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The False Dichotomy

the horn — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:32:00 GMT

In my last post I discussed how difficult it is to plan concert programs without displeasing either audiences or critics. There seem to be two factions in classical music; those who are angry that so much of what we hear today is music from the past, that new music rarely gets a chance to be heard, and that audiences are hostile to new music. The renowned French composer/conductor Pierre Boulez (1925-) has been for many years a dogmatic advocate of the most difficult and complex atonal music as a conductor, and has composed such music himself. Years ago, he declared that this kind of music is the ONLY valid style for composers today to compose in, and that all other conservative composers were useless and irrelevant. Of course, not many concertgoers agree with him.

American composer Ned Rorem (1923-), is angry that ours is the only age of classical music in which the music of the past is dominant. Another respected but not very popular modernist composer is Charles Wuorinen (1938-), who has been commissioned to write an opera based on the book and film Brokeback Mountain for the New York City opera is also dismayed by the lack of audience acceptance of difficult new music.

Then there are audiences, and some composers and critics, who reject all of this modernist stuff. Many concertgoers are appalled if their local orchestra plays anything by composers such as Boulez, Wuorinen etc at a concert they happen to attend. They just want to hear Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Beethoven, and Brahms etc. That's what they know and love.

And the late music critic and expert on all matters operatic and vocal Henry Pleasants (1910- 1999 ), hated most 20th century music, and thought atonality and serialism were awful. To him, classical music had declined from its glorious past when composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Handel, and Rossini etc wrote music that people actually enjoyed, and didn't alienate them. About 50 years ago, he wrote an interesting if annoyingly tendentious book called The Agony of Modern Music, in which he declared that contemporary music was no longer relevant because audiences, including him, rejected it. As far as I know, it's still available.

So who is right ? Should we only hear new music at concerts, and should it only be of the difficult modernist kind? Is tonality dead ? Or is contemporary music worthless, and only the familiar music of the past worth hearing? The answer is neither.

We need both old and new music at concerts. We can't do without either. It would be awful if we heard nothing but music of the past at concerts and the opera house. But it would be equally bad if we completely abandoned the music of the past. There is no conflict between old and new music.

People today read the novels, poetry, and short stories of great writers of the past such as Cervantes, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Wordsworth, Dickens , and others, but they also read Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, and John Updike etc. They see the latest films, but still watch classics such as Casablanca and Citizen Kane.

Why should it be any different with classical music? People should not be reluctant to continue attending concerts if they hear a new work they don't like at a concert. They may dislike some new movies they see, but that doesn't mean they stop going to the movies.

Dreams

cartoon — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:34:00 GMT

A new litter of critters

writer lady — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:23:00 GMT

I blogged a couple months ago about the tadpole project my son and I undertook. It was a lot of fun for us both—at first. We watched with great excitement as 50 or 60 slimy little tadpoles turned into 50 or 60 slimy little toads. And then the algae started rotting, and the tank started stinking. Then Jack’s bedroom started stinking and the last four toads died. I brought the last three tadpoles back to the koi pond where they started.

Like any kid whose parents let him watch too much TV, Jack is sure he’ll die if we don’t buy him every darned toy he sees advertised. Whenever he gets into one of those greedy hissy fits, I know I’ve been negligent. So I turn off the TV and try real hard to think up another interesting diversion that doesn’t involve his sitting slack-jawed on the sofa.

One product he’s been begging for though seemed like a good idea. It’s the Bugville Butterfly Treehouse, and he was very excited to get one for his birthday last week. I made a quick trip to a local nursery that gives away free caterpillars (no doubt as an inducement to buy their $34 caterpillar/butterfly habitat), and we’re now anxiously awaiting metamorphosis.

So far we have only a couple problems: I passed on the $34 habitat, but bought a $5 parsley plant (our new Black Eastern Swallowtails will eat only parsley and fennel), and a beautiful $15 book to help us identify other caterpillars and butterflies, and plan for our butterfly garden.

The only other thing I’m troubled by is the amount of excrement these little buggers produce. I don’t believe for a minute that Jack’s going to take care of cleaning the cage out daily, so I guess I’ve created another job for myself besides taking care of the dog, the cat, the cat’s disgusting litter box and a tank full of fish.

By the way, that fish tank has three new inhabitants: three baby kois hatched in the algae we brought home with the tadpoles.

