Why is it that the most nuanced performance might be received with only polite applause, but the electric shredding/high-c-hitting/lightning fast runs get ovations, foot stomps, and whatnot?

I was feeling disgusted with this last week when I noticed that a particularly poetic performance by a certain multi-instrumentalist/composer was considered to be less memorable than the performance a couple of says later where he seemed to spontaneously combust on stage, tearing strings off his guitar and playing into the wee hours.

Virtuosity can actually be subtle and multifaceted, right? And rage or joy are not the only emotions. In answer to these musings, a wise friend suggested to me that ‘guys like motorcycle jumps.”

So, this evening I sat in a rehearsal for Handel’s oratorio, “Israel in Egypt” and I felt an adrenaline rush at one point, and spine-tingling at another. Yes, I’d felt pleasure in recognizing a snatch of a Bach chorale in one movement, an incredibly rich harmonic progression in another ; and I’d enjoyed a serene moment of neo-renaissance polyphony in another . But dammit, I had to admit that that it was the fire and brimstone choruses which were making the rehearsal so exciting. Maybe we’re all guilty of musical thrill-seeking.