Requisite Knowledge Level for Understanding (* being beginner, ***** being expert): * to ***
When purchasing recordings of a classical nature, there are a number of things to consider. From the obvious (e.g. which piece by which composer) to the specific (e.g. this performer's earlier or later recording of the work). Here are many different variables to consider when purchasing CDs, arranged from likelihood of importance to unimportance (import is first), and indeed some further down the line are essentially decided for you by virtue of availability and existence (and some of these variables will be discussed in depth in later posts, though summaries and helpful hints have been included below).
Note: If you are in a CD store, you will also likely see recordings in which it does not look like English is the first language these were intended to see (e.g. most of the words look German on it). Just try and muddle through as best you can; as far as these things go, if you think it means something, it probably means that (e.g. Tchaikovsky, as we normally see it, might be spelled Tschaikowsky; that's just how the Germans spell it, but you are in the right place).
Composer
Piece Title
Medium of Issue
Price
Ensemble/Performer
Conductor
Complete Piece vs. Suite/Selections
Publishing Edition of Piece
Modern vs. Period Instruments
Studio vs. Live
Year Recorded
Composer: This is the guy/gal who wrote the piece. Whether you are purchasing this on your own or at the advice of a friend, you probably already know this name. This is pretty simple, and I don't expect this to be a problem for you since you found this blog entry, but simply make sure this person's name (e.g. Beethoven), is on your purchase. The one thing to mention is to pay attention to first and last names as some families have had a great impact on music (e.g. J. S. Bach and C. P. E. Bach, or L. Mozart and W. A. Mozart), so if you're getting this because you have said to yourself "I want to listen to some Mozart", just make sure you're getting the right Mozart (in this case, you're probably looking for W. A. Mozart).
Piece Title: Again, not surprisingly, this is the name of the piece. Again, you likely already know that you are looking for a specific piece (e.g. the 5th Symphony), and thus this should not present you with any sort of problem either. If you do not know this (e.g. the person above who wants some Mozart but doesn't know much more than that), look around and see if you see the name of a particular piece on a number of recordings (popular ones include symphonies, e.g. Symphony No. 5 or Symphony No. 9), and that is probably a good place to start.
Medium of Issue: This is again something about which you probably will not need too much information. In fact, by virtue of going to a particular store, you have already probably come close to determining what medium it will be. This is simply whether you have gone to find a CD, a digital download, your traditional old LP records or whatever. Most common these days are of course CDs and digital downloads, though you will see some SACDs, DVDs-Audio, LPs if you can find them (and are usually in a used store) and some DVDs or Blu-Rays of actual live performances.
Price: This is what it costs, of course. Damage to the wallet. My least favourite aspect of buying anything. You will rarely see anything free, except for the occasional digital download on special. These will almost always be by some performer that no one has ever heard of. Again, not to say that this is a horrible performance of the music, but it is essentially guaranteed that it is not going to be the greatest.
Ensemble/Performer: This is information that you very well may or may not know. If you are a fan of a particular artist (e.g. Yo-Yo Ma) or ensemble (e.g. London Philharmonic Orchestra), you will know to look for that name. Elsewise, you may just know that you are looking for a specific piece (e.g. Beethoven's 5th Symphony) and more than that you do not know. If you are simply looking for a recording of a specific piece, you might not even look this far down on the list because you have found the cheapest one there and are already halfway out of the door. I would not necessarily recommend this, though I know your wallet might beg for it.
I would recommend purchasing a recording made by the more popular of classical performers if you are unsure. If it is a solo piece (concerto or chamber work) this person would probably have a lot of recordings listed under their name (e.g. Yo-Yo Ma or Martha Argerich). This is not to say that the recording by the person who has just one solo recording and it happens to be the piece for which you were looking is bad. It very well might be the next standard for that piece. However if you do not know much, and are looking for introductions into the music, this would be more of a gamble and could just as easily turn out to be a poor representation of this music.
If you are looking for ensemble works (e.g. full orchestra), you are probably going to want to go with an orchestra that has the name of one of the world's epic cities in it (e.g. Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, or London Symphony Orchestra), and they will probably have a quality performance inside. The one caveat I would indicate here is to hesitate where ever you see the word "festival" (e.g. Berlin Festival Orchestra). Again, not that this is necessarily a poor recording, it might be fantastic, but that these are generally ensembles thrown together by a bunch of musicians who happen to be in the same area at the same time during this city's whatever festival and made a recording together or a concert was recorded. Due to the flexible and indeterminate nature of these ensembles, these are often really cheap for licensing fees, and end up being really cheap in the store. However, these really do run the gambit from very poor to shockingly amazing as far as quality goes so you would really run a risk here unless you know for a fact that a specific recording is good.
Conductor: This is the person whose artistic vision generally controls the performance recorded. I would recommend to go with a name that you see on lots of recording around you if you're unfamiliar with conductors. Names like Herbert Von Karajan, Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Chailly, Valery Gergiev, Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado and James Levine are a just a few big name conductors out there. You will find that there are definite differences in their recordings (e.g. I generally dislike those by Daniel Barenboim but really enjoy those by Riccardo Chailly), but each of these conductors (and others I have not listed here) have enjoyed popular and lengthy performing and recording careers. You will also notice that these names tend to appear in front of and with other quality performers (e.g. Yo-Yo Ma, the Berlin Philharmonic).
One note would be that I like to find the recordings made with the composers of the pieces themselves at the conducting podium whenever possible (e.g. Aaron Copland conducting his own "Appalachian Spring"). This does not necessarily guarantee your favourite recording of the work, though you can pretty much bet that it will be a quality production, elsewise the conductor would not have allowed it to be mass produced, and I like to think (even if it is just my imagination, as it well may be) that maybe they were able to squeeze just a little more out of the orchestra for this recording since they know the piece so well, having written it themselves and said something maybe just a little deeper than other conductors might have done. But this is speculation at best, and even so I have noticed that it does not always mean that that will be my favourite recording of a piece.
Complete Piece vs. Suite/Selections: This is something that you may not know, especially if you are new to the classical world. All it means when it says "suite" is that these are selections from a larger work (e.g. "Carmen Suite" from the opera "Carmen"). Often these have no vocals (e.g. if a suite from an opera), leave out smaller and/or incidental parts of the music (often in a ballet suite), and really just generally hit the high points and popular melodies from the complete work. If your intent is to see whether you like the type and style of music, a suite would give you the general picture. If you are really intent upon discovering the music, though, the complete work is almost always how it was initially intended by the composer and usually is more cohesive (there do exist pieces that are "suites" that ARE complete intended works in and of themselves, but these are not too common, and you would not be able to find any recording other than the "suite" anyway).
