What did Gustav Mahler and Leonard Bernstein have in common? As is well known, Bernstein was a triumphant advocate of Mahler’s symphonies at a moment when they had yet to enter the mainstream repertoire. And both were outsiders – Mahler as a Jew in Vienna, and Bernstein as someone trying to resolve the oxymoron “American classical musician.” But in my NPR interview yesterday … [Read more...] about Mahler, Bernstein, and “The Marriage”
“The Propaganda of Freedom” — A Podcast
When was the last time an American President cited the arts as a vital component of the ‘”state of the union”? John F. Kennedy did, in 1963. That’s the starting point of my new book The Propaganda of Freedom: JFK, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and the Cultural Cold War (currently available at a 30 per cent discount via University of Illinois Press). It’s also the … [Read more...] about “The Propaganda of Freedom” — A Podcast
“Celebrating Harry Burleigh” on October 14
I’ll be joining the baritone Sidney Outlaw – an exceptional artist – in songs and spirituals by Harry Burleigh on Saturday, October 14, at the Newark School of the Arts. It’s a one-hour presentation, at noon, followed by a master class. It’s free but you need to reserve tickets at pmolina@newarkschoolofthearts.org Burleigh – once Dvorak’s assistant in New York -- is … [Read more...] about “Celebrating Harry Burleigh” on October 14
“Shosakovich in South Dakota” P. S.
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”