When a few years ago Doug McLennan invited me to write an ArtsJournal blog, I thought about it and said no. Having been born as long ago as 1948, I remain somewhat a stranger to the internet. And, as I am always writing a book (a form of therapy) when I am not producing concerts, I felt I didn't have the time. … [Read more...]
Joseph Horowitz
I pursue parallel careers as a scholar/writer and concert/producer. As Executive Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic in the 1990s, I was a pioneering creator of humanities-infused public programming ("Dvorak and America," "The Russian Stravinsky," "American Transcendentalists," etc.). As curator of the Pacific Symphony's annual American Composers Festival, I've designed two-week festivals around Lou Harrison, William Bolcom, "Copland and Hollywood," Chinese-American composers, etc. My three-week New Jersey Symphony "Winter Festivals" included … [Read more...]

Recent Comments
Joel Lee on A Status Report on City Opera
Again, we go on and on about the acoustics at the NY State Theater. Why were there not criticisms...william osborne on A Status Report on City Opera
Small music theater requires entirely new concepts of composition, singing and staging. NYCO wants to create a new form...Chuck Lavazi on Dvorak and Hiawatha
The first time I heard the Largo of the Dvorak 9th (then called the 5th, which shows what a geezer...Robert Berger on Ives the Sophisticate
Interesting article, but your dismissal of the Sibelius 2nd as "banal" and "cliched" could not be more...Mark Stryker on Ives the Sophisticate
Joe, Insightful post, thanks. Interestingly, in a review I wrote a couple days ago about the four Ives symphonies played at...J. Theakston on The Greatest Film Score You’ve Never Heard
Must disagree with you on one point, Joe. Modern accompaniment for classic films (silent films excluded) is walking a...richard on The Met’s New Parsifal
I saw the performance of March 5, and your description of the brillance of this production rings true. At last,...Geo. on The Met’s New Parsifal
I saw the HD-cast of this production rather than in person, so obviously my perspective is limited that way. ...msirt on The Met’s New Parsifal
Ah ha! I finally "get" François Girard's final interpretive thrust for this rendition : Parsifal's words (paraphrase of the poem):...Sixtus Beckmesser on The Met’s New Parsifal
Thank you for this thoughtful and insightful appraisal. I was fortunate to have seen the HD broadcast on Saturday,...