Birthday Sunday

willburns1 — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:58:00 GMT

So its my Birthday on Sunday August 31. I think that birthdays loose their luster after the first 21 birthdays you just get kind of tired of them. I mean what is it that you get after you turn 21. You get you insurance break at 25 as well as being able to rent a car without that huge down payment or whatever. But what is that worth really, nothing I tell you nothing. I remember birthdays being so important to me when I was young. I use to look forward to them for the whole year and as soon as it was over I would look forward to the next one. Now though I could care less if I had a party. I guess thats a part of growing up. Well anyways I think that was all that I really had to say.

-Will

ps I love chocolate don't you?

Conductors And Orchestras - Damned If They Do And Damned If They Don't

the horn — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:41:00 GMT

Symphony orchestras today play an an extremely varied repertoire,(at least many of them), ranging from works by Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert etc, to the latest works by living composers. It's not an easy job deciding what to play in the course of an orchestra's concert season, and requires long term planning.

The orchestra's music director, or chief conductor is responsible for the lion's share of the planning and scheduling, with the help of the administrative staff. He or she conducts more concerts than the other conductors, who are guests who come in for a week or two of concerts. Orchestra seasons are so long now, ranging from September to May or June, with summer festival concerts too, that it's impossible for the music director of a major orchestra to conduct 150-200 concerts a year. The music director has to co-ordinate the programming so that guest conductors don't duplicate his or her scheduled programs, plus arranging for schedules of visiting, pianists,violinists,etc, singers, chorus(when needed) etc.

Then there's the problem with pleasing audiences and critics with the scheduled works to be played. It's impossible to please every one. No matter what is played,new, old, familiar or unfamiliar, some one may complain.

Many, but not all listeners don't like contemporary music, or most of it. They would rather hear their beloved Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky masterpieces for the umpteenth time. But orchestras must not allow the repertoire to stagnate. It's vital to give new music a chance to be heard, whether the audiences or critics like them or not. It's a crap shoot whenever a new work is played; chances are it will be quickly forgotten, like countless other works from the past. But you never know when any given recent work might be revived in the future.

And there are other difficult atonal or 12-tone works that are not new but which some in audiences dislike intensely ; music by such great but controversial figures as Schoenberg, Berg, Webern etc, who wrote in the first half of the 20th century.

So conductors and orchestras are stuck in a quandary ; if they play thrice familiar music the audience loves, critics, many of whom are advocates of new music and difficult 20th century works, will blast the conductor and orchestra for being timid and unadventurous in programming, and neglecting new music. If they play new music that is difficult or challenging, many in the audience will complain bitterly. It's not uncommon for those who have subscriptions to threaten to cancel them.

There are also some composers today who aim to please audiences with more approachable new music that won't puzzle or upset them, and who avoid atonality. Some of these composers have been widely and successfully performed. But some critics blast the conductors who program this music for pandering to audiences with "easy listening". No matter what a conductor decides to perform, some one will complain.

But there is also a welcome trend today to revive long-neglected works from the past , many of which are very much worth hearing. These may be the less frequently played works of famous composers, or music by composers who are not well known to audiences at all. This makes for more varied and interesting programming. And there are some composers who were almost unknown to concertgoers years ago which have now gained a fairly secure place in the repertoire, such as Denmark's Carl Nielsen (1865- 1931 ), Franz Schmidt (1874- 1939 ), Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871- 1942 ), of Austria, Albert Roussel (1869-1937), of France and Poland's Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937 ),to name only a few.

Programming repertoire for concerts is a tough juggling act, but the plus side is that there is greater diversity at concerts than ever before.

Weddings whats the deal with that

willburns1 — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:49:00 GMT

So I recently got married and I was wondering what is the deal with weddings. I realize that in the Christian community that its the ceremony where the father of the Bride transfers the headship to the husband. The wedding is also a worship service to praise God for all the blessing he has given us and the blessing of a new wife. Having said all that why is it that its such a big expense? I mean why can't you just go to the church and get married and then go and have a big party. Why do you have to decorate the church the reception hall, the rehearsal dinner ect. I think that weddings are a way of retailers to generate money. Its like greeting card companies creating this hype around holidays just because they can profit from them. I'm not really blaming the card companies because thats just good business. If I was in the card business I would do the same thing its just good advertising. I just don't know why we have to fall for it and spend and spend. I mean the wedding the reception and not the mention all the expenses that happen before the wedding. All this to say that i think that there are a lot of occasions that are over hyped and would be a lot more fun if instead of spending all kinds of money you would just have fun and not worry about the aesthetics. Some would say that you make a big deal out of the wedding so that you can get a lot of presence. Well if you would just send all your wedding money toward all the stuff you want to start you life together then you wouldn't have to worry about getting 3 toasters. I guess thats all I wanted to say but after saying all that I would like to tell you that some if not must have been planning their wedding since they were little girls. So try and speak rational into a bride that has been planning for 20 years.

