Behind the music – Fans get a peek into what makes a symphony concert come alive

“Sostenuto, molto sostenuto!”

Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra conductor Timothy Muffitt uses an Italian music term, literally translated as “sustained,” to urge his string players to hold their notes a bit longer. He also requests they play more “damply.”

“I’m just hearing some of you a little brighter than others, and it projects. It [the piece] is totally mystic and transparent,” he explains as the orchestra runs through bars of Manuel de Falla’s work, “Nights in the Gardens of Spain.” The cello and viola sections take note, as does the family of four embedded on stage beside them, enjoying a view of Muffitt and the rehearsal in a space normally reserved for the trombones.

This is Symphony 101, a unique program offered by the BRSO that gives orchestra-goers the chance to get an up-close glimpse into how a classical concert comes together.

The program begins with a casual question-and-answer session with Muffitt, also BRSO’s music director, and Alan Hopper, the symphony’s president and executive director. Attendees are welcome to ask any question they have, such as, “How long have the musicians had the score?” or “What’s the point of writing a concerto in G?” or, my favorite, from an elementary school-aged boy: “In the 19th century, was Paris the king of music and arts?”

Afterward, attendees are invited to sit in on the dress rehearsal, interspersed among the hodgepodge of professional musicians who can include regional freelancers, faculty members, students from nearby universities and local music teachers. On this night, the orchestra is rehearsing with visiting pianist Anton Nel, and many of the Symphony 101 participants have chosen seats within optimal viewing range of him. For music lovers who are used to enjoying from afar, the experience is enthralling.

Some spectators are entranced watching Nel’s fingers or Muffitt’s hair fly as he conducts; others simply close their eyes and enjoy the music. Everyone listening can feel Muffitt’s intensity during the rehearsal, as he quickly directs the orchestra to the parts in each piece where he wants to make last-minute tweaks. “Every one of my senses is turned up to 11, because the clock is ticking. We have to make the most of every second; it literally comes down to the second, and every second counts,” Muffitt says in the Q&A session.

During rehearsal, the conductor can often be seen referring to an atomic clock that ticks down the seconds until contractually mandated breaks and overtime, in a careful dance between time management and full engagement in the music-making process.

The question Muffitt gets most often? “If they are all professional musicians, and they receive their music ahead of time and have been practicing on their own, what do they need you for?”

“The best way to describe it would be to compare me to a baseball coach,” he says. “The players are on the field making their own decisions about plays and using their own athleticism to be successful. But you need the coach for guidance.”

He adds, “There are things in music that are very subjective. The tempo markings in the score will say, for instance, ‘slow down’ or ‘speed up.’ But how fast is fast? Or how slow is slow? The conductor has a collective vision, and it’s my job to translate and voice that vision.”

Included in the price of the Symphony 101 program is a ticket to the concert itself. When performance night comes, Symphony 101 attendees are in a unique position to evaluate the final product. How well has “Coach” Muffitt done this time? At intermission on the night of one performance, I overhear a woman explaining to a friend how much she enjoyed de Falla’s piece: “Oh, I loved it! It was just so mystical!”

Bravo, Maestro.

The BRSO hosts Symphony 101 events periodically throughout the year, usually tied to an upcoming performance. Group reservations are encouraged. For more, go to brso.org.