Publishing Edition of Piece: If you are here and you already were not sure that you understood the last two, stop reading, go find the recording that looks the best to you and be happy. This gets specific enough to be for the aficionados. This would be relevant for pieces like "Petrushka" by Igor Stravinsky, which was initially published in 1910 - 1911 and then revised in 1947. There are some definite and distinct differences between the two editions of this piece, and it would interest the informed customer to know this information, however by and large the melodies et al would remain the same.
Modern vs. Period Instruments: This is relevant to compositions of the classical period and earlier (theoretically you could argue for earlier romantic compositions, but you will be hard pressed to find them anyway). Basically (and I will cover this one in particular in a later post) it just means were the instruments used in the recording modeled after instruments of the time that this piece was composed or the more modern ones that you will find in orchestras around the world. This would not change the piece's composition at all, but will likely change how it sounds. The simplest example to understand is the trumpet. Baroque trumpets had no valves. The modern ones do. Their sound is very distinct from each other and yet both sound like a trumpet. The baroque ones were incredibly limited in scope, though, so almost any piece composed in the last 150 years would be impossible on these instruments.
Studio vs. Live: This is fairly obvious in meaning, was the recording done in a studio, or was it captured live from a concert? Generally speaking, I prefer live concerts as they seem to have just that tiniest bit more energy and feeling behind them than you will find in studio recordings, but they bring other issues to the table, like a coughing man in the crowd or stage sounds (especially in opera recordings). Again, this will give you a wider variation in quality, though I generally find that the quality in live recordings tends towards the better rather than worse than studio. This is because most of the times these are performances specifically chosen out of a number of them of the same repertoire because of their excellence in quality. Again, this is not a guarantee, but I am generally confident in the quality of a live performance recommendation, particularly if quality performers (as mentioned above) are involved. Again, though, this is not to say that studio recordings are poor of quality, in fact, they are generally quite excellent, and do not run the risk of extraneous noises and so might be preferable for someone newly into the fold of classical music.
Year Recorded: This is a minute detail again probably only relevant to the true connoisseurs of classical music, but artists (e.g. Martha Argerich) might record the same music more than once over their career, bringing a different level of artistic depth and/or nuance to their performance. I hesitate greatly before saying whether you should prefer an earlier or later recording. One recorded in the artist's youth might have vitality and technique that the older one does not, while at the same time, the recording made at the later time in the artist's life might bespeak a greater emotional depth of knowledge of the piece (though it could be the opposite, with the newer recording by the older artist as a sort of proof of him/herself that they are still a virile and vital voice in the musical scene). Another reason for looking at the year the recording was made might be to notice changes over time in the orchestral performance. Take a version of "The Rite of Spring" for example, which Stravinsky conducted himself for recording before he died versus a version recorded recently by the San Fransisco Symphony Orchestra. Especially comparing mono to stereo to digital recordings can be interesting, too. A novice in this area would probably prefer to go with a more recent recording, say made in the last 30 years (recording technology has been good enough for long enough that you probably would not notice the difference between one recorded 30 years ago and one recorded yesterday unless you knew what to look for).
Friday, March 29, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Personal Preparation for your Concert
Requisite Knowledge Level for Understanding (* being beginner, ***** being expert): *
It is okay to do a little bit of research before your concert experience. Put a little effort into it. And right there, I probably lost some of you. You're thinking, "this is supposed to be a fun concert experience, where I go and listen to music, why do I need to do any work?" Don't think of it as work, though. Think of it as familiarizing yourself with the activity.
Things that you probably go to already: Basketball, Football or Baseball games. The movie theater. Other concerts of rock bands and pop artists. The funny thing is that we do not always realize how much we know about each of those activities before we go there. With sports, we probably know enough of the rules about how the game is played to know how and when to boo at the Referee/Umpire for making a bad call or when someone makes a particularly spectacular play. Often, too, you're familiar with the team's history, know what they will or will not have to do to make it to the playoffs, and you probably know the names of some of the key players on the team. When you actually go out to pay money to see a movie in the theater, you have almost certainly already seen a trailer for it, you might be familiar with the main story line (especially if it's a book adaptation), and probably have heard of most or all of the actors/actresses that are in the starring roles. When you go to a concert by your favourite band, you already have their albums, probably have the words to many of their songs memorized, you can name the lead singer and maybe even some of the names of the other members of the band.
So when you go to a classical concert, shouldn't you know a little bit about what's going on there? If you've never been to an orchestra concert before, maybe you thought that it would be just strings and didn't realize that there are woodwind and brass instruments that play, too. Knowing more about the following things will probably help you to enjoy your concert experience more. I will list some of the basic things that are good to know here below, but if you want to go further in depth than these, I would highly encourage it, and it can only add to your overall enjoyment of the concert. It might even give you something to talk about to the other patrons who are attending the event with you, or the people you meet there.
The Composer(s): Sometimes the concert will be all by the same composer (e.g. an all Beethoven program), sometimes, and more often, it will not. Knowing who wrote the pieces that are going to be performed on the concert will be a good way to prepare yourself for the pieces. Most easily, knowing the composer's name will help you determine when he/she lived and would then help you identify the probable era of music (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern, etc...). This is helpful because music from different eras can sound as different as a song by Metallica would sound from one by Justin Bieber, as there can be a larger or smaller orchestra, with more or fewer types of instruments performing, as well as different forms of composition that are used and knowing when a piece was written can often give a clue as to these things (earlier pieces are more likely to be performed by smaller ensembles with fewer distinct instruments).
The Types of Pieces: On rare occasions, the concert will be just one massive work that spans an hour and a half or so, but on most concerts, you will have at least two or three different works, sometimes more, and I have listed the most common varieties of these below.
A Symphony (e.g. Mozart's 40th) is usually a lengthy work, and probably gets its own half of the concert. A classical symphony (i.e. an early symphony in the time span of symphony compositions) will probably be shorter than a romantic or a later symphony (e.g. most of Mozart's are around or under one half hour, and Mahler's 3rd is one of the massive hour and a half works). It is best to familiarize yourself with the number and types of movements (typically four, though there is much variation in these).