-Will

The Night Prowler

parker — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:26:00 GMT

We moved into a new home in the middle of June. Actually, it is a townhome, so we do share our backyard with another property. We have found it to be very comfortable and cozy and have really been enjoying it.

About one week after moving in, I started to hear something brush across the outer wall of the master bedroom at night. The first night, I looked out the window to see what I could see…nothing. The next few nights, tried looking around outside…nothing (mind you, this was after building up the nerve to even go outside). It sounded like someone was outside running a hard object along the wall. It was a very brief sound, nothing that lasted long.

I heard this noise for weeks and finally brought it up with my husband, who slept through it night after night. Usually, even the slightest noise wakes him, but he told me he has not heard it. He asked that I wake him the next time I hear it so he can check it out. Well, that same night (or I should say morning: 3:00am) I heard it again and this time it was louder and longer. I woke him and he heard it too. Now, neither of us could sleep well at night, knowing that noise would wake us daily.

One morning, about 5:00, it woke both of us and kept going. We got up to check it out. We bravely went out back to see what was happening and there was some creature wallowing and playing in the puddle of water that was created by the condensation from our AC! We flipped out. My husband directed the flashlight on it for a long time and it didn’t even phase this animal. It turned out to be an armadillo!

The next day, I covered the hole with cardboard to see if it dared to move it to get to the hole. Night one came…no noise. Night two…nothing. Night three…we could sleep soundly through the night.

Night four came and…(This has been too long, I’ll blog about that next time)

Cable Guy

willburns1 — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:40:00 GMT

So I ordered Comcast cable and they were supposed to come on Wed Aug. 27th between 4 - 6. Well I got off work and I hurried over to the house and waited for my call but I never got one. I was kind of mad because I really wanted to get internet and Cable TV that day. Well I decided to go over to my brothers house and then at like 9:45 Comcast calls me and asks me if I still wanted my Cable installed today. I was like sure I want my Cable. Well the Cable guy didn't come until about 10:10. He scared the crap out of my neighbor when he was connecting the wires at the cable box on the side of the house where my neighbor's bathroom window was. This alarmed my down stairs neighbor who came out in his underwear to see what was going on. Well I told him that it was my cable guy and he said that he thought it might of been for him since he was having problems with his internet. But I digress, anyways the Cable guy's name was Frank. Frank was from New York and said that when he moved to Tallahassee he said that it kind of reminded him a little bit of new york. This was after a discussion about how bad the crime can get in Tallahassee. Frank was a cool guy and believe that marijuana should be legal which is not a bad idea in my opinion. Well we got the internet working at about 11 and i paid him his money and he was off on his way. Nice guy though. He kind of reminded me of Dave Chappelle but with less teeth.

Cemetary Walk

cartoon — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:09:00 GMT

What a Day

willburns1 — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:25:00 GMT

You ever have one of those days where you are just so utterly tired and worn out. I am having one of those days today. I don't know what it is about this day that makes it feel this way. Like yesterday I got home from work and my feet and legs were tired. Now why in the world would me feet and legs be tired if I all I do all day is sit and work on the computer? Maybe I'm getting old. I'm only 24 but I feel like I'm getting old everything hurts. Maybe I just like to complain about things and it makes me feel better. I feel like if I complain about it then theres no more reason to talk about it. So I was at this Bar the other day and I met this guy there his name was Adam. Adam was a maintenance guy at an apartment complex. He was a very interesting person. He had his hair buzzed off and he had a skull on his black shorts with a peace sign crossed with a pentagram tattooed on his shoulder. I tell you all this so that I can tell you that I think that it is best to try and never judge someone by their appearance. This guy Adam was a really cool guy. He had worked at all kinds of places and had seen a lot of the realities of the world. Adam at one point use to do biohazard removable which means that he would sometimes have to clean up after murders and such. I mean how many people can say they do that. He also worked at funeral homes preparing the bodies for their coffins. Well anyways I thought that he was interesting. Well interesting for a person that you just randomly meet.

US Presidents And Classical Music

the horn — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:05:00 GMT

These two things might seem incongruous, but there is a definite connection. Some presidents have been indifferent to classical music, or even disliked it, and knew little or nothing about it. But Thomas Jefferson (1743- 1826 ), was a highly cultured man and a pretty good violinist. His famous home at Monticello had a harpsichord, and Jefferson, a contemporary of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, was interested in these composers.

