Random Thoughts…

It’s random thought day.  Be warned.

Late last night I heard that the last of the music critics had died.  Michael Steinberg, musician, musicologist, critic, husband, friend.  Now there really is no one worth reading.

I attended the last performance of the Great River Shakespeare Festival yesterday.  My nephew was in Love’s Labour’s Lost.  At the end the entire company, including crew, came onstage and everyone shouted out their favorite moment from this year’s festival.  Then they all lined up outside to meet and greet their audience.  Could you imagine trying to get an orchestra to do that?  And we wonder why we have an image problem in this business.

Munich Phil declined to renew Thielemann’s contract.  Two things stuck out: 1) I would dearly love to hear the conversation between the General Director, Paul Mueller, and ANY conductor when he says “you’ll conduct what I tell you to conduct”; and 2) the following quote:

“One of Thielemann’s chief concerns has been that other conductors might dilute the carefully honed romantic sound of his orchestra.”

WTF?  Sorry, you’re just not that good.  Neither is anyone else.  Stop looking in the mirror at your carefully honed romantic ego and just make music.

Did anyone catch the Ode to a Conductor study?  Frankly the news that “conductors are in it for the music” I personally find a bit suspect.  Do a little research on the author and find out that…. hey surprise! …… he’s a conductor!!!  And this little study is his postdoc paper.  Yikes.  My personal favorite line I’ve found so far is in the abstract:

One hundred and one conductors (17 females and 81 males, 50 of them Greeks) first filled in a questionnaire composed of 92 items referring to possible motives one may have for becoming an orchestra conductor.

There are 50 Greek conductors?  Alexander the Great built an empire for this?

The Cleveland International Piano Competition starts today, and they’re doing live video streaming, etc.  Which begs the question: does anyone care?  First of all, the Minnesota Piano e-competition has been doing this for years so, sorry to say to Cleveland and Cliburn, this just isn’t a big deal that you’re now on the web.  Second of all, who cares?  Can we please convene another Geneva convention – first on the docket: an international ban on Piano competitions.

God help me but the most interesting piece I’ve heard recently features a cat playing the piano.

Yikes.  It’s only Monday morning and I’m already in this kind of mood.

1 thought on “Random Thoughts…”

  1. I’m not sure that a number of my colleagues wouldn’t be willing to do a “shoutout” & a meet & greet … but I do think comparing musicians to those who are used to using their voices on stage might be a bit harsh? Dunno. Just a thought.

    I’m a terrible introvert. I’m not shy when I play my oboe, though. That’s my way of communicating. Call me wimpy. Or chicken. Or something.

    Just pondering …

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