I cannot resist this postscript to my 7,000-word manifesto, in the current American Scholar, about the South Dakota Symphony. If you happen to watch the live-stream [embedded above] of their Shostakovich 7 concert, with its 40-minute preamble, you will discover at the end an expression of pride and accomplishment the likes of which I have never … [Read more...] about “Shosakovich in South Dakota” P. S.
“Shostakovich in South Dakota — A Manifesto for the Future of American Classical Music”
My “manifesto for the future of American classical music,” in the current issue of The American Scholar, attempts in 7,000 words to present a viable blueprint for change. My main point of reference is a contextualized performance of Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony last February by the South Dakota Symphony – which I write “may plausibly be considered the most … [Read more...] about “Shostakovich in South Dakota — A Manifesto for the Future of American Classical Music”
“The Jazz Threat” on NPR
In my book Dvorak’s Prophecy and the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music, I call “an antipathy to jazz” one of the defining attributes of American classical music during the interwar decades. I’ve also written a lot about “the jazz threat.” In the US, jazz bore a Black taint; it was linked to brothels and nightclubs; it was declasse. Henry Ford’s … [Read more...] about “The Jazz Threat” on NPR
Pedro Carboné (1960-2023)
The pianist Pedro Carboné – who was one of my closest friends – died last night of a stroke in Alicante, Spain, where he resided. He was a peerless exponent of the formidable piano works of Isaac Albeniz and Manuel de Falla. He was only sixty-three years old. Pedro was born in Zaragoza. His first important teacher was Pilar Bayona – in the world of Spanish piano, a … [Read more...] about Pedro Carboné (1960-2023)
The Cultural Cold War — at a 30 % Discount
My brand-new website posts information on my brand-new book: The Propaganda of Freedom: JFK, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and the Cultural Cold War. The pub date is September 26. You can order it now at a 30 per cent discount. Here’s a description: Eloquently extolled by President John F. Kennedy, the idea that only “free artists” in free … [Read more...] about The Cultural Cold War — at a 30 % Discount