Classical Opinion

Andrew Porter

2008-05-11T22:33:00.001-04:00

I picked up a copy of the New Yorker for a long train ride to NYC recently.
Haven't read it in a long time. Boy I miss Andrew Porter.

Musical Broccoli

2008-05-09T22:23:00.003-04:00

I have been forcing myself to listen to the Shostakovich string quartets but only because I'm told I'm supposed to like them if I have any kind of musical taste.
Sort of the opposite of Puccini - you love it but you feel guilty afterwards.
Anyway, I give up. I'll get some of my ever shortening life back. But not the money for the CD's. Thank God I have more money than years left.

A Talking Head on the Long Tail

2008-01-01T11:16:00.001-05:00

The current issue of Wired features a good article by David Byrne about the current state of the recording industry. While offering little new insights or predictions, it is an excellent primer on the spectrum of distribution models in use with examples from the industry and an assessment of the pros and cons of each.

The hands are wringing...

2007-07-06T16:00:00.000-04:00

"The sounds of a dying tradition are painful, particularly if the tradition’s value is still so apparent..." So begins the latest eulogy for classical music, this one written by Edward Rothstein in the NYT. I'll spare you a detailed rebuttal but I will offer a counterpoint for consideration:

A story was published in the Washington Post recently about a well-know violinist who played his Strad for 45min in a DC subway and no one noticed or cared. (The story was entitled "Pearls Before Breakfast" as in those things you "cast" before those "you-know-who" in the subway an analysis of which attitude itself might shed some light on the current situation, but some other time.)

For a performer who, as the writer says, has "been accepting over-the-top accolades since puberty," being ignored must surely seem apocalyptic - and this despite his "Donny Osmond-like dose of the cutes."

Frankly, I agree but I think it may speak more about the state of the art than the state of audience.

Is it possible that this sort of playing has become all too familiar? Maybe we've reached the point where these mechanical marvels are a dime-a-dozen. Maybe they are ignored because, if you take away the hype and the marketing glitz and allow the playing to speak for itself, there is not much there. We've heard it all before - over and over again.
To me, this is the real crisis of classical music. Not that the world has become more philistine and we no longer gather around the piano after supper and sing Schubert, but that, when all is said and done, airbrushing glam photos of a middle-aged Frau in an evening gown for a CD cover is not going to entice a music lover to pay money for it if she's got nothing more to say than she did twenty years ago when she recorded the very same pieces.

Kavakos Plays Stravinsky and Bach

2007-07-01T22:10:00.000-04:00

I found a wonderful CD of Stravinsky and Bach performed by Leonidas Kavakos
accompanied by pianist Peter Nagy. The two composers complement each other nicely - rhythmically and harmonically lean, sometimes austere, these pieces engage the listener through their iso-rhythmic and contrapuntal energy more than their emotional exuberance.
Kavakos himself is breath of fresh air. The playing is precise yet expressive. Unlike the robotic performances in vogue on large stages today, he understands this music, has definite ideas about how it should be played, and he communicates those ideas.
The two Stravinsky works, Duo Concertante and the Suite Italienne, were unfamiliar to me except through the Pulcinella Suite on which the Italienne is based. While elegantly performed, the Suite Italienne does little for me simply because I've never understood or cared for Pulcinella.
The Duo on the other hand is a delightful work. Neo-classical like the Suite but a richer meal. It affords a nice showcase for Kovakos' broad timbrel and and stylistic range. He especially shines in the Eglogue II movement, a sweet nostalgic interlude among the perpetuum mobile of the surrounding movements. Here is a performer unafraid, for example, to use his vibrato in a variety of ways (or not at all) as a response to musical demands rather than an absent-minded and mechanical gloss.
The first Partita and first Sonata for Solo violin are delights for listeners for the same reason they are challenges for interpretors. Minimalist works that make each note play double-duty, they require the interpretor to make innumerable decisions. Is a note the ending of the prior phrase or the beginning of the next? Is a note part of the melody or the harmony? or is it an inner voice? Should the dance-like character be emphasized such that the small gestures and steps are articulated or should smaller phrases be subservient to the larger harmonic periods of the movements? Ultimately Kavakos appears to do both and with a flawless execution of intonation and articulation. In the slower movements, a fine-grained lilt is obtained such as in the Sarabande of the Partita while the faster movements, the Presto Double or the Presto of the Sonata for example, a driving, swinging propulsion carries you from double bar to double bar.
Overall this is superlative CD. Kavakos and Nagy are world-class musicians performing a program well-suited to their artistic temperaments and thoughtfully put together such that the whole illuminates the individual parts. Hopefully we'll should be hearing more from them.

