The shape of things to come

THREE years ago, these pages discussed radical alternatives to the traditional orchestral concert format of overture/concerto/interval/ symphony established in the Victorian era. No doubt some readers thought ‘so-and-so’s ideas will never catch on’—I know I did. How wrong could we have been? Orchestras have been forced to field-test outré ideas to manage social distancing, not least the straight 60-minute playthrough.

These compact concerts have proved so artistically rewarding and, apparently, craved by audiences that promoters believe they will remain in the mix when normal service is resumed. ‘Concerts have always been a certain