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Canwest News Service
Just as Van Gogh's Starry Night carries more significance when the viewer learns the artist cut off his own ear months before painting it, Mozart's final Piano Concerto 27 suddenly seems more poignant when it's revealed the musician composed the piece while near broke and on his death bed.
While it isn't necessary to have any historical context in order to appreciate classical music, it does add another dimension, and Toronto Symphony Orchestra conductor Peter Oundjian is hoping this will attract more audiences.
Mozart: Beyond the Score, a multimedia performance taking place next weekend at Roy Thomson Hall, will see Oundjian narrate various facts and trivia about this composer and time period, while actor Paul Gross plays different roles — from Mozart's father to an 18th-century poet — and a video projector screens complementary artwork in the background.
A brief intermission follows, after which there will be a complete and uninterrupted run-through of the concerto performed by the TSO orchestra. The event is geared mostly toward classical-music neophytes and is based on a formula originally devised by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
"They do it three times a year in Chicago," Oundjian says, "and it's very popular. They've really branded it now, so there's a pre-existing format for the video and text — but, of course, Paul and I are really making it our own."
"Peter is responsible for the deeper background information," Gross explains, "and I get all the punchlines … we're just in the process of rehearsing now. It's going to be seamless, professional and absolutely Earth-shattering."
Hopefully, it will also bring in some newcomers. For years, Oundjian has made a concerted effort to boost attendance at the TSO — the tsoundcheck program that offers cheap tickets for audiences aged 35 and under, for instance, has proven most successful – and with about 85% of the seats at Roy Thomson full on any given night, the conductor can take satisfaction in knowing that his symphony is officially turning a profit (last November, publicists announced a budget surplus of over $29,000).
Still, it's not just about the money.
"I've always wanted to make the whole experience more accessible," Oundjian says, "because many people still feel intimidated by the symphony. They'll say they don't know how to dress or when to clap, and so they don't come. But I think Beyond the Score will reach out to this demographic and, in some ways, deepen their level of listening."
"It really does knock down some of the barriers," Gross says. "You realize that Mozart was actually this real guy, living in a real time."
As far as the actor's own performance goes, the film and television star says he's somewhat terrified about messing up on stage alongside a full orchestra — "the TSO can play the heck out of anything," he adds — but this should ultimately make it all the more exhilarating.
When pressed for details on the roles he'll be enacting, Gross won't give any clues, but says, "I intend to improvise quite a lot. I have some things I'm just going to come up with on the spot. Some interpretive dance."
Oundjian looks at him cautiously and adds: "And I have the controls to his microphone."
– TSO's Mozart: Beyond the Score runs Jan. 23 and 24. Tickets: $27.50 to $74, or $12.50 with tsoundcheck membership; available at tso.ca.
