AROUND TOWN/MUSIC: "The Little Orange Dress" ... and other items

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
A shorter version of this article was first published today in the above papers. See the end of the post for several additions to the printed piece.
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Summertime often becomes silly season, even in the supposedly serious realm of classical music. Consider, for example, the case of “The Little Orange Dress” (aka, “The Little Red Dress” — some have called the dress red but I think it was orange).

Last month, Yuja Wang walked onto the stage of Hollywood Bowl to perform as soloist in Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The 24-year-old native of Bejing is an electrifying talent who can blaze through octaves and runs with breathtaking speed, as she amply demonstrated during her Bowl performance (her hands were moving so fast that they appeared to be a blur on the Bowl’s video screens). My review is HERE).

However, what caused a great deal of notoriety wasn’t how she played but what she wore: what has now become known as “The Little Orange Dress.” Ms. Wang is a slender, attractive woman and her attire wouldn’t be unusual on any street in any American city these days, but when she walked onstage at the Bowl, she created quite a stir from those in the audience.

What led to the most commotion on the Internet wasn’t so much the dress but that two professional critics in attendance commented on it in their reviews. In my review I wrote, “It also may (or may not) be worth mentioning that she came on stage last night wearing the shortest dress I’ve ever seen a female pianist wear, an orange sheath that elicited gasps from the audience.”

My colleague, Mark Swed in the Los Angeles Times, devoted four paragraphs of his review to Ms. Wang’s attire ((LINK — which includes a photo). The line most frequently quoted was: “Her dress Tuesday was so short and tight that had there been any less of it, the Bowl might have been forced to restrict admission to any music lover under 18 not accompanied by an adult.” It should also be noted Mark devoted the next few paragraphs to her performance, which he called “downright magical.”

The debate in the classical music blogosphere has centered around whether it’s appropriate for a music critic to comment on “non-musical” things, such as attire (Lisa Hirsch, a San Francisco-based Blogger who writes under the nom d’computer of “Iron Tongue of Midnight,” offers a list of several of the Bloggers/reviewers comments HERE).

One she listed was Anne Midgette, the well-respected music critic of the Washington Post who wrote a lengthy post on the issue LINK). The others, including the comment threads of responders, make for interesting reading. My attitude (as expressed in several comments to posts) is that attending a concert is both an aural and visual experience and something like “The Little Orange Dress” was worth at least a mention — my guess is that many in the audience can’t remember today how well she played but they certainly remember the dress. If you agree or disagree with my stance, feel free to post a comment below.

Late adds:
• Mark Swed weighs in on the issue HERE and the L.A. Times has a separate article on concert dress that includes an interview with organist Cameron Carpenter HERE, along with three photos of Wang in her "Little Orange Dress.” Carpenter’s sequined tee shirts and jeans are undeniably part of his total concert package and are often mentioned in stories and reviews.
• Timothy Mangan, music critic of the Orange County Register (who didn't attend the concert), offers his thoughts HERE

MORE FROM THE WEB:
• Anne Midgette offers a nice basic primer on contemporary music for those who wonder how to get into this genre. There’s nothing earth shaking in her assessments and you may not agree with all of them but I found it well worth reading. MORE

• CK Dexter Haven has begun a new Blog entitled “All is Yar” and he has an interesting post on the subject of guest conductors HERE.
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

Comments

[Tom Gossard]

This controversy is ridiculous. They want larger crowds at the Bowl. I can't think of a better way to accomplish it. Most people don't care. It's outdoors, helicopters and all. It should be a festive occasion, people should have fun. I thought Wang's attire perfect for the moment.

[CK Dexter Haven]

Thanks for mentioning the post and the blog, Mr. Thomas.