Not Ulysses S Grant. He declared that he was familiar with only two songs, (I believe) Yankee Doodle, and the other one he couldn't remember.

There were opera performances in Washington when Lincoln was president, and he is said to have enjoyed attending them. Richard Nixon is said to have played the piano well, and also enjoyed opera. Jimmy Carter enjoys classical music too, and according to reports, classical recordings were played in his office when he was president.

Bill Clinton is an accomplished saxophonist, and in his youth, even considered becoming a professional musician. He also likes classical music, and several years ago attended a performance of Carmen at the Metropolitan, his favorite opera, and posed for a photo with Hillary and James Levine, who conducted that performance.

The president who was most involved with classical music was Harry Truman. He was also a good pianist, and collected classical recordings. And get this- he regularly attended performances of the National symphony orchestra of Washington as president, and brought along miniature scores to follow the music !

The late Ronald Reagan enjoyed going to the opera on ocaission.

George Bush senior and junior are not really fans of classical music, but in 1991, the bicentennial of the death of Mozart, the elder Bush released an official White House proclamation acknowledging the genius of Mozart, and when the great Luciano Pavarotti died almost a year ago, George W and Laura sent their condolences.

Barack Obama also has ssome recordings of Bach on his i pod. Maybe this is a good sign.

After the last storm, and before the next

writer lady — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:20:00 GMT

Things here in Tallahassee have gone completely Fay-wire. Depending on where the measurements were taken, we received anywhere from 12 to 26 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Fay. For a while there, we were getting two inches an hour—hour after hour.

Last Friday, during the first hours of the storm, a lineman died when a tree fell on him while he worked to repair a downed power line. Another man was killed in a storm-related car wreck. Just a few miles north of us, a 12-year-old Georgia boy—a member of a local aquatics team--drowned in what would ordinarily have been just a dry, shallow ditch. Small businesses are still closed while the owners slog through knee-deep water trying to save undamaged inventory. Farmers have lost their crops and livestock.

Five days after the first of the tropical storm hit town, the rivers have finally crested. We still have major flooding and road closures. Exploding sewer mains have closed several of our main roads, and just today, a hole four feet around and 10 feet deep closed another. There has been major flooding, voluntary and mandatory evacuations and prolonged power outages.

We were lucky at my house and suffered no damage. Immediate neighbors have trees and limbs down. The power in my neighborhood was off for only three hours on Saturday, but because my husband is obsessed by solar power and alternative energy sources, we didn’t suffer a bit. We had lamps, fans, computer, and TV service throughout. It wasn’t a great way for my son to spend his 7th birthday, but it could have been worse.

Not everyone we know was so lucky. One of my husband’s coworkers has (so far) been four days without power. Another of our friends lives in one of Tallahassee’s prettiest neighborhoods, directly across the street from a pond that is the centerpiece of one of the city’s prettiest parks. But until the floodwater recedes, he can access his house only by parking on a side street, and cutting across three of his neighbors’ back yards.

And here comes Hurricane Gustav, slowly building momentum as it heads into the Gulf of Mexico. There’s no telling where it will make landfall, but all indications are that it will be at least a devastating Category 3 hurricane; Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane.

I keep thinking it surely won’t land here; we’re still slogging through a slow recovery from the last storm. It just wouldn’t be fair—as if tragedies ever are. South Florida and the southern Gulf coast have been hit by so many storms, and the mortgage crisis has already crippled that region, so they should be spared, too.

Then I think, maybe it will hit Texas, but they already suffered record-breaking flooding earlier this summer. Louisana? Mississippi? If the weather gods are in the least compassionate, those states should never again be targeted by another storm.

Tallahassee usually escapes the wrath of hurricanes; the last was Hurricane Kate in 1985. Maybe it is our turn. Maybe we were blessed with a tropical storm as a warm-up exercise --no way could you call it a dry run. After Fay, more people will take the warnings seriously and lay in provisions, head for the shelter, or leave town all together.

My genius of a husband has already rigged another portable power supply to keep the refrigerator up and running. And he’s busily putting together similar appliances for four of our friends…just in case. I’m stocking up on canned goods, tarps, etc., but what I really want to do is take my family and head for my friend’s cabin in the mountains of North Carolina.

Are Live Performances Preferable To Recorded Ones ?

the horn — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:22:00 GMT

Many classical music critics, fans and experts think that there is just no substitute for attending a live orchestra concert or opera performance, and that recordings, whether LP or on CD pale in comparison.