Suggestions from a reader

2007-06-30T10:04:00.001-04:00

An informed reader responded to an earlier post on the current state of double bass playing (quite high in my opinion) by recommending a couple of recordings that I want to pass on.

I happen to own the first one, the Double Bass Concerto by the Estonian composer Eduard Tubin. The soloist is the superb Hakan Ehren (frankly his playing is superior to the violin soloist also featured on the recording).

The other recommendation is a recording of Giannini's Psalm 130 by bassist Richard Fredrickson I have not heard this CD yet but I do know and love Giannini's lush, well-crafted neo-romantic style. I am not familiar with Fredrickson's playing either.
If any readers know this CD or Richard Fredrickson's playing, I am eager to hear your comments.

Puccini or P Diddy

2007-06-29T09:13:00.001-04:00

I remain befuddled by the hand wringing about the average age of classical concert goers. Usually the speaker makes the point that audiences are aging (some say they average in their middle 50's - the horror) and implies that eventually these folks will all die and the halls will be empty.
Allow me to make a couple of points to these nattering nabobs of negativism:
* Maybe the demographics for concert goers is simply middle-aged and older. What's the matter with that? I would guess that the average purchaser of Mercedes, Jaguar, or Opus One is middle-aged as well but I doubt that the producers of these products are obsessed with that.
* Classical music is a taste that matures and deepens over the years but once you have the taste, you don't you lose it - unlike forms of popular entertainment. Sure the audience for Puccini is a lot older than the one for P Diddy but I will guarantee you that P Diddy's listeners will be a lot more likely to listen to Puccini 20 years from now than P Diddy.
* Attending live performances is logistically and economically difficult. I, for example, have little opportunity nowadays to go to live performances because I spend my non-work time shuttling kids around to soccer and baseball games and hounding them to do their homework. Most of my listening is at home, in the car, on the train, etc. I used to attend all the time, but I know that, some day (probably in my mid-50's) , I'll be in a position to gorge myself on concerts just as my friends look forward to spending more time and money on the golf course as their life situation changes.
* I have heard that the conservatories and music schools are burgeoning with students. While people lament that fact that there are not enough jobs for these folks (unlike English, Philosophy, and Latin majors I guess?!), I see it as a healthy sign. Regardless of how they make their living, each of these pairs of discerning ears will be consumers of serious music for the rest of their lives and will entice friends, spouses,and family members to partake too. Classical music has never been a profession in which to get rich or even to expect full employment, but there has never been a better time for professional musicians. (See some of my other posts on this topic.)

I lack specific statistics on average age of concert goers and the enrollment numbers at conservatories and music schools. If any reader can supply me with those I would be grateful and most eager to share them with PQ readers.

Am I off base here? Let me hear your opinions.

Ubi deficiunt equi, trotant aselli

2007-06-28T08:37:00.000-04:00

Here's a gem from Sounds & Fury.
It speaks for itself. As the old Latin proverb says: "Where there's a shortage of horses, the asses trot."

Radeo.net and the Long Tail

2007-06-27T08:28:00.001-04:00

I found a very interesting piece written by Antoine Leboyer and posted On An Overgrown Path. Leboyer discusses an internet radio player called Radeo.net and uses its business model as an example of Long Tail economics at work in classical music. Very good reading. Enjoy. (and check out Radeo.net if you haven't already.)

Hilary Hahn plays Goldmark

2007-06-26T08:18:00.000-04:00

I listened to Hilary Hahn playing Goldmark on a recent Chicago Symphony broadcast.
It's a pity this type of playing sets the standard today. Execution is not the issue, it rarely is on large stages today. It's musical expression that is lacking. Note follows note, undifferentiated, uninflected, with the same mechanical vibrato applied to each. Even in a scant piece like this, are their no opportunities to offer opinions on note groupings, phrases, dynamic shadings? Does the soloist have an opinion on where phrases, sentences and paragraphs might begin and end even in this sing-songy ditty? Possibly not. Such is the state of the art.

Pablo Casals and YouTube

2007-06-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

I recently came across some videos of Pablo Casals on YouTube.
Having revered him all of my adult life through recordings and learned from his disciples, I still had never seen him live or on film. It's a great experience.
Certainly Casal's genius encompassed the entire musical universe but it's always his sound that enthralls: a human voice communicating through the gamut of human emotions and aspirations. Oftentimes beautiful but oftentimes strained, striving.
But its really more than a human voice. It's the voice of the 'cello too, a composite voice.
The human soul seems to inform the body of 'cello with an expression that originates deep inside Casals as he gathers sound from deep inside the 'cello and creates a unique voice that is neither flesh nor wood.
Compare the Casals recording of the Bach 'cello suites with Janos Starker's where Starker's mechanically perfect playing never establishes a relationship deeper than fingers on strings.