A Concerto (e.g. Tchaikovsky's violin concerto) is a work for solo instrument(s) and ensemble (usually orchestra). This will almost always be a special soloist brought in by the orchestra to perform this specific piece to showcase his/her virtuosity (so it wouldn't hurt to read up on the soloist as well). It usually has three movements, a medium-fast, slow, and then fast. Sometimes it might showcase multiple musicians (e.g. violin and cello), though they most commonly feature just the one.
An Overture (e.g. Rossini's "The Barber of Seville") is a short symphonic work that usually is written to precede the performance of an opera/ballet/etc..., and many of these have become popular enough that they are performed in their own right, so knowing the general story behind that full work might help your enjoyment of the piece (though some overtures are just written as stand alone overtures, thus allowing you to imagine your own story).
A Symphonic Poem (e.g. Strauss's Don Juan) can be short or long (10 minutes to an hour), and generally has a story to tell. Sometimes they might go along with a specific poem or story (e.g. Dukas's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"), but just as often they'll be a stand alone piece with no specific story (e.g. Strauss's "Alpinesymphony"). These again allows your imagination to run free (here, either imagining the young magician experimenting with his master's wares, or in the alps of Austria, experiencing a tumultuous day in the mountain terrain).
Other types of works of which to be aware would be Ballets, Operas, Masses, Requiems and Oratorios. Specific parts of these pieces are frequently performed by orchestras, and on occasion, the whole piece (though with a full Opera, you would want to be aware of that beforehand, as you probably had to buy tickets specifically from an opera company for that).
The Form of a Composition: This often goes right along with the type of piece, and the movements of, for example, a Symphony or Concerto (which are forms in and of themselves) will often be simply titled with the type of form used. Knowing the form of composition used for piece again can help in forming expectations. Knowing the difference between Sonata Form or a Rondo would help you to identify main or key melodies or motifs. Other common forms include Theme and Variations, Fugues, Minuets and Waltzes (though this by no means covers all forms used). These forms are used within movements and will almost never carry from the beginning to the end of a piece with multiple movements. Knowledge of these is especially assistant with finding anchor points and ways to understand different sections of a piece or movement that approaches 20 minutes in length or longer as it can be easy to get lost amidst a long stretch of music.
The Orchestra: Knowing what instruments that will be there on stage, and what sounds that they make may sound elementary, but it is helpful. You may be an ace when it comes to identifying the sight and sound of a Piano. You are also probably familiar with a Violin or a Cello by sight (by the way, when you're at the concert, pay attention the fact that there are two very distinct sections of violinists) and you certainly know what a Trumpet sounds like. But maybe you're not sure what an Oboe looks and sounds like, and you might be surprised to learn not only that the English Horn and the French Horn probably won't be sitting next to each other, but also that they are completely different types of instruments (though this may not be as surprising when you consider the French and English history... ah, stories for another day). You may be surprised to learn all the different instruments that a Percussion player might be asked to play. Other relevant instruments that are good to know would be Violas, Basses, Trombones, Tubas, Clarinets, Flutes, Piccolos, Bassoons and Harps. There's also that funny guy up front called the Conductor, and it might be nice to know what he's doing there.
Now, I don't list all of this because I think you have to go into concerts able to spit out a bunch of facts or have the pieces memorized in order to enjoy them. Far from it. I've gone to concerts where I know nothing about the piece coming up and had never heard any pieces by that composer before and came out the other side thinking that that was an amazing experience. But if you think that you've got this concert ticket and you do not want to go the performance and be completely lost within five minutes, this is a great way to get started. Maybe you can also find your favourite instrument, the one that you think sounds really cool, and try to listen to what they do through the pieces. If you want to listen to a clip of the pieces beforehand so you have things to listen for, youtube's probably got them. Even if you've memorized the pieces, there are still new and wonderful things to hear at live concerts. They are so much more engaging than listening to a CD. I've been to performances of pieces that I have literally memorized from beginning to end and of which I have recordings that I deem to be the supreme, never to be surpassed recording of this piece, to find myself surprised and delighted with new and amazing parts of this piece. A little knowledge can go a long way towards making your concert experience a great one.
It is okay to do a little bit of research before your concert experience. Put a little effort into it. And right there, I probably lost some of you. You're thinking, "this is supposed to be a fun concert experience, where I go and listen to music, why do I need to do any work?" Don't think of it as work, though. Think of it as familiarizing yourself with the activity.
Things that you probably go to already: Basketball, Football or Baseball games. The movie theater. Other concerts of rock bands and pop artists. The funny thing is that we do not always realize how much we know about each of those activities before we go there. With sports, we probably know enough of the rules about how the game is played to know how and when to boo at the Referee/Umpire for making a bad call or when someone makes a particularly spectacular play. Often, too, you're familiar with the team's history, know what they will or will not have to do to make it to the playoffs, and you probably know the names of some of the key players on the team. When you actually go out to pay money to see a movie in the theater, you have almost certainly already seen a trailer for it, you might be familiar with the main story line (especially if it's a book adaptation), and probably have heard of most or all of the actors/actresses that are in the starring roles. When you go to a concert by your favourite band, you already have their albums, probably have the words to many of their songs memorized, you can name the lead singer and maybe even some of the names of the other members of the band.
So when you go to a classical concert, shouldn't you know a little bit about what's going on there? If you've never been to an orchestra concert before, maybe you thought that it would be just strings and didn't realize that there are woodwind and brass instruments that play, too. Knowing more about the following things will probably help you to enjoy your concert experience more. I will list some of the basic things that are good to know here below, but if you want to go further in depth than these, I would highly encourage it, and it can only add to your overall enjoyment of the concert. It might even give you something to talk about to the other patrons who are attending the event with you, or the people you meet there.
The Composer(s): Sometimes the concert will be all by the same composer (e.g. an all Beethoven program), sometimes, and more often, it will not. Knowing who wrote the pieces that are going to be performed on the concert will be a good way to prepare yourself for the pieces. Most easily, knowing the composer's name will help you determine when he/she lived and would then help you identify the probable era of music (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern, etc...). This is helpful because music from different eras can sound as different as a song by Metallica would sound from one by Justin Bieber, as there can be a larger or smaller orchestra, with more or fewer types of instruments performing, as well as different forms of composition that are used and knowing when a piece was written can often give a clue as to these things (earlier pieces are more likely to be performed by smaller ensembles with fewer distinct instruments).
The Types of Pieces: On rare occasions, the concert will be just one massive work that spans an hour and a half or so, but on most concerts, you will have at least two or three different works, sometimes more, and I have listed the most common varieties of these below.
