Milton Babbitt was right. He was just right for all the wrong reasons.
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Harlem In Italy – with apologies to Signor Berlioz
I’m back. What, you didn’t miss me? For the past five days I was in the lovely city of Torino, Italy, home of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. But really I was in New York City, north of the Upper West Side, deep in the heart of Harlem.
The Paper It’s Printed On
I’m a conductor. That one phrase will cause many people who read this blog to reach for an antacid. Despite that it does have some relevance to what is going on in Philly.
We Have Met The Enemy….
By now many readers will have read this excellent post by Bernard Holland, distinguished music critic and writer for the New York Times (assuming that the NYT, in their infinite wisdom, will not try to charge you for access). Mr. Holland, in his opus from ’03, has succinctly put forth a very elegant and reasoned argument for why orchestras in this country are going the way of the Dodo. Only one problem – he didn’t go far enough.
Day Tripper Yeah…
I have no sympathy for Philadelphia. They’re a bunch of bums, anyway.
Just When You Thought It Might Be Safe….
Or, alternatively, I could title this post “Another One Bites The Dust.” Whatever, I’m bloody tired of writing these kind of blog posts but it has to be done. Let’s talk Syracuse.
Spring Thoughts
For the record, I do not get paid to write this blog. The guy who runs this website is way too cheap for that. So occasionally I have to concentrate on my real job for a while. That does not mean I haven’t been thinking…
Bernstein – An Appreciation
The most overused word in the orchestra business is “masterpiece.” We throw it around so often that it has long since lost all meaning, and now most often serves as a code for “we promise you won’t be offended by this piece.” That having been said …