I have always had the belief that music is one of the most uplifting forces invented by man. I love attending concerts which keep the audiences interested and engaged in the art as it happens on stage. You simply cannot lose with the music of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahams, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Dvorak, and Copland. I am skipping some, I know.
Want to mix things up? Have a chamber music night. Do a vocal work -- The Brahams German Requiem for example -- Have talented soloists lined up for performances, play more pops concerts and lighter music of the Strauss family, for example. Perform a suite from a ballet (there are a lot of wonderful works out there that go without being performed, but I think are accessible to an audience. Occasionally do a Mahler symphony.
There are many ways to keep an orchestra's season interesting, exciting, and uplifting. But a focus on challenging audiences with music the orchestra itself struggles to comprehend loses every time.
Hardly anyone gets excited about a concert in which the most accessible piece is the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra.
I've ranted enough. I realize tastes in music vary greatly, but I really believe a great performance of the classics never loses. There will always be an audience for Beethoven symphonies as well as lighter fare.
LOL! My sentiments exactly! Guess what we played last season? Bartok Concerto for Orchestra!
snort!
Unfortunately, the Music Director doesn't care about what the musicians think. We're at the bottom rung of the ladder. I agree with your ideas...but the Music Director does what he wants, not what we suggest. I sure wish we could make those changes!