Depth of feeling

Abbreviated versions of music and stories are an insult to both composers and audiences, writes Ian Ferguson.

- Ian Ferguson

In October, I attended a performance of the Dvořák Cello Concerto by the NZSO, and the playing of cellist Kian Soltani was intense and stunning. But after the first movement the mood was broken with intrusive applause. It was the same after movements of the Brahms symphony that followed. The audience was intruding. And while this is a short-term recognition of musical mastery, it denies the performer and the composer proper recognition of the complete, long-term development of the work. This effectively broke the spell and degraded the listening experience. It chopped up the work.

This might seem trivial but abbreviation is pervasive in the way we approach our music, literature and our storytelling. We no longer seem as prepared to dig in for the long haul, to give in to the depth and intensity of music or our reading.