Legitimacy in art has long been debated by intellectuals as to whether or not popularity equals legitimacy. I have heard it bemoaned that there have been no Operas written in the past 40 to 50 years that have become part of the regular repertoire. I would argue that the composer Stephen Sondheim like Gershwin and Bernstein before him has broken that Musical to Opera barrier even though he says he’s not a fan of Opera! For me Sweeney Todd is an Opera and Sondheim is a master composer who should be on “the list”….
Lost World
BREAKING NEWS!!! – Drug Scandal hits Classical Music!
We here at SticksandDrones take our reporting on the Classical music scene very seriously. So it is with a very heavy heart that I report that a major drug scandal has hit our beloved profession. Read on…
Where Angels fear to tread……..
Artists are always amongst the first ones that totalitarian regimes suppress. It is the individuality that makes dictators nervous, and the ability through art to expose fundamental truths. The question arises today about the value of cultural exchanges between (relative) democracies and dictatorships. Is it worth while? The New York Philharmonic is about to find out.
Hanukkah lights……
There’s something that I notice every morning these days when I’m having my early day tea. It’s a beautiful Menorah which sits on our dining room table. Every evening one more candle goes on as we celebrate the Festival of Lights. Of course the funny thing is that I’m not Jewish – I’m a Taoist. None-the-less, in celebration of these wonderful eight days here are eight things I love about Judaica……….
Introducing the Electric Celestetophone
This past weekend in the middle of conducting “The Nutcracker” a thought occurred to me. Didn’t composers try to use new instruments as soon as they became available? Case in point the Celeste. We hear Sugar Plum now and the first thought from conductors and musicians is probably Great only 10 minutes till the end of the ballet! Seriously though, when it was first heard it would have been like hearing an Electric Guitar in the orchestra today the sound was so new…
The Greatest piece you’ve never heard……..
I have two firm and fast rules of music:
1. There are no undiscovered masterpieces – if someone starts waxing poetic about the symphonies of Arnold Bax just nod and move on.
2. Everyone – you, me, the average Joe/Jane on the street – gets to nominate one, and only one piece, that they can claim as their own personal Undiscovered Masterpiece. Here is my choice: