Somehow I sincerely doubt that when Drew McManus asked me to participate in an online blog about the classical music industry he had the idea of me starting a very public international pissing match with an established author. Too bad.
Mr. Lebrecht:
It has come to my attention that you mentioned the passing of my collegiate piano teacher – Dr. David Burge – in one of your entries on your online blog Slipped Disc. Being curious as to what you would highlight amongst Dr. Burge’s many musical accomplishments I checked your blog. To my deep dismay instead of focusing on his contribution to the music world you instead chose to point out that Dr. Burge had been divorced five times. You then continued to compare him to Eugen d’Albert, for no reason except for the number of marriages involved.
Mr. Lebrecht, this kind of snarky “reporting” either is or should be beneath you. Since you quite obviously did not take the time to read the full NYTimes obituary of Dr. Burge, nor do any research concerning him whatsoever, let me educate you about this man.
David Burge was one of the most dynamic pianists of his generation. He was an acknowledged expert in the piano music of George Crumb, Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez, Arnold Schoenberg, and a host of other composers great and small who were active in the second half of the 20th Century. He was a pioneer in mastering avant garde piano techniques and incorporating new music into the traditional piano recital format. For pianists of that generation there are two artists who were giants of this new tradition – Ursula Oppens and David Burge.
Dr. Burge was not, however, a johnny one-note. He was a pianist who played every era of classical music, making a special study of the music of Schubert. He was also a dedicated teacher, serving most obviously on the faculties of the University of Colorado (Boulder) and the Eastman School of Music. During his time at these schools both colleges acquired well-deserved international reputations as hotbeds for new music, especially for young composer/pianists interested in carrying ont hat tradition. Dr. Burge was a Fulbright scholar and a dedicated author who wrote several books and also contributed to Contemporary Keyboard magazine.
I studied with David Burge for four years (1979-1983), and despite the fact that I knew virtually nothing about contemporary music when I first went to Eastman, once I graduated I had certainly gained a much broader knowledge of said. He encouraged all his students to be open-minded and open-eared, to befriend student composers and help those composers find their musical voice, and to explore the entire length and breadth of the classical music repertoire. His wisdom and his pianism will be greatly missed, and hopefully his focus on the performance and teaching of contemporary music will continue in the worthy hands of performer/teachers such as Marc-André Hamelin.
Mr. Lebrecht, somehow you missed all of this. Instead of publishing an insightful obituary of one of the unsung giants of 20th Century classical music you disgorged a careless and indolent hack job that would barely be worthy of the back page of the worst of the English tabloids. It was unbecoming, unnecessary, and unwelcome, and you owe Dr. Burge, his son, and all of his students an apology.
In the future please either do your due diligence and publish obituaries worth reading or apply for a position with Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. Certainly this level of “writing” would be most welcome there.
Sincerely,
William Eddins, Music Director
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Student of Dr. David Burge (1979-1983)
I’m afraid Lebrecht is known for this sort of thing. I get the impression he’s more interested in being noticed for writing his own type of “journalism” than for actually writing about music. Better ignore him! I became aware of Dr. Burge’s excellent qualities when, during the 1980s, I heard his recordings of Crumb. I feel that his approaches to programming and repertoire — not to mention his exceptional qualities as a musician — are an important influence on the work of so many musicians, myself included. Thank you for your insights into this exceptional man.
Mr. Lebrecht is also strangely innumerate: last time I checked, 5 (in context) is actually the closest one can get to 6. Certainly not “not even close”…
Thank you for your thoughtful tribute to this wonderful teacher and pianist.
Mr. Lebrecht is the author of the first tabloid newsblog of classical music. It seems that he only writes articles and “newsbreaks” which are sensationalist, unless they’re about a composer (Mahler) or musician whom he happens to favor. Then he writes about them ad nauseam.
I doubt anyone involved in classical the music industry bothers with his blog unless they happen to have a grievance. In that case they happily provide Mr. Lebrecht with the juicy details of some unfolding scandal, since such stories uncannily get a lot of exposure on his blog.
As far as I’m concerned, it is more interesting and topical to watch or listen to Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh than to follow Mr. Lebrecht’s blog. I, for one, stopped bothering after a couple of weeks of reading sensationalist drivel.
I would hardly bother with a reply to his arrogant smear of Dr. David Burge, since his opinions and comments are generally worthless. However, I completely understand the outrage of anyone who knew and admired Dr. Burge is outraged about Mr. Lebrecht’s flip, unprofessional statements.