Max Baillie, principal viola of the Aurora Orchestra, based in London, which has performed from memory. He says the challenge had a “remarkable effect on the whole ensemble.”
PLAYING Mark Allan
C
In August 2014, the Aurora Orchestra performed Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 at Royal Albert Hall in London, from memory. Nicholas Collon conducted.
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oncertgoers rarely think twice when a pianist or violinist plays without a printed score during a recital or as soloist with an orchestra. Tradition almost demands that these artists treat a performance as “a highwire act,” as former New York Times music critic Allan Kozinn once described the act of memorization in the concert hall. The feat, of course, extends to conductors who forgo the score even when leading something as massive as a Mahler symphony or—think the late Claudio Abbado or Lorin Maazel— an entire opera (Verdi, Wagner, Strauss, Mussorgsky, you name it). What audience members generally don’t expect is the sight of chamber groups or— is it possible?—orchestras doing their thing minus printed music, music stands, and, in certain instances, chairs. But more and more ensembles in recent years have been memorizing works they play, not as gimmicks to
show how brave and smart they are, but for artistic reasons and to connect more closely with audiences. It’s unlikely most symphony orchestras will be jumping on the memorization bandwagon anytime soon. Each season, orchestras perform a vast repertoire covering multiple composers and styles, all rehearsed on a tight schedule—and that doesn’t even factor in the many hours each musician spends at home practicing. Add to that equation the mammoth task of having each musician memorize an entire symphonic score, and then the extra rehearsal time needed to ready a piece for performance. All the practicalities—financial, time, and sheer brainpower—would make that impossible to do except on an occasional basis. Clearly, conductors and administrators are not about to start requesting that musicians learn certain pieces by heart. “Yikes!” you can hear string players exclaim. “Memorize all those tremolos in a Bruckner symphony?” Still, as part of the larger wave of experisymphony
WINTER 2016