A Symphony (e.g. Mozart's 40th) is usually a lengthy work, and probably gets its own half of the concert. A classical symphony (i.e. an early symphony in the time span of symphony compositions) will probably be shorter than a romantic or a later symphony (e.g. most of Mozart's are around or under one half hour, and Mahler's 3rd is one of the massive hour and a half works). It is best to familiarize yourself with the number and types of movements (typically four, though there is much variation in these).
A Concerto (e.g. Tchaikovsky's violin concerto) is a work for solo instrument(s) and ensemble (usually orchestra). This will almost always be a special soloist brought in by the orchestra to perform this specific piece to showcase his/her virtuosity (so it wouldn't hurt to read up on the soloist as well). It usually has three movements, a medium-fast, slow, and then fast. Sometimes it might showcase multiple musicians (e.g. violin and cello), though they most commonly feature just the one.
An Overture (e.g. Rossini's "The Barber of Seville") is a short symphonic work that usually is written to precede the performance of an opera/ballet/etc..., and many of these have become popular enough that they are performed in their own right, so knowing the general story behind that full work might help your enjoyment of the piece (though some overtures are just written as stand alone overtures, thus allowing you to imagine your own story).
A Symphonic Poem (e.g. Strauss's Don Juan) can be short or long (10 minutes to an hour), and generally has a story to tell. Sometimes they might go along with a specific poem or story (e.g. Dukas's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"), but just as often they'll be a stand alone piece with no specific story (e.g. Strauss's "Alpinesymphony"). These again allows your imagination to run free (here, either imagining the young magician experimenting with his master's wares, or in the alps of Austria, experiencing a tumultuous day in the mountain terrain).
Other types of works of which to be aware would be Ballets, Operas, Masses, Requiems and Oratorios. Specific parts of these pieces are frequently performed by orchestras, and on occasion, the whole piece (though with a full Opera, you would want to be aware of that beforehand, as you probably had to buy tickets specifically from an opera company for that).
The Form of a Composition: This often goes right along with the type of piece, and the movements of, for example, a Symphony or Concerto (which are forms in and of themselves) will often be simply titled with the type of form used. Knowing the form of composition used for piece again can help in forming expectations. Knowing the difference between Sonata Form or a Rondo would help you to identify main or key melodies or motifs. Other common forms include Theme and Variations, Fugues, Minuets and Waltzes (though this by no means covers all forms used). These forms are used within movements and will almost never carry from the beginning to the end of a piece with multiple movements. Knowledge of these is especially assistant with finding anchor points and ways to understand different sections of a piece or movement that approaches 20 minutes in length or longer as it can be easy to get lost amidst a long stretch of music.
The Orchestra: Knowing what instruments that will be there on stage, and what sounds that they make may sound elementary, but it is helpful. You may be an ace when it comes to identifying the sight and sound of a Piano. You are also probably familiar with a Violin or a Cello by sight (by the way, when you're at the concert, pay attention the fact that there are two very distinct sections of violinists) and you certainly know what a Trumpet sounds like. But maybe you're not sure what an Oboe looks and sounds like, and you might be surprised to learn not only that the English Horn and the French Horn probably won't be sitting next to each other, but also that they are completely different types of instruments (though this may not be as surprising when you consider the French and English history... ah, stories for another day). You may be surprised to learn all the different instruments that a Percussion player might be asked to play. Other relevant instruments that are good to know would be Violas, Basses, Trombones, Tubas, Clarinets, Flutes, Piccolos, Bassoons and Harps. There's also that funny guy up front called the Conductor, and it might be nice to know what he's doing there.
Now, I don't list all of this because I think you have to go into concerts able to spit out a bunch of facts or have the pieces memorized in order to enjoy them. Far from it. I've gone to concerts where I know nothing about the piece coming up and had never heard any pieces by that composer before and came out the other side thinking that that was an amazing experience. But if you think that you've got this concert ticket and you do not want to go the performance and be completely lost within five minutes, this is a great way to get started. Maybe you can also find your favourite instrument, the one that you think sounds really cool, and try to listen to what they do through the pieces. If you want to listen to a clip of the pieces beforehand so you have things to listen for, youtube's probably got them. Even if you've memorized the pieces, there are still new and wonderful things to hear at live concerts. They are so much more engaging than listening to a CD. I've been to performances of pieces that I have literally memorized from beginning to end and of which I have recordings that I deem to be the supreme, never to be surpassed recording of this piece, to find myself surprised and delighted with new and amazing parts of this piece. A little knowledge can go a long way towards making your concert experience a great one.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Concert Etiquette
Requisite Knowledge Level for Understanding (* being beginner, ***** being expert): *
So you have your orchestra ticket(s) now, and you're getting ready for the concert. What do you wear, do you need to get there early, and what should you expect when you get there?
As a general statement, before you make assumptions about the atmosphere of orchestra concerts (the usual criticisms being "it feels too stuffy" or "why should I have to dress differently than I normally do?"), let's go over some basic knowledge. First of all, whether you realize it or not, every event and place you go every single day has its own atmosphere and expectations. You instinctively know to wear and behave differently if you're going to church or to the movies, or out to dinner on a date versus to the grocery store. Even when you go to a concert of your favourite pop artist, let's say U2, you probably dress and behave differently. You might wear your favourite U2 shirt, make sure you have cash on hand to get some new fan merchandise, and if you know anyone who's anyone in the business, maybe even try to see if you can get some of your fan memorabilia signed. Try going to a department store wearing flip flops, a baggy pair of shorts and a T-shirt (with a few holes if you've got one). Then go back there another time dressed up in a shirt and tie, with a nice pair of shoes, and a nice coat. You will likely notice that even there, where customer service is key and employees know to treat everyone with respect, people will treat you differently depending upon your attire. What you wear matters there, and why should it be any different anywhere else?
What to wear: Going to an orchestra concert for most is seen as a "night on the town" and is thus treated to something a little on the nicer side of things. Many other attendees will be going out to dinner either before or afterwards, and I do not mean to a McDonald's. As such, you will see most people dressed up a bit. It is very common to see men in ties, women in blouses and skirts or pants and you will see some in the polo shirt and khaki pants combo as well. You will also see the occasional sport coat and dress and maybe a few people in jeans, but these will be less frequent, and often the dress/suit combination are worn by the older crowd while the jeans are worn by students. I have not seen the concert hall that turned a patron away because of what they are wearing, so you could theoretically wear whatever your heart desires, but like any setting, if you are wearing something unusual, people might look at you, because that's what we people sometimes do (unless you're in NYC or LA, then you might just be ignored, because they do that there, too).
