Over-familiarity often breeds contempt, but in the case of
classical music, unfamiliarity can produce its own share of
disdain.
In today’s world, classical music has faded out of the
picture with a marginal audience base. The perceived need for prior
knowledge of the genre doesn’t help make classical music more
accessible. But the UCLA Music Department hopes to attract people
through free concerts like today’s Conductor’s
Orchestra Concert in Schoenberg Hall auditorium at 8 p.m.
“I never thought of (classical music) as a dying art, but
it’s a struggle,” Thea Kano said. “For example, I
teach middle and high school, and I know it’s definitely an
uphill battle to keep it in (the students’) ears.”
Kano is among six graduate music students who will conduct an
orchestra consisting of mostly non-music students. According to
Kano, the students go through auditions to be in this orchestra
“workshop,” where they will receive two units upon
completion.
The concert also fulfills an academic requirement for the six
choral conductors who study under Professor Donald Neuen. After a
quarter’s work, the orchestra is ready to perform Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, known as
“Jupiter,” and Frédéric Chopin’s Piano
Concerto No. 1, featuring pianist Dan Yu.
“What makes this concert special is that the orchestra
members are mainly non-music major students who play
instruments,” Yu said. “There are students from math
and business economics and science.”
The number of conductors is also an interesting departure from
normal concerts. Usually, one conductor is responsible for one
symphony or concerto. In this concert, almost every movement has a
different conductor.
“As an audience member, it would be very fascinating to
sit there and see different conductors come through one by
one,” Kano said.
For Yu, a third-year music student specializing in piano
performance, the event is more than just a course requirement for
conductors and performers. Yu is a classical music die-hard who
sees the concert as another opportunity to introduce the wonders of
classical music to the uninitiated.
“Classical music back then was pop music,” Yu said.
“It’s timeless. That’s why it’s classic.
People today just need to be introduced to it.”
Yu himself is an example of how a person unfamiliar with Mozart
or Chopin can develop into a pianist by trade. Born in China, Yu
was ten years old by the time he started playing the piano, a late
start by piano virtuoso standards. However, he made up for lost
time, especially after moving to the United States in 1997, thanks
to his fondness for the music.
“Classical music has a lot of stereotypes,” Yu said.
“People think it’s boring, old and ancient, but Chopin
was our age when he wrote (Piano Concerto No. 1),” Yu said.
“The music was fresh and young. It wasn’t an old man
writing boring music.”
After graduating, Yu will take a shot at a solo career. To those
who question his choice to be a music student, Yu replies that he
believes music in general is too often slighted as a field of study
and perceived as an aimless pursuit.
“We don’t focus on music because we think it has no
practical value,” Yu said. “Music is for entertainment
purposes, but it also has a deeper meaning.”
“Nobody knows why a major chord sounds more positive than
a minor chord,” Yu added. “Why do certain sounds bother
you? It’s unexplainable. It’s just in you.”