“Aaron Copland and the Spirit of Labor Day” – the radio documentary I was delighted to produce for the enterprising NPR newsmagazine “1A” – is archived here. I received a wonderfully bristling response from Steve Robinson, who for more than a decade ran WFMT/Chicago when it was (by far) the best classical-music radio station in the US. Steve writes: “The Copland program … [Read more...] about Copland and Joe McCarthy on NPR – a “Surreal Experience”
Joe McCarthy Grills Aaron Copland: “As your Communist Party record is extremely long . . . “
“As your Communist Party record is extremely long, I think counsel [i.e., Roy Cohn] will want to ask you some questions. . . . Those who underestimate the work the staff has done in the past end up occasionally before a Grand Jury.” --Senator Joseph McCarthy, addressing Aaron Copland (May 26, 1953) This chilling audio re-enactment, with Edward Gero as McCarthy, is an … [Read more...] about Joe McCarthy Grills Aaron Copland: “As your Communist Party record is extremely long . . . “
Toradze’s Piano Stories — Take Two
My recent posting of Behrouz Jamali's extraordinary film about Alexander Toradze produced a couple of comments so extraordinary that I'm re-posting them here. The first is from David Bondy, an attorney who was once in artists' management: I too have been mesmerized by Toradze’s recording of the Prokofiev 2. The first movement unfolds like no one else’s. Others who tackle … [Read more...] about Toradze’s Piano Stories — Take Two
Dvorak’s Prophecy — “Essential Cultural History”
Kirkus Reviews, which previews books for booksellers, critics, and others in the know, has just previewed my forthcoming Dvorak’s Prophecy and the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music. It’s been accorded a star (good news) – and the review itself grasps my book whole. In summary: “Horowitz closes with a clarion call for American classical music to ‘acquire a viable … [Read more...] about Dvorak’s Prophecy — “Essential Cultural History”
Art Tatum and the “Black Virtuoso Tradition”
On the heels of his film with Alexander Toradze (my previous blog), Behrouz Jamali has released another remarkable film essay dealing with the art of the piano: The Black Virtuoso Tradition. It features what the New York Times once called “piano playing at its most awesome”: Steven Mayer playing Art Tatum. The Black Virtuoso Tradition is an American … [Read more...] about Art Tatum and the “Black Virtuoso Tradition”