--Note: Most orchestras have two types of performances, Classical and Pops. Classical performances can be identified as anything where a composer's name (e.g. Beethoven), a specific piece (e.g. "Scheherazade") or a particular soloist is given top billing (e.g. Yo-Yo Ma). Pops performances usually are billed with an obvious Broadway and/or Pop artist reference (e.g. "The Music of ABBA" or "Hairspray! in Concert"). For the purposes of this blog, I am obviously going to be focusing on the Classical performances, though of course attendance at both type of concerts is an enjoyable experience. I mention this here since the atmosphere and attire for the Pops concerts might be slightly more laid back, though most would still probably approach it as a "night on the town" and dress up a bit.
When to arrive: With a pop artist concert, e.g. U2, you can often show up a few minutes late and it's no big deal at all. Half the time, they will have an opening act of someone you barely know anyway so you're not phased that you've missed half of their set, because you want to hear the main event a little later. This is NOT how you want to treat an orchestra concert. Admittedly, the first piece on the program probably won't be the "main event", the piece that people have really come to see (unless the program is something like Mahler's 3rd symphony, or another piece that's so long that the entire program is just that one piece), it will likely be an overture or another shorter piece of some sort. But even for this piece the audience will still be eagerly attentive for its performance. Another issue with arriving late is that the doors will probably be held during the pieces, and you will likely not be able to get in until the end of the piece/movement. There are moments to just about every piece of classical music where it is incredibly quiet and the orchestra is playing very softly, even to the point where there are actually only a few musicians on stage actually playing. During these instances, any and all extraneous noise, from a cough to a door opening are immediately apparent, and thus entering the hall at this time is held as it may disrupt the performance, unlike a performance of a pop artist where the speakers are loud enough that you might not even be able to successfully talk to your neighbour much less bother the other attendees. I would advise showing up early, maybe 15-25 minutes, especially if you've never been there before or have to pick up your tickets at Will Call (usually located near the Box Office, where you can have your tickets held for you for the night of the concert if you're worried you'll misplace them). This also gives you time to find your seat and maybe use the facilities if you have to before the performance begins. Also this helps to make sure you've had plenty of time to find a place to park. Usually there are garages nearby where you can park, street parking if you wish, or most performance venues do usually have a valet parking service if you'd like to use it (usually around $10 - $15, and might just impress your date).
When/How to Clap: This may seem absurd to you, but if you've never been to a classical performance before, there are some traditions or practices that are observed, and they may appear odd to you. For one, just because the musicians finish playing something, and even put down their instruments, does not mean that people will start applauding. This is where your program comes in handy (they will have these at the entrances to the concert hall, probably distributed by ushers, and, unless you know everything there is to know about this concert and these composers, performers and pieces, I would recommend taking one). You will see pieces listed, in all probability, something like this list below (e.g. an all-Beethoven program), and they may or may not use Roman numerals indicating movements (so I've done one with and one without). In the below program, there are a number of different instances where one might applaud, and at least 3 different "endings" of which to be aware, the end of a movement (implied), the end of a movement (stop), and the full end of the piece.
Sample Program:
Egmont Overture, Op. 84
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 - Pianist: Jean-Yves Thibaudet
I. Allegro moderato
II. Andante con moto
III. Rondo, vivace
Intermission
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
Allegro con brio
Andante con moto
Scherzo. Allegro -attacca-
Allegro
Example Beethoven Concert Progression: Firstly, in the USA, the orchestra will probably be already on stage, maybe warming up, maybe just sitting there politely, waiting (in Europe, et al, sometimes the traditions vary, but I live in the USA, so this is how I will write things). What happens next is that all the musicians will all, by a somewhat unspoken cue, put down their instruments and sort of come to "attention". The principal first violinist, or Concertmaster/mistress, as he/she is known, will come on stage and bow. It is polite to applaud for him/her. The orchestra will then tune, led by the concertmaster/mistress and the principal oboist, who gives the tuning note. When that is done, the concertmaster/mistress also sits down and they will get quiet again. The next person to come out will be the conductor, and it is polite to applaud shortly for him/her as well. The orchestra will then perform the first piece, the Egmont Overture, they will finish, the musicians will put down their instruments and the audience will all applaud as the conductor turns around, takes a bow or two and then walks back off of the stage. There, that's easy enough to understand, and makes sense.
Here, though, is where it starts getting odd. There will likely be a short pause after that piece and before the concerto. The next person to walk on the stage will usually be the soloist (here: Jean-Yves Thibaudet) followed closely by the conductor who will stand slightly back while the soloist bows a few times for the audience. It is again customary to applaud for the soloist, and usually a large chunk of the audience is here specifically to see this piece and/or performer, so he/she will usually get a slightly longer applause. The soloist will sit down at the piano (or pick up his/her instrument in the case of a violin concerto, etc...) and they will begin the piece. Then the first movement will end. There will be usually some shuffling of papers, the orchestra might turn the page of their sheet music, the conductor will look around at his musicians, they'll all get ready again, and then they'll start the second movement. And probably nobody clapped at all. This is because it is customary to view each piece as a complete work of art, that is, one cannot appreciate and applaud this work until each movement has been completed and thus the full musical statement is made. So the second movement will finish, no one applauds, and then they move onto the third.
When this movement ends, however, the applause will break out usually in earnest. A concerto is a showpiece for a solo musician, and usually involves pretty impressive displays of technique as well as expressive, emotive sections. Thus, the audience will often applaud greatly for this musician. It is customary to applaud such that the soloist can go off the stage, hear that you have continued to applaud and show your appreciation, and then come back on the stage to once again acknowledge you before going offstage again. Now, that is all you need to do to "fit in" with the rest of the crowd, and feel like you were doing what everyone else is doing. However, if this particular performer astounds and impresses you so, and so with many others in attendance, the soloist may go off and on another few more times while you enthusiastically applaud, standing up to further indicate your enjoyment, and possibly whistle and/or shout "Bravo!" ("Brava!" possibly, if the soloist is female), which are quite acceptable methods of expressing adulation. If the soloist is then so inclined, he/she may then perform for you an "encore", an additional piece not listed in the program. These will often not include the orchestra (though not necessarily) and instead be selected from amongst the repertoire written for this instrument solo, sometimes chosen to emphasize just how good the performer's technique is for your pleasure, though just as often to further showcase their emotive ability on the instrument. Depending on the performer's willingness to pull pieces out of thin air and the enthusiasm of the attendees, this can theoretically go on indefinitely, though it is extremely rare to see any more than 1 or 2 encores, and I personally have never seen more than 3. It is also possible that, no matter how enthusiastically you applaud, the soloist simply does not wish to, or has nothing prepared, and so will not perform an encore, but they usually have one ready to go in case it is needed.