There is an excellent book that serves as companion to the study of Casals: Casals and the Art of Interpretation by David Blum.

Casals was, of course, unique, but he there were others of his type.
Bronislaw Huberman comes to mind as does Arnold Jacobs, the legendary tubist is another.

An Embarrassment of Riches

2007-06-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

* I'm told that that the number of Grammy Awards submissions in recent years for classical music outnumbers all of the other categories' submissions combined!
* In a recent post, I commented on the unexpected popularity of the Chamber Music podcasts that Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is experiencing on iTunes.
* Alex Ross in his excellent article in the current New Yorker describes his recent visits with Indianapolis, Nashville, and Alabama Symphonies and comments on the high quality of the performances.
The first two phenomena are driven by the advances of technology and digitization familiar to Long Tail mavens and are hugely encouraging signs for the health of classical music.
On the other hand, Alex Ross' experience, just as encouraging, is caused by some other factors. As Ross alludes to, the quality of these orchestras is the result of factors very familiar to the athletic world - continuously improving teaching techniques which in turn combine with a growing population from which to draw talent produces conservatory graduates that raise the bar with each subsequent graduating class.
Another phenomenon not mentioned by Ross is the quality of new instruments, especially stringed instruments. With each generation the craft of lutherie advances the science of lutherie and turns out ever better instruments at better prices.
Much like wine produced by modern methods, these new instruments, while not the equal of the finest older instruments, sound good right now and they allow younger players or players who lack the financial means of their colleagues in big city orchestras to own far superior instruments than prior generations.
There's never been a better time for classical musicians and their audiences.

You've Come A Long Way Bassi!

2007-06-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

There was a TV commercial some years ago whose tag was "You've Come A Long Way Baby." It congratulated women because they finally have a cigarette designed just for them (I guess we've all come along way since then).
It came to mind when I noticed a world premiere of a Violin and Double Bass Concerto. It was composed and conducted by Andre Previn and performed by Anne-Sophie Mutter, a young double bass virtuoso named Roman Patkolo, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Of course bass concerti are sometimes performed with major orchestras but they are usually done on special occasions and to showcase the orchestra's principal player. (not to diminish the BSO's superb Edwin Barker - there are none better in the world and his peers can be counted on one hand).
I find this programming remarkable because it featured two international superstars performing a new work (three if you count the BSO) for no other reasons than the sake of the musical art and to highlight a young virtuoso.
Not long ago professional bass players had one option in this courntry - join the bass section. If you had mastered the solo literature and wanted to perform full-time, forget it. There was room for one bass soloist and Gary Karr filled that position. Got a passion for chamber music (which meant of course a steady diet of "Fish" but there are worse things)? Not a chance. A guy named Julius Levine had a monopoly on that.
Then along came a charming, quirky hillbilly named Edgar Meyer with some monstrous chops that soon got him recording with country superstars like Mark O'Connor and Bela Fleck. And eventually...Yo-Yo Ma. Yes the greatest living 'cellist and a Mr. Rogers regular condescends to record with - a bass player.
And now Mr. Patkolo.
These are good times indeed for the low end.
And of course for Mr. Previn who has now enshrined himself in the musical pantheon alongside Messrs Dragonetti, Capuzzi, Dittersdorf, Bottesini, et al.

Thinking Outside the Bachs

2007-06-18T14:30:00.000-04:00

As a musical purist (i.e. "snob") it's definitely not my style to sit through a concert of musical appetizers such as the Philadelphia Orchestra is serving this week as part of its "Best of" series.
Works of beauty must possess the three classical attributes of integrity, proportion and brilliance. To break a work apart destroys the first two attributes and degrades the work.
Yet I have to applaud the Orchestra for their courage and pragmatism in devising these iconoclastic programs. For the musical art to flourish and not merely survive on patronage it needs to reach vast audiences of all ages in any way it can - and hook them. This can only help.
Hopefully other organizations of equal prestige will take their cue.

(Thanks to Peter Dobrin's excellent article for bringing this our attention.)

The Pernambuco Crisis

2007-06-18T08:19:00.000-04:00

Pernambuco is a wood native to Brazil. It's been used for nearly 300 years to make violin, viola, 'cello, and double bass bows. Other materials are used such as lesser woods or even fiberglass but no bow is finer than a Pernambuco bow - it is essential to the string player's art.

