#51
Posted: 4/28/12 at 12:59pm
Re: orchestrations
Believe me, as an amateur musician, I love and appreciate the work the orchestrators do, and of course feel they deserve to be honored.
That said, no category nominations and winners drive me more crazy than orchestrations. Looking at the Tonys, since the category was integrated in 1997, the only time when the winner of orchestrations was eligible for score (i.e. not a revival or a jukebox musical), the only time the winner of score was different was 2002 when the orchestrations for Thoroughly Modern Millie won but Urinetown won score. Every other time an eligible new score won orchestrations, they won score.
I can't believe (certainly not the year Spring Awakening won when Tunick's "LoveMusik" so clearly deserved the award) that every best score also won orchestrations (again, unless revival or jukebox won orchestrations). Sometimes, yes, without a doubt it is deserved, such as for Light in the Piazza. But I don't believe the Tony voters or Drama Desk voters or any other award voters truly know what makes orchestrations "best."
Do I think the answer is to completely cut the category? Not necessarily, though I do have to admit when I realized it was cut, my first reaction was "well, at least they won't get it wrong this year."
I would much rather orchestrations, instead of being a typical competitive category, be determined as a "special award winner" from a committee of people who are knowledgable enough about music and orchestrations to know who truly deserves it. I believe people think the same thing happens with sound, that typical voters don't really understand what makes great sound?
I certainly understand how musicians and orchestrators feel this is a slap in the face, but I have always felt this is a problem in awards that somehow needs fixing. Perhaps I should remain optimistic that this is the start of an attempt to fix the category?
Maybe that's too optimistic, but I truly believe if the category is cut, though it might not have been the right decision, it wasn't a slap in the face of musicians as much as it was an admission that they are unqualified to judge best orchestrations.
Hopefully this will be better addressed in awards for the future.
Believe me, as an amateur musician, I love and appreciate the work the orchestrators do, and of course feel they deserve to be honored.
That said, no category nominations and winners drive me more crazy than orchestrations. Looking at the Tonys, since the category was integrated in 1997, the only time when the winner of orchestrations was eligible for score (i.e. not a revival or a jukebox musical), the only time the winner of score was different was 2002 when the orchestrations for Thoroughly Modern Millie won but Urinetown won score. Every other time an eligible new score won orchestrations, they won score.
I can't believe (certainly not the year Spring Awakening won when Tunick's "LoveMusik" so clearly deserved the award) that every best score also won orchestrations (again, unless revival or jukebox won orchestrations). Sometimes, yes, without a doubt it is deserved, such as for Light in the Piazza. But I don't believe the Tony voters or Drama Desk voters or any other award voters truly know what makes orchestrations "best."
Do I think the answer is to completely cut the category? Not necessarily, though I do have to admit when I realized it was cut, my first reaction was "well, at least they won't get it wrong this year."
I would much rather orchestrations, instead of being a typical competitive category, be determined as a "special award winner" from a committee of people who are knowledgable enough about music and orchestrations to know who truly deserves it. I believe people think the same thing happens with sound, that typical voters don't really understand what makes great sound?
I certainly understand how musicians and orchestrators feel this is a slap in the face, but I have always felt this is a problem in awards that somehow needs fixing. Perhaps I should remain optimistic that this is the start of an attempt to fix the category?
Maybe that's too optimistic, but I truly believe if the category is cut, though it might not have been the right decision, it wasn't a slap in the face of musicians as much as it was an admission that they are unqualified to judge best orchestrations.
Hopefully this will be better addressed in awards for the future.
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli
