For our Mad Men tribute I came across a real head scratcher. It is hard to believe that the New York Times prints such dreck sometimes, but that they did when an article was posted with the hypothetical argument to turn the video game Guitar Hero into Orchestra Hero. This is an ASS in clASSical instant classic…..
Rants&Raves
And Now for Something Completely Different….
So two weeks ago was the 40th anniversary of Monty Python’s Flying Circus first broadcast hence the title, but I have also been thinking about the way orchestras typically go about searching for a Music Director and if this process needs to be done in a very different and more forward thinking way. I believe it does, but it will involve the challenge of getting current MD’s to buy in (me included) whilst setting our egos aside. Charleston who is about to go through this is a perfect example …….
Concert Companion….Bring a Friend to the CSO!
I’m a big fan of technology, I’m always bummed out when something I have is super seeded by a new model. I still have that old crusty 1st generation ipod touch (18 months old!). I was intrigued like many when the Concert Companion first came out, a device to enhance the understanding of the concert experience with real time program notes, video and other features. After the initial buzz, it kind of died down, and I haven’t heard much about it since and it seems that some are using Twitter for live notes. Well the creator of CoCo (it’s nickname) is now in charge of an Orchestra, one that needs a serious recharge, but I’m pretty sure a CoCo or an internet connection is not the answer…..
What I meant to say was…..
It makes my head scratch when an orchestra that is about to begin a search for their next music director on the one hand indicates that they need someone who’s willing to spend more time in their city than their departing music director, but on the other hand indicates in writing that they are not necessarily expecting them to….time to address the dreaded residency question, off to Tuscaloosa we go……..
Dancing Maestros on the Jumbotron……
In a “review” by Lawrence Johnson, he ranted about the use of the Jumbotrons at the Ravinia festival. OK I can see that there might be some who want the “traditional” experience, but the setting is far from traditional in the concert going sense, accessibility is something that needs to be taken into consideration and he actually has a solution to his problem and doesn’t even realize it…….
Cliburn: An article beyond the pale…poison Iv(r)y
Just how far behind the times is the Wall Street Journal’s Benjamin Ivry? Close to 10 years, and bravo (not!) to him for proclaiming that the blind should not be allowed to play concertos, so does he have a problem with the deaf writing music also? You have to read his article to believe it…
R – E – S – P – E – C – T !!!
I had the joy of sharing a stage with The Pointer Sisters last weekend. It was really fun to see the Ladies doing there thing on the stage of the Winspear Centre, and our audience jumping up and down, and the bands – the ESO and The Pointer Sisters band – funking out. Great concerts, for sure, but even more interesting stories – and rumor of more sightings of the specie Convinsualistia Outdatie.
Plugging the Holes before Filling the Barrel (2009) – Opposite World!…..
Two articles jumped out at me over the weekend. Both reminded me of the constant tail chasing that goes on in the arts world. Sometimes we get so far behind our audience’s needs, that we end up doing either what we should have been doing all along but a little too late, or the opposite of we should be doing right now….