Unfortunately due to massive deforestation in Brazil , the Brazilwood tree from which this wood comes, is nearly extinct in most parts of that country and is designated as Endangered by the World Conservation Union. Some estimate that we have only about 30 yrs left of fine bowmaking if current consumption and deforestation continues.

But musicians, bow-makers and other concerned people are also working to manage consumption and finance replanting.

To learn more about Pernambuco and more importantly help preserve this precious wood by donating money, visit these sites:
http://www.ipci-usa.org/index.html
http://www.ipci-comurnat.org/

John McLaughlin Williams where are you hiding?

2007-06-16T05:09:00.000-04:00

Where is John McLaughlin Williams? The conductor/violinist won a Grammy this year for his conducting in the Best Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra category. He performed Messiaen’s Oiseaux Exotiques (available at TNC Music), a complex, stunning work for orchestra with solo piano marvelously performed by Angelin Chang.

He’s got several excellent recordings on the Naxos label of music by some terrific American composers:

Nicolas Flagello: Piano Concerto No. 1; Dante's Farewell; Concerto Sinfonico

McKay: Violin Concerto, 16th Century Hymn Tunes
McKay: From a Moonlight Ceremony / Harbor Narrative / Symphony for Seattle

Carpenter: Adventures in a Perambulator / Symphonies 1 & 2

Henry Kimball Hadley: Symphony No. 4, The Ocean, and The Culprit Fay

His violinist credentials are none too shabby either - performed with the National Symphony at 14, performed with the Boston Pops, Boston Symphony, American Ballet Theatre just to name a few. And in keeping with his evident passion for 20th Cent music, he's played US premieres of violin concertos by Bax and Jongen.

We should see a lot more of him. Yet he holds no permanent conducting post nor, to my knowledge, has he ever guest conducted with a major American orchestra. At the very least, the folks at Sphinx ought to be paying some attention to him.

Classical Music and the Long Tail

2007-06-10T17:09:00.001-04:00

Classical Music and business have never been a harmonious duo.
That classical music is an acquired taste means that its customers are in for a very long sales cycle - the prospect must be cultivated at a young age long before he can afford the $16 for a CD let alone the $75 for a live performance.
Then, after you've acquired these customers, the operating costs are immense. First, your business is labor intensive - to bring a performance of Strauss to life you need 90 highly trained, highly compensated professionals. Second, your capital costs are significant - imagine building and maintaining a Severance Hall not to mention the Steinways and the timpani.
Forget about automation. Synthesizing the extra brass parts in Bruckner to reduce costs? Absurd. You need people. Many, well compensated, people who need pensions and health insurance. And Economies of scale don't exist either in live performance. Shea Stadium is for the Rolling Stones not the New York Philharmonic.
The only possibility for scale is to record. You invest the money in producing CDs with the hopes of selling enough to break even. But you'd better not be too adventurous. Stick to the Three B's and maybe through in an M.
But that was before the internet age and a phenomenon author Chris Anderson calls The Long Tail.
According to Anderson, technology advances such as the internet and digitization have caused a democratization of production, distribution and marketing of goods. So a shift has occurred from large, well-funded, market-dominating players pushing a handful of blockbuster hits on the mass market to a near infinite variety of niche players who exploit ever cheaper technology and an internet-based word-of-mouth network to cater to every imaginable preference.
According to a recent Boston Globe article this democratization enables arts organizations to scale and market in ways new and unforeseen even 5 yrs ago. Take for example the Boston Symphony/Boston Pops that's spending only $100,000 per episode to produce free online performance complete with backstage interviews.
Consider the Chicago Symphony who have started their own record label that offers free samples on iTunes. Or the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum whose chamber music podcasts from this sumptuous neo-Renaissance palace in Boston are in the iTunes Top 40!
My favorite example of all: the Boston Pops is using YouTube.com, a Web 2.0 poster-child if ever there was one, to allow contestants to audition for a guest-star spot in the orchestra's nationally televised Fourth of July concert.
The interesting thing is this - here, the Long Tail is not generating a following for a garage band or an indie film maker but helping to sustain some of the largest and most elite cultural organizations in the world. Many of these institutions are cultural icons that, shame on us, live hand-to-mouth or run deficits that must be made up through corporate or individual hand-outs.
Two Hundred Years ago the "business model" for art music - the patronage system - changed radically along with the European economic and social order. And so it may again.