A touring Beethoven museum???
Suddenly, it hit me like a thunderclap as I swam in a pool electro-charged with eppiphany...
Ok, ok, enough of the "hign-n-mighty" babble. Here's my idea -- why not have a touring Beethoven museum that stops at various major cities in the same way they tour Monet or Van Gogt exhibits? You can have period costumes, instruments, scorebooks, B's journals and sketchbooks, life mask, death mask, huge blown-up photos, real busts and paintings, automated history guides, docu-drama screenings, etc., etc.
And of course, playing in the background would be his music. And think of the merchandising one can sell at such an exhibit! The calenders, books, CDs, pens, mugs, dishes, whatever. And the revenue can go back to bolster finance-starved city orchestras and youth ensembles.
Of course, you could easily broaden it too to include other composers. Yet another idea is to coordinate it with the city's symphony who could play an all-Beethoven menu for as long as the museum is in their city.
Is this really such a preposterous idea? I want to hear opinions. Myself, I don't see any good reason why historical artifacts and cultural treasures have to remain sealed behind locked doors. Tour it! Look at the legions that turned out when Van Gogt originals were exhibited in the states a few years ago. You can do the same thing here. With a little marketing savvy, anything is possible.
You'll have people lined up for blocks to get in. It's their chance to see all the Beethovenian treasures without having to travel to Vienna or Bonn. For that matter, you might as well tour the VPO at the same time, part of the package! Why not? Why does it all have to remain so rarefied and insular?
Ok, ok, enough of the "hign-n-mighty" babble. Here's my idea -- why not have a touring Beethoven museum that stops at various major cities in the same way they tour Monet or Van Gogt exhibits? You can have period costumes, instruments, scorebooks, B's journals and sketchbooks, life mask, death mask, huge blown-up photos, real busts and paintings, automated history guides, docu-drama screenings, etc., etc.
And of course, playing in the background would be his music. And think of the merchandising one can sell at such an exhibit! The calenders, books, CDs, pens, mugs, dishes, whatever. And the revenue can go back to bolster finance-starved city orchestras and youth ensembles.
Of course, you could easily broaden it too to include other composers. Yet another idea is to coordinate it with the city's symphony who could play an all-Beethoven menu for as long as the museum is in their city.
Is this really such a preposterous idea? I want to hear opinions. Myself, I don't see any good reason why historical artifacts and cultural treasures have to remain sealed behind locked doors. Tour it! Look at the legions that turned out when Van Gogt originals were exhibited in the states a few years ago. You can do the same thing here. With a little marketing savvy, anything is possible.
You'll have people lined up for blocks to get in. It's their chance to see all the Beethovenian treasures without having to travel to Vienna or Bonn. For that matter, you might as well tour the VPO at the same time, part of the package! Why not? Why does it all have to remain so rarefied and insular?
Pretty good thinking my friend.
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