There are exceptions to the above progression, but usually it will occur as I have just laid out. An example might be if the first movement of this piece showcases a technique so virtuosic that they cannot contain themselves, the audience might break out into applause anyway following its conclusion. There are a few locations, cities and orchestras that have accepted the practice, too, where there is always polite applause after each movement, in which case you should feel free to join in, though it will probably abate quickly. There is the possibility that the orchestra might also tune again before the concerto. This is much more likely to happen if the soloist is string or wind instrument, and less likely if it is a pianist. Once all the applause has subsided and the soloist is firmly off the stage followed by the conductor (who usually remains kind of secondary to the soloist, though will probably bow a few times as well), the musicians of the orchestra will likely get up and mill about which is when the audience will also stand up and stretch their legs.
This is the "Intermission". It usually lasts about 20 minutes during which time you will most likely visit the facilities, possibly the bar to purchase a drink, maybe the gift shop, and possibly stopping by a table which is usually set up with CDs of the soloist to purchase, who might also come out to autograph them. Usually drinks besides bottled water are not allowed back into the hall as they are noisy (e.g. cubes of ice rattling around) and, as stated above, can be disruptive to the performance experience. Usually any food available is limited to candy bars or cookies, a form of quick snack and again are not usually allowed back into the hall.
You will all retake you seats, the performers will come to attention again, the orchestra will possibly tune again, and then the conductor will again take the stage to another quick smattering of applause. Then begins the other main piece on the program, here Beethoven's 5th symphony. As with the concerto above, it is common to not applaud between movements, and, without the aid of a particular soloist up front with dazzling virtuosity, it is even less likely for enthusiastic applause to erupt spontaneously between movements.
Here I would like to take a moment to mention movements. These are different sections of the piece as a whole, and are usually indicated with either Roman numbers (I - IV being common for symphonies, I - III for concerti) or by listing each movement on a separate line (both illustrated in the example above). Most of the time, there will be a break and a short silence between movements. This is, however, not always the case. In this example, Beethoven's 5th symphony, the third movement goes right into the 4th movement with no pause in between. This is the "implied" movement ending that I mentioned above. The movement has concluded and the new one has started, but you may not be certain of it because the musicians did not pause. The program may indicate "attacca" as I have done above, indicating that the piece goes directly on from one movement to the next, but it may not (often only included in the program if the composer him/herself wrote "attacca" into the score of the piece). If the movements are separated by Roman numerals it is less likely that they will be performed continuously, but this is not a hard and fast rule.
The reason that this can be problematic is that if you are not familiar with this piece of music, you might not know when it ends! Given the general applause guidelines given above then, they might reach the end of the piece and you would just sit there waiting for the next movement while the orchestra is wondering why you're not applauding. The easiest way to combat this is two things: A) make sure you know when each successive movement starts regardless of any break in the piece or B) and more easily, watch everyone else. There will always be somebody there who knows this piece well enough to know when to and when not to clap, so when unsure, you can always hesitate for a second before enthusiastically joining in with everyone else (unless it's a world premiere, but let's not worry about that).
But if you'd like to try A, because it's always fun to know exactly what you're listening to, here are some guidelines. Most movements run most of their course at relatively the same tempo. They may speed up or slow down, maybe have a few tempo changes in between, but by and large, they'll be about the same speed throughout, usually starting and ending the same (an exception being for example the very first movement of a classical symphony which may have a slow opening just as an attention grabber before moving into a quicker pace which it then continues for the rest of the movement). So if it looks like the entire orchestra is shifting from one gear into another, there's a decent chance that this is a movement change. You'll also probably see some pages turned in the sheet music, instruments being put down by people who were playing and picked up by people who were not. The other thing is to actually follow the tempi as put forth by the composer. The movements almost always have them indicated (in Italian). Words you'll see that indicate a "faster" movement, or rather, one that does not feel consciously slow, are Allegro, Allegretto, Vivace, Vivo, Presto, and Scherzo (not technically a speed, but it almost always is quick). Words to indicate a "slower" movement would be Lento, Andante, Andantino, Adagio, Largo, and Grave. There's also the very real possibility that you will know the true ending of the piece because it will just "feel" like an ending. The orchestra plays loud chords with every member of the orchestra playing, and they all cut off together and the conductor finishes his movements with a flourish looking pleased. This is not always the case, though, so be prepared for anything if you're not familiar with this piece of music.
When this piece is then concluded, you would indicate just how enthusiastically you enjoyed it by the number of times you bring the conductor back on stage after he/she goes off. Again it is considered customary to bring the conductor back at least once, but if you've been particularly impressed, feel free to keep applauding in order to bring him/her back on repeatedly. You will find that you may be more or less enthused than other attendees, and this is normal, nothing will be held against you if you choose to stop clapping before others or clap after many others have stopped. You may also give a standing ovation here if you've particularly enjoyed the concert. It is fairly rare for the orchestra to give an encore as a whole, but I have seen it done. With this, the conductor leaves the stage, the concert is over, and you may continue on with the rest of your evening's plans.
I hope this is helpful to you, and if you have any questions, please feel free to let me know.
So you have your orchestra ticket(s) now, and you're getting ready for the concert. What do you wear, do you need to get there early, and what should you expect when you get there?
As a general statement, before you make assumptions about the atmosphere of orchestra concerts (the usual criticisms being "it feels too stuffy" or "why should I have to dress differently than I normally do?"), let's go over some basic knowledge. First of all, whether you realize it or not, every event and place you go every single day has its own atmosphere and expectations. You instinctively know to wear and behave differently if you're going to church or to the movies, or out to dinner on a date versus to the grocery store. Even when you go to a concert of your favourite pop artist, let's say U2, you probably dress and behave differently. You might wear your favourite U2 shirt, make sure you have cash on hand to get some new fan merchandise, and if you know anyone who's anyone in the business, maybe even try to see if you can get some of your fan memorabilia signed. Try going to a department store wearing flip flops, a baggy pair of shorts and a T-shirt (with a few holes if you've got one). Then go back there another time dressed up in a shirt and tie, with a nice pair of shoes, and a nice coat. You will likely notice that even there, where customer service is key and employees know to treat everyone with respect, people will treat you differently depending upon your attire. What you wear matters there, and why should it be any different anywhere else?
