The queue is now at the Philharmonic

On the night of February 1, the Moscow Philharmonic opened an online sale for the next season; over 46 thousand subscriptions were sold in 4 days. The excitement has already been compared with the “queue for Serov” that has become a meme

Comparison with the crush in the Tretyakov Gallery on Serov, of course, is not entirely correct, even if the number of sold philharmonic subscriptions is more than usual. The increase in subscription sales is observed every year, along with queues and hype. The current season ticket system has evolved over the past decade, during which time much of it has become predictable. For example, the fact that piano subscriptions usually have the greatest success, of which two are already completely sold out, children's and opera: they are still on sale, including because this year more of both have been released.

The main differences between the current campaign and the previous one are not related to the change in the absolute number of subscriptions. Firstly, in previous years subscriptions were issued for sale in two equal series, one half a month after the other. Now the second series starts a week after the first, on February 8, with only a few subscriptions (including those with the participation of Mikhail Pletnev and Denis Matsuev!), and the vast majority is released in the first series. Secondly, the role of online sales has grown: if last year it opened an hour after the start of ticket sales at the box office, now it started at midnight, half a day before the box office opens. Many were going to buy subscriptions in the first minutes, although not everyone succeeded. Due to the influx of people, the Philharmonic's website was down for a couple of hours. However, this is the first time that such a wide opportunity for online shopping for those who have no time to stand in lines has appeared.

Going to a concert of academic music, especially with a child, is a conscious step. Choosing a subscription from dozens of possible ones, planning your life for a year and a half ahead - even more so. When politics, economics, or the weather don't give reasons for optimism, music can.

Thirdly, the current campaign started a month earlier than last year, and the cost has hardly increased. This is especially important in today's instability, when the price of a ticket can change in a month and will certainly change in a year. This means that the listener already today buys a ticket for a concert for several hundred rubles, which is guaranteed to take place in a year and a half. With all the reasons for uncertainty about the future, he has no doubt that he will need music in a year, regardless of the ruble exchange rate.

So there is no mass psychosis and never was. Going to a concert of academic music, especially with a child, is a conscious step. Choosing a subscription from dozens of possible ones, planning your life for a year and a half ahead - even more so. When politics, economics, or the weather don't give reasons for optimism, music can. By the way, about optimism: seven season tickets have already been completely sold, however, such as “Vladimir Yurovsky conducts and tells”, “Great Oratorios of the 20th century”, “World Opera Stars in Moscow” and “Another Space” are still on sale at an affordable price, where several sensational premieres are promised. You can buy them right now.