The journal H-Diplo Review, addressing scholars of diplomacy, foreign relations, and international history, has graciously published a little something I was invited to write about my 2023 book “The Propaganda of Freedom” in an attempt to foster cross-disciplinary inquiry: As a cultural historian specializing in the history of American music, I have long been aware of … [Read more...] about “Cheapening Freedom by Over-Praising It”
Yunchan Lim and the Scent of Nostalgia
I am old enough to remember a time when famous pianists were great pianists. It is a topic I rehearse with pianists of my acquaintance who like myself began attending recitals in the 1960s. So we heard Argerich, Arrau, Cliburn, Curzon, Gilels, Horowitz, Moravec, Serkin, Richter, Rubinstein. Some of us (not me) were lucky to hear Kempff and Michelangeli, who were not regular … [Read more...] about Yunchan Lim and the Scent of Nostalgia
Lexo’s Journey
A new CD pays tribute to Alexander Toradze and his father, the composer David Toradze. For those of us who loved Lexo, this feels like a necessary way of keeping his memory alive. I am personally grateful to Ettore Volontieri for making this happen, and to Behrouz Jamali for permitting us to excerpt audio from his exceptional film "An Hour with Alexander Toradze and Joseph … [Read more...] about Lexo’s Journey
Bernstein and Shostakovich — A Rosetta Stone?
The new online issue of “Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs,” the newsletter of the Leonard Bernstein Office, publishes an essay of mine suggesting that Bernstein’s relationship to Dmitri Shostakovich is a “Rosetta Stone” in the Bernstein odyssey. It’s a glimpse of my book-in-progress: “Bearing Witness: The American Odyssey of Leonard Bernstein.” You can read the whole thing here. What … [Read more...] about Bernstein and Shostakovich — A Rosetta Stone?
What’s An Orchestra For? – Mulling Salonen’s Resignation and a Dispiriting San Francisco Sequel
Esa-Pekka Salonen Among my most-read blogs is “What’s An Orchestra For?" – Mulling Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Resignation from the San Francisco Symphony.” I posted it on March 26, 2024, and it still attracts readers practically every day. The topic is the abrupt departure of a genuine music director propagating a tangible and timely artistic vision. I wrote that this … [Read more...] about What’s An Orchestra For? – Mulling Salonen’s Resignation and a Dispiriting San Francisco Sequel