The traditional way to order an orchestral concert programme is to start with an overture, then have a concerto that allows a soloist or soloists to show off their skills, and then finish with a major work such as a symphony.

Recently I was listening to a concert given by the Halle Orchestra and the conductor, Mark Elder, decided to order things differently. He opened with the 5^th Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams. This was followed by Dvorak’s Serenade for Wind Instruments. The concert ended with Elgar’s Cockaigne Overture.

Rather than doing what was traditionally expected, Mark Elder allowed the ordering of his concert programme to be informed by the atmospheres the pieces created and the emotional responses they were likely to evoke within audience members. Vaughan Williams 5^th Symphony creates an atmosphere of heartfelt and tender sadness. The Second World War was in full and horrendous flow as the piece was being composed and it casts its long, dark shadows over its full length. Dvorak’s Serenade for Winds is a gently nostalgic piece that harks back to informal concerts held in central European Rococo castles during the first half of the 18^th century. 

Within the context of the Halle’s concert, the Serenade not only offered the orchestra’s wind players the opportunity to show off their skills, but also served as an auditory ‘palette cleanser’. It gently dissipated the shadowy sadnesses of the previous symphony and shepherded the audience into a receptive mood for the final piece of the concert. 

Elgar’s Cockaigne overture is, to use Elgar’s words, ‘stout and steaky!’ It is a bright, energetic and above all joyous and optimistic description of Edwardian London, full of allusions to cockneys, marching bands, romancing couples and church bells.

By ordering the pieces in the above way Mark Elder was offering his audience a journey from shadowy sadness to ebullient and optimistic light, so encouraging them to ‘go away into the night with an optimistic spring in their step’. If the 5^th Symphony had been played last its subdued and quiet atmosphere may well have proved an anticlimax for an audience expecting something more dynamic and expansive in its style and tone. If the Cockaigne Overture had been played first its optimism may have become a distant memory by the end of the concert, the reflective and subdued nature of the symphony dampening down and even smothering its energy, optimism and fun. In fact, given the nature of the 5^th Symphony and the way its sound world is subdued by the shadows of war, the audience my even have felt guilty about their previous high spirits. Feeling guilty would not have helped the audience enjoy the concert or fully appreciate the music.

Thinking carefully and creatively about the way that we order and present our ideas can help those we need to sell them to become fully appreciative of their merits and supportive of their development and implementation. The next time you need to sell your good ideas to people think carefully about not only the key points you need to make, but also the order that would present them to their maximum advantage. Would it be best to deal with the difficult messages and complex aspects first, so that you can then finish on a high by describing the advantages your ideas could provide? Alternatively, could you begin with the positive aspects and then delve into some of the difficult messages and complex detail, before finally returning to your more upbeat points? Or would some other ordering prove more effective in meeting your needs? Your answer will depend on the nature of your ideas, the balance between perceived negative and positive aspects, the type of audience you are presenting to and its expectations of and predisposition towards both you and your ideas.

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