My frustrations with a recent performance of Brahms’ Violin Concerto sent me to youtube in search of something different: an act of therapy. A foible to which violinists are prone (pianists are immune) is lingering upon or otherwise savoring a beautiful note. That’s OK in Bruch or Tchaikovsky but does no favors to Brahms or Beethoven. After half an hour of Menuhin, … [Read more...] about Milstein vs. Szigeti
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Kurt Weill in 2017
“Wherever I found decency and humanity in the world, it reminded me of America.” That this observation – recorded by Kurt Weill in 1947 – rings hollow in 2017 does not diminish the fascination and pertinence of Weill’s extraordinary creative saga, perhaps the most elusive charted by any major composer. In Berlin, Weill’s caustic signature was The Threepenny Opera, created … [Read more...] about Kurt Weill in 2017
New Musical Venues for a New National Moment
With classical music under siege, many are rethinking audiences and venues. Here in Manhattan, Geffen Hall – previously Fisher Hall, and before that Philharmonic Hall – has never been an inviting place in which to hear music. The acoustics are defective, the ambience is nothing special. One cannot blame the hall for the New York Philharmonic’s disengaged audience – but it’s a … [Read more...] about New Musical Venues for a New National Moment
Rethinking “Classical Radio”
When commercial radio was new, the airwaves were saturated with classical music – not just recordings and live concerts, but highly produced pedagogical programs. You could tune into Abram Chasins for tips on playing Chopin’s E-flat major Nocturne. What today passes for classical music radio is a different species of broadcasting. You can spend an afternoon listening to the … [Read more...] about Rethinking “Classical Radio”
Uncle Vanya Meets Porgy and Bess
What did the legendary Russian experimental theater director Yevgeny Vakhtangov (1883-1922) have in common with Porgy and Bess, Oklahoma!, and Carousel? The immigrant director of these landmark Broadway productions, Rouben Mamoulian, was to some degree a Vakhtangov disciple. Mamoulian took Broadway by storm in 1927 with his staging of Dubose Heyward’s novel Porgy. At the age … [Read more...] about Uncle Vanya Meets Porgy and Bess