras to recognize the role we have
in "re-inventing" our audiences and orchestras in the coming years. Programming
Beethoven's 9th will not always be the silver bullet, but in this case, it
was truly an incomparable moment for everyone involved.
Ivan Shulman
Music Director
Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra