The PAC was not full. It most certainly should have been. I keep thinking about this, about what it takes any more. To have an international recording artist playing a Prokofiev piano concerto has to be a treat in any city in the world, but not enough people know this, I think.
I think, too, that some people are afflicted with a kind of name-brand loyalty. They buy the Pavorotti CDs, not knowing that plenty of other tenors are as good. Or not believing. My mother was always looking for "the best" this or that in the classical music world, and I have long felt this is ridiculous. All musicians bring something to the music, and sometimes the most obscure have a great deal to offer. Which is not to say that Mari Kodami is obscure. But she doesn't have the name recognition.
I sometimes wonder about the effect of the popular traveling shows that come to the PAC. When a Russian ballet troupe takes the stage, what does this mean for the Gilbert Reed Ballet, our own treasure of a company? It means Reed eventually closes down, which it did.
I have no great insights into this, am still thinking. I know ours is a small population, and this is part of the answer, but only part.
In any case, the number in the audience was more than respectable and we all clearly loved this performance. I also loved the Mendelsohn overture and Mozart's symphony #40, which the orchestra also played. I felt they too showed the ability of the Mozart Festival Orchestra. The orchestra gets together maybe a week before the concerts start, to begin rehearsing, because many members are from out of the area (are put up in homes here).