Possibly there is some truth to this, but I'm not sure. It's great to go to a live performance, but I must confess that I've always gotten a great deal of enjoyment listening to recordings, whether LPs, CDs or tapes. There are those who say that a live performance is much more alive, more spontaneous than one recorded without an audience, and edited together from different takes to eliminate errors and technical glitches. It's a very artificial way to perform music, some say.

Perhaps, but mistakes could be annoying and distracting on a recording, such as when a French hornist splatters a note like a fly being swatted. (There are some studio recordings with bloopers that somehow escaped the tape editors.) And there are plenty of recordings made at live performances. The top commercial record labels have sessions after the performance in which mistakes at orchestra concerts can be fixed. The smaller labels have pirated recordings , warts and all.

But there are many absolutely inpired studio recordings, too , that are generally considered classics, such as the legendary recording of the Beethoven fifth symphony with the late Carlos Kleiber and the VIenna Philharmonic, still available on Deutsche Grammophon records. Better a great studio performance than a humdrum live one.

So it isn't so simple. There are other factors, too. It's great for people who are ill or incapacitated to have such a wide variety of recordings available on CD. Or those who live far from cities with orchestras or opera companies. And to listen to classical radio stations,(those that still exist), and to see telecasts of the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan opera on PBS, and listen to performances on the internet.

Also, Cds enable us to hear an enormous amount of obscure but interesting classical music that we would have little or no chance of ever hearing live, and to hear it much more than once. In recent years, hundreds of obscure operas have been recorded for the first time , often at or after live performances. For example, you can now hear recordings of operas by George Frideric Handel (1685- 1759 ), which had not been performed for about 250 years ! You don't hear live performances of the following composers very often at concerts, but their music is well-worth hearing : Hugo Alfven, Arnold Bax, Franz Berwald, Mily Balakirev, Havergal Brian, Arthur Bliss, Carlos Chavez, Paul Dukas, Gheorghe Enescu, Zdenek Fibich, Alexander Glazunoc, Pavel Haas, Charles Koechlin, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Vasly Kallinikov, Rued Langarrd, Ion Leifs, Nikolai Miaskovsky, Bohuslav Martinu, Hans Pfitzner, Max Reger, Wilhelm Stenhammar, Franz Schmidt, Franz Screker, Erwin Schulhoff, Karol Szymanowski, Sergei Taneyev, Heitor Villa Lobos, and Alexander von Zemlinsky. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Lovers of classical music have never had it so good.

Atlanta Courthouse Intruder Finally Caught

parker — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:03:00 GMT

A courthouse in Atlanta, had been broken into by an intruder that they had a hard time getting rid of. This intruder baffled the minds of many who worked there and wreaked havoc on their offices, leaving behind messes of all sorts. There were federal memos tampered with (but not stolen), footprints of a strange nature and even a half eaten apple left behind in the office of a federal bankruptcy judge. Surely leaving that apple was a slap in the face! The judge, whose office is located on the 14th floor of the courthouse building, had to call others in to help him figure out the perpetrator: a RACCOON.

Yea, a wayward raccoon not only visited his office, but also:

-stole cookies from the 10th floor;

-a sandwich from the 9th floor,

-and a dry pack of soup from the 23rd floor

"Wanted" posters and "Raccoon Crossing" signs were posted until the culprit was apprehended on Monday, August 25, 2008. Word is that he will be transported to a local farm (well, not too local) and sentenced to "life" outside of the courthouse.

More Great Sites For Classical Music

the horn — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:26:00 GMT

Here are some more great blogs and websites that you should try.

mvdaily.com This is a English classical music website called Music and Vision. Though British, it covers classical music all over the globe, including the US, and has plenty of reviews of opera and concerts, CDs and DvDs, book reviews, blogs, commentary etc. There is even an advice column for people with difficulties in classical music !

101cds.blogspot.com. This is an excellent blog for classical newcomers who are starting a CD collection. There is expert advice on how to go about doing this, and interesting comparisons of different recordings of the same work.

classicalnotes.net. Peter Gutmann, an enthusiastic but knowledgable amateur, offers interesting commentary on recordings by great musicians of the past, and some great living ones. There are surveys of recordings of famous individual works, such as Beethoven's fifth symphony, Dvorak's New World symphony, Schubert's Unfinished, and other famous masterpieces, comparing old and new recordings, and illustrating the changes in interpretive stle and recording technology.

