Archives for 2010

Worries that classical music isn't "visual" enough have produced concerts embellished with film, photographs, and video. Obviously, this form of enhancement risks shrinking the musical experience rather than expanding it. A symphony linked to a visualized story or motif is likely to mean less, not more. To date, I have produced two "visual presentations" with the video artist … [Read more...] about Visuals in the Concert Hall

In a recent New York Times dance column (Jan. 15), Alastair Macaulay takes Christopher Wheeldon to task for the obtuse choreography he has inflicted on the Met's new Carmen. As Macauley truly observes, Wheeldon's decision to cast the act three entr'acte -- a fragrant flute and harp piece, one of Bizet's most beloved miniatures -- as an erotic pas de deux defies … [Read more...] about Choreographing Carmen: Wheeldon vs. Mamoulian

About a year ago, my son Bernie (now 22 years old) produced a self-described "Oedipal Tirade" titled "Horowitz on Horowitz on Horowitz," the three Horowitzes being Bernie, myself, and Vladimir. Far away at college, liberated from parental guidance, Bernie had acquired a consuming passion for the recordings of Vladimir Horowitz. At Bernie's age, I, too, succumbed to the … [Read more...] about Horowitz on Horowitz on Horowitz on Horowitz: A Recantation

America's struggling orchestras face a double need with a single obvious but controversial solution. The first need is to play fewer concerts. In countless communities, large and small, the concert supply outstrips demand. Orchestras are burdened with contractual obligations that compel them to produce - laboriously and expensively - concerts without a ready audience. … [Read more...] about Why Memphis Matters to Every American Orchestra

The recent Cleveland Orchestra strike has produced a flurry of commentaries about the financial woes of American orchestras and the impact of declining urban centers on declining audiences. A longer view and a larger picture will be pursued at the forthcoming "Orchestral Summit" at the University of Michigan. I remember when the annual conference of the American Symphony … [Read more...] about Looking Beyond the Cleveland Strike