Today's concert was held at mid-day and it too was very well attended. Five distinguished musicians - 2 from the National Symphony Orchestra of Paris, 2 from the National Symphony of Bordeaux and the leader who plays with the Guardians de la Pays (a very high ranking State Military Musical Band) delighted the audience with " Music From the Movies". They started off with John Williams, which made me very proud that they started a French concert with an American composer and the leader also had many fine things to say about him too.
The next composer was Michael LeGrand, obviously French, but the piece they played was from an American movie.
And so it went, many composers from different countries but the music was written for an American film - everything from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" to "Saving Private Ryan".
It really is amazing how much we have contributed to the entertainment world through our films and the music that was written for them.
The leader of the group spoke about John Williams' genius as a composer but also his contribution to the field of music because of his use of symphonic orchestras. I didn't realize that he was the person who really started doing this and how important it was to add new life to symphony orchestras. But, if you think about it, it makes sense with all the cuts to the arts that we are witnessing and the age of the audiences at BB Mann Classical Concerts for example.
Another cultural difference: Here, young people are introduced to classical music at an early age. It is part of their culture and it is expected that they learn to enjoy it along with other types of music that they hear on radio or TV or whatever device they happen to be using. Certainly, it is not uncommon to see a much more diversified age group at a classical concert here than at home. When we first moved to Ft Myers, some twenty years ago, it was impossible to get tickets for the Symphony on Saturday evening. Concerts were held Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Now, there is just one performance and you rarely see any "new blood"!