Jessicamusic.blogspot.com Jessica Duchen is an English novelist, classical music fan, and wife of a violinist in the London Philharmonic. She offers the latest news in classical music , and offers many links to other classical music websites and blogs.

operachic.typepad.com This is sort of a gossip column for opera and classical music by a young American woman living in Italy. It's hip and trendy, but full of substance. You get all the latest gossip on the lives of today's most glamorous operas, conductors, directors and stage designers, plus ample links, and reviews of performances. There is a tendency to concentrate on the latest news at the legendary La Scala opera company of Milan.

Rocket Fish Web Cam works with Mac OSX and Windows

willburns1 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:54:00 GMT

I have recently bought a Rocket Fish web cam. My problem was that I wanted to have a web cam that would work well for my Mac as well as my PC. Well this little camera works just fine using the default iSight driver and its plug and play. It also works well with Windows and It works with both the Windows and Mac Skype programs. Some of the web cams that are available are not made for apple will work but some of the features my not work right like the auto focus features and must likely the face tracking features. The camera was about $60 bucks but I think that it is worth it.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8795048&st=rocketfish&lp=12&type=product&cp=1&id=1205537714405

Apple's Aperture!!

willburns1 — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:15:00 GMT

So I had no idea how awesome Apple's Aperture was for photo editing. I have Aperture 2.1.1 and I love it. I am very good with Photoshop and I can do all the essential things with aperture faster and more efficiently. They have a stacking feature that allows you to group and stack your photos so that you can organize them more efficiently. There is a ranking system that allows you to rank all of your photos which can also serve as a way of finding the shots that are the best. This Program is $199 and is worth very penny. Photoshop Cost about $650 for the full version. I believe that the upgrade is about $199. Well anyway I have been really impressed with its performance and its features. Not to mention that you can download many plug-ins for it so that you can do more with filters as well as upload your photos directly to facebook and other photo sharing type websites. To see the program in action heres a link to the Apple's website.

http://www.apple.com/aperture/

-Will

Some Great Classical Websites And Blogs

the horn — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:30:00 GMT

There are countless websites and blogs devoted to classical music, or ones which have some coverage of it. Here are some I particularly enjoy.

WQXR.com Even if you don't live anywhere near New York, you can hear the marbelously varied classical programming the radio station of the New York Times offers on the internet. There is a daily playlist, and ample information about what is going on in classical music.

artsjournal.com Although this websites has blogs on dance, film, Jazz, etc, and the arts in general, there are classical music blogs critic/composer Greg Sandow, classical music grouch Norman Lebrecht, and Henry Fogel, president of the League of American Orchestras, and other classical experts. You can also read the latest newspaper and magazine articles about classical music and the arts.

classicstoday.com. This site features reviews of classical CDs , new and reissued, and classical DVDs. There are also reviews of live performances, a variety of interesting articles and commentary about classical music, recommended recordings, and a complete list of reviews. A variety of different classical music critics write for this site.

arkivmusic.com. This is the place to order classical CDs and DVDs. The selection is enormous, and you can look up any CD or DVD by composer, conductor, instrumentalist or orchestra. There is a separate section devoted to opera CDs and DVDs. classicstoday and WQXR.com link to this site.

classicalcdreview.com. Another excellent site for reviews of classical CDs and DVDs. You can also order from this site.

soundsandfury.com. An always interesting blog on what is going on in classical music by the irascible and often opinionated AC Douglas. His commentary is always interesting, and there are links to many other classical music blogs.

musicweb-internatinal.com This is an English classical music website with many really interesting articles on famous and obscure composers, reviews of CDs, DVDs, and live performances, book reviews and much more.

Therestisnoise.com. This is the blog of Alex Ross, music critic of New Yorker magazine, and author of the acclaimed book ,also called The Rest Is Noise, an absorbing cultural history of classical music in the 20th century. This book is a bestseller, and not to be missed. There are many links to other classical music blogs etc.

Snobbery In Reverse

the horn — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:36:00 GMT

I participate in another forum devoted to politics, current events, and other hot issues of the present. It also has a section devoted to entertainment. Recently, I posted something asking if there were any classical music fans at the site, and explaining that I was a classical musician. I got a number of responses by such fans. But one person stated that "Classical music is for pretentious snobs". H'es a fan of rap. Fine. He also stated that classical music is also for people who think that Shakespeare is a great playwright. He prefers the writings of Eldridge Cleaver.

But isn't this just snobbery in reverse? In my response, I said that he is certainly entitled to his tastes in music, but that he shouldn't knock classical music. I asked if he had ever been to a concert by a symphony orchestra, or attended a performance of an opera. And I added the quote "Don't knock it if you haven't tried it." And also if he had ever heard any classical CDs.

