Published 26th Nov 2006

By Karin Goodwin

EVELYN Glennie, one of Scotland's most prominent musicians, has issued an urgent call for all music industry figures to rethink how classical concerts are performed to stop audiences dwindling away.

In an open letter to music professionals, the solo percussionist, profoundly deaf since aged 12, raises "huge concerns" about the experience that orchestras are offering 21st century audiences.

Urging the need for debate, Glennie questions the traditional concert presentation, claiming that, while orchestras have all the right ingredients to make a great "cocktail", they have remained "sitting in a glass, needing to be shaken or stirred".

Comparing pop concerts with their classical equivalents, she asks why "a questionably talented teenager can fill a 50,000-seat stadium with top priced tickets when a hugely talented 100-piece orchestra struggles to fill 1000-2000 seat venues?"

"I will not sit idly on one side when there is an urgent need to rethink what and how we do things," the letter continues.

"The times have changed from when we could rely on a fresh audience turning to our activities in mid-life and the business model has changed immeasurably.

"We must continually reinvent what we do to remain fresh and appealing to our customers."

Lighting and sound effects, like those used frequently in the pop world, could enhance performances, insists Glennie, who is frustrated by the classical music industry's sense of superiority.

She calls on colleagues to put in more passion, to consider if the monochrome outfits of the orchestra - a throwback to the 19th century - are still relevant, and to stop warming up on stage, a practice not acceptable in theatre, ballet or opera.

"Despite the classical orchestras being perhaps the older of the arts we have not learnt new tricks," she adds.

"The pop world, theatre, dance and the graphic and written arts have all reinvented themselves and, where deserved, thrive.

"Is this old dog going to learn new tricks or should it be taken to the vet for that final, kind, last injection?"

The subject of the letter, originally written several months ago, is understood to be extremely close to her heart. A spokeswoman confirmed that though she has now posted it on her website, it would be made more widely available in the new year.

In recent years there has been widespread concern about falling audience numbers, with most orchestras developing outreach programmes to counter accusations of elitism.

Simon Woods, chief executive of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO), which this season introduced a raft of new measures including cheaper tickets, flexible concert timings, and the new Naked series, which explains the classics to the uninitiated, said he broadly agreed with Glennie's concerns.

"Our business has, for a long time, been living in an ivory tower and we have tended to be in denial about looking at things from an audience point of view," he said.

"Music is a great art, and so there has been a resistance to seeing ourselves as part of the entertainment industry. But, in terms of what we're competing against, that is the reality of the market."

However, Woods insisted there was a balance to be struck. "There will always be an audience for a great performance of Mahler's 9th performed in its bare musical majesty," he added.

Geoff Ellis, director of DF Concerts and the mastermind behind T in the Park, claimed Glennie's proposals could help open up the sector to a much broader audience.

"Some people say it's just about the music - but if it was they could stay at home and listen to a CD," he said.

"As the rock industry has known for decades, it's also about the theatre, the performance. Things like lights and visuals are not to mask the music, but to enhance it."

Cathy Boyd, director of Theatre Cryptic, who has been developing a system to create visuals "produced" by music for the last three years with the help of National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), said the issue of falling audiences had to be addressed.

"I think a lot of orchestras fear that they are going to lose their existing audiences if they do take this onboard, but they have got to take a gamble," she added.