What to wear: Going to an orchestra concert for most is seen as a "night on the town" and is thus treated to something a little on the nicer side of things. Many other attendees will be going out to dinner either before or afterwards, and I do not mean to a McDonald's. As such, you will see most people dressed up a bit. It is very common to see men in ties, women in blouses and skirts or pants and you will see some in the polo shirt and khaki pants combo as well. You will also see the occasional sport coat and dress and maybe a few people in jeans, but these will be less frequent, and often the dress/suit combination are worn by the older crowd while the jeans are worn by students. I have not seen the concert hall that turned a patron away because of what they are wearing, so you could theoretically wear whatever your heart desires, but like any setting, if you are wearing something unusual, people might look at you, because that's what we people sometimes do (unless you're in NYC or LA, then you might just be ignored, because they do that there, too).
--Note: Most orchestras have two types of performances, Classical and Pops. Classical performances can be identified as anything where a composer's name (e.g. Beethoven), a specific piece (e.g. "Scheherazade") or a particular soloist is given top billing (e.g. Yo-Yo Ma). Pops performances usually are billed with an obvious Broadway and/or Pop artist reference (e.g. "The Music of ABBA" or "Hairspray! in Concert"). For the purposes of this blog, I am obviously going to be focusing on the Classical performances, though of course attendance at both type of concerts is an enjoyable experience. I mention this here since the atmosphere and attire for the Pops concerts might be slightly more laid back, though most would still probably approach it as a "night on the town" and dress up a bit.
When to arrive: With a pop artist concert, e.g. U2, you can often show up a few minutes late and it's no big deal at all. Half the time, they will have an opening act of someone you barely know anyway so you're not phased that you've missed half of their set, because you want to hear the main event a little later. This is NOT how you want to treat an orchestra concert. Admittedly, the first piece on the program probably won't be the "main event", the piece that people have really come to see (unless the program is something like Mahler's 3rd symphony, or another piece that's so long that the entire program is just that one piece), it will likely be an overture or another shorter piece of some sort. But even for this piece the audience will still be eagerly attentive for its performance. Another issue with arriving late is that the doors will probably be held during the pieces, and you will likely not be able to get in until the end of the piece/movement. There are moments to just about every piece of classical music where it is incredibly quiet and the orchestra is playing very softly, even to the point where there are actually only a few musicians on stage actually playing. During these instances, any and all extraneous noise, from a cough to a door opening are immediately apparent, and thus entering the hall at this time is held as it may disrupt the performance, unlike a performance of a pop artist where the speakers are loud enough that you might not even be able to successfully talk to your neighbour much less bother the other attendees. I would advise showing up early, maybe 15-25 minutes, especially if you've never been there before or have to pick up your tickets at Will Call (usually located near the Box Office, where you can have your tickets held for you for the night of the concert if you're worried you'll misplace them). This also gives you time to find your seat and maybe use the facilities if you have to before the performance begins. Also this helps to make sure you've had plenty of time to find a place to park. Usually there are garages nearby where you can park, street parking if you wish, or most performance venues do usually have a valet parking service if you'd like to use it (usually around $10 - $15, and might just impress your date).
When/How to Clap: This may seem absurd to you, but if you've never been to a classical performance before, there are some traditions or practices that are observed, and they may appear odd to you. For one, just because the musicians finish playing something, and even put down their instruments, does not mean that people will start applauding. This is where your program comes in handy (they will have these at the entrances to the concert hall, probably distributed by ushers, and, unless you know everything there is to know about this concert and these composers, performers and pieces, I would recommend taking one). You will see pieces listed, in all probability, something like this list below (e.g. an all-Beethoven program), and they may or may not use Roman numerals indicating movements (so I've done one with and one without). In the below program, there are a number of different instances where one might applaud, and at least 3 different "endings" of which to be aware, the end of a movement (implied), the end of a movement (stop), and the full end of the piece.
Sample Program:
Egmont Overture, Op. 84
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 - Pianist: Jean-Yves Thibaudet
I. Allegro moderato
II. Andante con moto
III. Rondo, vivace
Intermission
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
Allegro con brio
Andante con moto
Scherzo. Allegro -attacca-
Allegro
Example Beethoven Concert Progression: Firstly, in the USA, the orchestra will probably be already on stage, maybe warming up, maybe just sitting there politely, waiting (in Europe, et al, sometimes the traditions vary, but I live in the USA, so this is how I will write things). What happens next is that all the musicians will all, by a somewhat unspoken cue, put down their instruments and sort of come to "attention". The principal first violinist, or Concertmaster/mistress, as he/she is known, will come on stage and bow. It is polite to applaud for him/her. The orchestra will then tune, led by the concertmaster/mistress and the principal oboist, who gives the tuning note. When that is done, the concertmaster/mistress also sits down and they will get quiet again. The next person to come out will be the conductor, and it is polite to applaud shortly for him/her as well. The orchestra will then perform the first piece, the Egmont Overture, they will finish, the musicians will put down their instruments and the audience will all applaud as the conductor turns around, takes a bow or two and then walks back off of the stage. There, that's easy enough to understand, and makes sense.
Here, though, is where it starts getting odd. There will likely be a short pause after that piece and before the concerto. The next person to walk on the stage will usually be the soloist (here: Jean-Yves Thibaudet) followed closely by the conductor who will stand slightly back while the soloist bows a few times for the audience. It is again customary to applaud for the soloist, and usually a large chunk of the audience is here specifically to see this piece and/or performer, so he/she will usually get a slightly longer applause. The soloist will sit down at the piano (or pick up his/her instrument in the case of a violin concerto, etc...) and they will begin the piece. Then the first movement will end. There will be usually some shuffling of papers, the orchestra might turn the page of their sheet music, the conductor will look around at his musicians, they'll all get ready again, and then they'll start the second movement. And probably nobody clapped at all. This is because it is customary to view each piece as a complete work of art, that is, one cannot appreciate and applaud this work until each movement has been completed and thus the full musical statement is made. So the second movement will finish, no one applauds, and then they move onto the third.