Why is the onus always on those who love classical music? Why is it okay for people to knock classical music ignorantly , while the assumption exists that if you love classical music and defend its right to exist, you must automatically be a snob? I added that I have nothing against other kinds of music; I just love classical. And at least I've actually heard them.

Multiculturalism has also fostered intolerance of classical music. Don't listen to classical music- it's by dead white European males ! It will turn you into a racist, sexist, homophobic, imperialist monster !

Unfortunately, there is a myth that classical music is stuffy, boring and elitist. But if more people would just keep an open mind and try it, they might love it. What a shame.

More On How Many Idealize The Past Of Classical Music

the horn — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:52:00 GMT

On my last post, I discussed how many classical music fans and critics have a knee-jerk tendency to be dismissive about today's leading classical musicians, and seem to automatically prefer old recordings to recent ones. I could write a book about this. I wish I had a dollar for every review I've read over the past 40 years or so,since I was a teenager, longing for the supposed"golden age" of classical music.

For example, a music critic back in the 80s for the New York times, who was barely out of his 20s, was constantly dismissing the performances he heard(not all of them) because of his idealized image of the golden age. He has since gone on to a career as an opera conductor and coach of singers. This young man was very smart and had, and has an encylopedic knowledge of matters operatic, vocal technique and music history. He was constantly referring to the"blandness" of performances today, implying that all the performances of the past were so much more exciting and flavorful. But he was simply too young to have heard musical life on a daily basis from the past recordings, he simply failed to realize that there had been plenty of lackluster performances in the past, too.

In the 80s, he also wrote an article for the New York Times bewailing the alleged fact that all or most of today's orchestras have lost their distinctive individuals sounds, and that now they have a generic sound, and all sound alike. Many other critics think this is so, too. But I am convinced that this is a psychological illusion based on their idealization of the past. It's a physical and acoustical impossibility for orchestras to sound alike. They never have and never will. This is because orchestras consist of different musicians playing different makes of instruments in concert halls with different acoustical properties. In particular, different woodwind and brass players everywhere have always had different timbres. They vary from Germany, France, Russia, the Czech republic, the Netherlands, America and elsewhere. You can hear this if you listen carefully to recordings etc.

Critics say that musicians today are too pedantically literal in their interpretations, and that there is far less individuality among today's musicians. This is absolutely untrue. If you read reviews today, you will constantly see critics who mercilessly lambaste the musicians for all the liberties they take with the music! Isn't this something of a paradox? There's a double standard here. Critics praise legendary musicians such as conductors Leopold Stokowski and Dutchman Willem Mengelberg, and pianists such as Horowitz and others for the freedom, flair and "personality" they bring to the recordings, yet denounce musicians of today for all the liberties they take with the music. This is extremely unfair. Critics insist on having it both ways.

Take two great living violinists such as Israel born Itzhak Perlman and Latvian born Gidon Kremer. Both are great violinists and musicians, yet they are as different in their sound and interpretive approach as steak and lobster. They're anything but carbon copies of each other. This is true of many other great musicians today. But critics just keep on rehashing the same old myths.

Are Old Recordings Of Classical Music Better Than More Recent Ones?

the horn — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:14:00 GMT

If you read many classical music critics today , and listen to other experts, the answer will probably be yes. I have read countless reviews and articles longing for the"Golden Age" of classical music, when supposedly orchestras were so much better, the legendary conductors of the past were active, great pianists,violinists,pianists and other musicians were bountiful. And then, there is the knee-jerk dismissal and belittlement of today's conductors, orchestras and instrumentalists, bewailing the supposed lack of great musicians today. And when it comes to opera, the oldest cliche in the book is that opera, and singing standards are in hopeless decline from the golden age of such undeniable greats as Callas, Tebaldi, Flagstad, Caruso, Gigli, Chaliapin, Ruffo, and other legendary opera singers.

I suppose it's human nature to idealize the past and pine for the"good old days"; this is universal. People today are always complaining about lousy, trashy, smutty, and cynically commercial television,films,books, etc, and complaining that immorality is rampant today, and that crime, sexual immorality, and morals in general are in an awful state, and the world is going to hell in a handbasket. But as the French say,"The more things change, the more they stay the same. In the 50s, people thought that Elvis Presley was a threat to society.

But having heard countless recordings of classical music, old and new, as well as live performances, radio and television broadcasts, I'm just not sure that standards of performance were better 50 or a 100 years ago. Of course there were many great musicians in the past. The recorded evidence is plentiful, and there are many written accounts citing the greatness of musicians who lived before the age of recording.

