Archives for July 2016

We live in a democratic culture – in so many aspects of our day-to-day existence, there is at least the perception that the majority should rule.  This goes for our elections, it goes for artistic trends, it goes for interpersonal interactions -- at least in theory. In the interest of fairness (as well as self-preservation) it is important for the majority to listen to non-majority voices.  If … [Read more...]

Alex Ross’s thoughtful essay on vicious uses of music left a few interesting stones oddly turned.  At the conclusion, he asks us to “renounce the fiction of music’s innocence,” citing the damage that music can do.  “Either music affects the world around it or it doesn’t,” he says.  It’s a curious dichotomy, as is this one: “It is a mistake to place ‘music’ and ‘violence’ in separate … [Read more...]

Straddlers of the 20th and 21st centuries have witnessed a remarkable shift in human-made devices.  For ages, contraptions have been devised and refined based on ancient principles: the lever, the gear, the axle.  Now many of these mechanical artifacts have been replaced by digital, and still more operate in a hybrid universe, marrying mechanical and digital principles, sometimes awkwardly, … [Read more...]

I’m off to Seattle this week for a couple performances of Resonance by the Seattle Chamber Music Society (SCMS).  Resonance is scored for violin and three cellos, and I’m really fortunate to have an outstanding group playing it: James Ehnes on violin and cellists Robert deMaine, Edward Arron and Jeremy Turner.  Resonance is dedicated to the memory of cellist Toby Saks. I met Toby, the … [Read more...]