When this movement ends, however, the applause will break out usually in earnest. A concerto is a showpiece for a solo musician, and usually involves pretty impressive displays of technique as well as expressive, emotive sections. Thus, the audience will often applaud greatly for this musician. It is customary to applaud such that the soloist can go off the stage, hear that you have continued to applaud and show your appreciation, and then come back on the stage to once again acknowledge you before going offstage again. Now, that is all you need to do to "fit in" with the rest of the crowd, and feel like you were doing what everyone else is doing. However, if this particular performer astounds and impresses you so, and so with many others in attendance, the soloist may go off and on another few more times while you enthusiastically applaud, standing up to further indicate your enjoyment, and possibly whistle and/or shout "Bravo!" ("Brava!" possibly, if the soloist is female), which are quite acceptable methods of expressing adulation. If the soloist is then so inclined, he/she may then perform for you an "encore", an additional piece not listed in the program. These will often not include the orchestra (though not necessarily) and instead be selected from amongst the repertoire written for this instrument solo, sometimes chosen to emphasize just how good the performer's technique is for your pleasure, though just as often to further showcase their emotive ability on the instrument. Depending on the performer's willingness to pull pieces out of thin air and the enthusiasm of the attendees, this can theoretically go on indefinitely, though it is extremely rare to see any more than 1 or 2 encores, and I personally have never seen more than 3. It is also possible that, no matter how enthusiastically you applaud, the soloist simply does not wish to, or has nothing prepared, and so will not perform an encore, but they usually have one ready to go in case it is needed.
There are exceptions to the above progression, but usually it will occur as I have just laid out. An example might be if the first movement of this piece showcases a technique so virtuosic that they cannot contain themselves, the audience might break out into applause anyway following its conclusion. There are a few locations, cities and orchestras that have accepted the practice, too, where there is always polite applause after each movement, in which case you should feel free to join in, though it will probably abate quickly. There is the possibility that the orchestra might also tune again before the concerto. This is much more likely to happen if the soloist is string or wind instrument, and less likely if it is a pianist. Once all the applause has subsided and the soloist is firmly off the stage followed by the conductor (who usually remains kind of secondary to the soloist, though will probably bow a few times as well), the musicians of the orchestra will likely get up and mill about which is when the audience will also stand up and stretch their legs.
This is the "Intermission". It usually lasts about 20 minutes during which time you will most likely visit the facilities, possibly the bar to purchase a drink, maybe the gift shop, and possibly stopping by a table which is usually set up with CDs of the soloist to purchase, who might also come out to autograph them. Usually drinks besides bottled water are not allowed back into the hall as they are noisy (e.g. cubes of ice rattling around) and, as stated above, can be disruptive to the performance experience. Usually any food available is limited to candy bars or cookies, a form of quick snack and again are not usually allowed back into the hall.
You will all retake you seats, the performers will come to attention again, the orchestra will possibly tune again, and then the conductor will again take the stage to another quick smattering of applause. Then begins the other main piece on the program, here Beethoven's 5th symphony. As with the concerto above, it is common to not applaud between movements, and, without the aid of a particular soloist up front with dazzling virtuosity, it is even less likely for enthusiastic applause to erupt spontaneously between movements.
Here I would like to take a moment to mention movements. These are different sections of the piece as a whole, and are usually indicated with either Roman numbers (I - IV being common for symphonies, I - III for concerti) or by listing each movement on a separate line (both illustrated in the example above). Most of the time, there will be a break and a short silence between movements. This is, however, not always the case. In this example, Beethoven's 5th symphony, the third movement goes right into the 4th movement with no pause in between. This is the "implied" movement ending that I mentioned above. The movement has concluded and the new one has started, but you may not be certain of it because the musicians did not pause. The program may indicate "attacca" as I have done above, indicating that the piece goes directly on from one movement to the next, but it may not (often only included in the program if the composer him/herself wrote "attacca" into the score of the piece). If the movements are separated by Roman numerals it is less likely that they will be performed continuously, but this is not a hard and fast rule.
The reason that this can be problematic is that if you are not familiar with this piece of music, you might not know when it ends! Given the general applause guidelines given above then, they might reach the end of the piece and you would just sit there waiting for the next movement while the orchestra is wondering why you're not applauding. The easiest way to combat this is two things: A) make sure you know when each successive movement starts regardless of any break in the piece or B) and more easily, watch everyone else. There will always be somebody there who knows this piece well enough to know when to and when not to clap, so when unsure, you can always hesitate for a second before enthusiastically joining in with everyone else (unless it's a world premiere, but let's not worry about that).
But if you'd like to try A, because it's always fun to know exactly what you're listening to, here are some guidelines. Most movements run most of their course at relatively the same tempo. They may speed up or slow down, maybe have a few tempo changes in between, but by and large, they'll be about the same speed throughout, usually starting and ending the same (an exception being for example the very first movement of a classical symphony which may have a slow opening just as an attention grabber before moving into a quicker pace which it then continues for the rest of the movement). So if it looks like the entire orchestra is shifting from one gear into another, there's a decent chance that this is a movement change. You'll also probably see some pages turned in the sheet music, instruments being put down by people who were playing and picked up by people who were not. The other thing is to actually follow the tempi as put forth by the composer. The movements almost always have them indicated (in Italian). Words you'll see that indicate a "faster" movement, or rather, one that does not feel consciously slow, are Allegro, Allegretto, Vivace, Vivo, Presto, and Scherzo (not technically a speed, but it almost always is quick). Words to indicate a "slower" movement would be Lento, Andante, Andantino, Adagio, Largo, and Grave. There's also the very real possibility that you will know the true ending of the piece because it will just "feel" like an ending. The orchestra plays loud chords with every member of the orchestra playing, and they all cut off together and the conductor finishes his movements with a flourish looking pleased. This is not always the case, though, so be prepared for anything if you're not familiar with this piece of music.
When this piece is then concluded, you would indicate just how enthusiastically you enjoyed it by the number of times you bring the conductor back on stage after he/she goes off. Again it is considered customary to bring the conductor back at least once, but if you've been particularly impressed, feel free to keep applauding in order to bring him/her back on repeatedly. You will find that you may be more or less enthused than other attendees, and this is normal, nothing will be held against you if you choose to stop clapping before others or clap after many others have stopped. You may also give a standing ovation here if you've particularly enjoyed the concert. It is fairly rare for the orchestra to give an encore as a whole, but I have seen it done. With this, the conductor leaves the stage, the concert is over, and you may continue on with the rest of your evening's plans.
I hope this is helpful to you, and if you have any questions, please feel free to let me know.
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