But I see absolutely no evidence today of a lack of great musicians today. We have such great conductors and Valery Gergiev,Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Bernard Haitink, Pierre Boulez, Lorin Maazel, James Levine, Simon Rattle, Leonard Slatkin, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, etc, to name only a handful. Violinists such as Perlman, Zukerman, Mutter, Bell, Hahn, Kennedy, Kremer and others, and such great singers as the late,great Pavarotti, who died only 11 months ago, Domingo, Fleming, Voigt, Mattila, Hampson,Terfel, Borodina, Netrebko, Pape, and so many others. Great pianists such as Peter Serkin,Jean Yves Thibaudet, Alfred Brendel (just about to retire at almost 80), Pierre Laurent Aimard, and so many other outstanding people of all instruments.

We have magnificent orchestras in New York, Chicago,Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, LA, San Francisco, London,Berlin,Vienna,Amsterdam, Paris, Moscow, St.Petersburg, Prague, Dresden, Leipzig, and other cities. No, the classical music scene is anything but lacking in greatness.

And you can be 100% sure, that 40 or 50 years from now, older classical music critics and fans will be longing for the golden age- the musicians of today !

Save The World

cartoon — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:59:00 GMT

Music From And About Georgia And The Caucasus

the horn — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:49:00 GMT

The war between Russia and the republic of Georgia is very much in the news today, and this is an area that I have long been fascinated in. The Caucasus region lies between the Black and Caspian seas, and is home to a mighty mountain range with spectacular scenery. It is the crossroads between Russia, Europe, the middle east and east asia, and is home to an astonishing crazy quilt of obscure but fascinating ethnic groups long dominated by Russia, christian and muslim. Genghis Khan's hordes, Persia, the Ottoman empire and Russia have fought over this strategic area for ages.

Naturally, this region has a rich tradition of folk music, and a number of composers, both native to the region and foreign , have written colorful and exciting music based on that tradition. Aram Khatchaturian (1903- 1978 ) was born in Tbilisi of Armenian parents, studied in Russia and wrote some garish but exciting works based on Armenian and Caucasian music. The famous Sabre Dance comes from his ballet score "Gayaneh" (Guy-a -neh), a tale of life in Soviet Armenia. His three symphonies, the violin and piano concertos, and other works are not profound, but very entertaining.

The late 19th and early 20th century Russian composer Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (quite a mouthful), was fascinated by Caucasian and central asian music, and his orchestral suite"Caucasian Sketches", is ocaisionally heard, and very entertaining. A second suite is almost totally unknown, but I have a recording on the Naxos label which also includes the first suite. Check this CD out at the Naxos website.

Giya Kancheli (1935-) , is the best known Georgian composer of the present day. he currently lives in Germany , and I have a Sony Classical CD of two of his symphonies which I find very interesting. Kancheli has written a variety of other works which can be heard on CD.

The eminent conductor Valery Gergiev, now conductor of the London Symphony orchestra, music director of the Maryinsky opera in St. Petersburg, and principal guest conductor at the Metropolitan opera is often described as a Russian, but was born in Moscow of Ossetian parents. The Ossetians are the descendents of the ancient Scythian tribes, and speak a language related to Persian. Another eminent conductor also wrongly identified as Russian, is Yuri Temirkanov, music director of the St.Petersburgh Philharmonic. He is an ethnic Circassian. The Circassians live in the Black sea region a and are related to the Abkhazians.

I also have a CD by the Rustavi men's choir of Georgia singing the traditional polyphonic choral songs of that country on Sony Classical. It may not be currently available, but it's fascinating and well-worth looking for.

Kicked Out of School

parker — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:18:00 GMT

I took my 5 year old to school to begin her kindergarten year on Monday. She really enjoys being at school with the big kids, it is so much more exciting for her than pre-school. I guess I am the one having the problem letting go. Wanting to hover around her and make sure she knows to line up when the school bell rings, she knows to stay in line and follow the teacher to class, stuff like that.

Tuesday, I wanted to go ahead and let her go to the playground and put her backpack in line by herself, and I figured I would just watch her from a distance to make sure that everything went ok. She did just what she was supposed to and ran to her first choice on the playground. Well somehow, I got caught hovering over her from afar and she came running over to me. Thinking that she wanted to ask me about something, I walked over to meet her and asked her what was wrong. She said: "What are you doing here, mommy? You are supposed to leave. It's ok to go now." WOW! I guess I just got kicked off of school grounds, by my own daughter!

Well, at least I can go to work knowing that she is happy at school.

The Financial Crisis

cartoon — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:10:00 GMT