Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Adam Flatt, David Fisk, Handel, Kim Brody, Manny Araujo, Respighi, Robert Gardner, Shaun Burley, Suzanne Moulton-Gertig
There can no longer be any doubt that conductor Adam Flatt is an absolutely perfect fit with the Denver Philharmonic orchestra. Their Christmas program of December 17 was absolutely marvelous. As I have said before, a conductor can make a great deal of difference in an orchestra, and for a while, the DPO was searching for the right conductor. They have finally found one. I know I’ve said that before, this season, but the performances that they have done this year have been really exciting. There are new orchestra members, the members that are continuing are performing much better, and there is no doubt that their newfound enthusiasm has been totally infectious.
They opened their Christmas program with Ottorino Respighi’s Trittico Botticelliano, a wonderful piece inspired by three paintings by Botticelli. Respighi combines the old with the new in this work, using as he does, the medieval chant “Veni Immanuel,” which appears in the second movement of this work, entitled “the Adoration of the Magi.” Many composers before the days of authentic and “scholarly” performances, gave us some awareness of ancient music: Stravinsky gave us examples from Gesualdo to Pergolesi, and Ravel, and even Richard Strauss, gave us their concept of Couperin. Respighi was impacted primarily by medieval Italian music and by the architecture of medieval Italian cathedrals early in his life, as he rode around the Italian peninsula on his bicycle, as a young man. Many of his compositions reflect the combination of the old and the new, but in many ways, this particular work is one of the best.
The orchestra has demands placed upon it immediately in the opening measures, as the work begins with trills throughout. As in some of Respighi’s best works, this is a very glittering opening and the DPO did this wonderfully well. It was colorful and absolutely beguiling. Maestro Flatt deserves much credit for being able to communicate his excitement and love for music to the orchestra, and then being successful in showing them how to convey that to the audience. It truly seemed as though everyone in the orchestra was looking forward to this concert, and showing, with a great deal of self-satisfaction which is deserved, how they have improved this year. The second movement of this work displayed, once again, how outstanding the woodwind section is. The third movement was absolutely ethereal, and the violins, which I have sometimes picked on mercilessly, were in tune.
The second work on the program was Ralph Vaughan Williams well-known work, Fantasia on Greensleeves. Vaughan Williams (and, yes, he has the un-hyphenated double last name of Vaughan Williams) like Respighi, also wrote fantasias on medieval and Renaissance themes, but obviously Vaughan Williams was English and not Italian. The tune “Greensleeves,” is from the 16th century, and is based on Italian style of composition called a “Romanesca,” which is a romantic ballad. For a time, many people thought that it had been composed by Henry VIII, but we now know that was not the case. Vaughan Williams also uses another 16th-century folk song called “Lovely Joan,” which delighted 16th-century audiences because of its humor and its involvement with, shall we say, intricate moral issues.
This work opens with pizzicato in the strings, and though it was not quite together, the orchestra generated a wonderful rich sound. There is a somewhat wistful, descending cadence from solo flute accompanied by the harp, which imitates a lute accompaniment. It is in the middle section that two flutes play the duet based on “Lovely Joan,” before the return of the “Greensleeves” theme. Maestro Flatt was able to draw a truly mellifluous sound from the entire orchestra.
Following the Vaughan Williams, guest soloist, Robert Gardner, baritone, sang three arias from Händel’s “Messiah.” The titles of the three arias are, “Why do the nations so furiously rage together?”, “Behold, I tell you a mystery,” and “The trumpet shall sound.”
American baritone Robert Gardner has appeared with numerous opera houses and symphony orchestras in the U.S., Europe, and Asia including New York City Opera, Washington National Opera, Bavarian National Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Palm Beach Opera, Edmonton Opera, the Munich Philharmonic, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony, the San Diego, Santa Rosa, New Haven and Kansas City Symphonies, the Northeast Pennsylvania Philharmonic and the Daejeon Symphony in S. Korea. Originally from Denver, Colorado, he has been described as “a superb young artist” by WGBH Radio, the New York Times calls him “robust…impressive…brilliantly effective…the score presented with a proprietary authority,” an “electrifying performance” says NPR Sunday Morning Edition. The Hartford Courant hails “a talent of a high order,” “his lithe, burnished baritone a consistent pleasure” and the Kansas City Star raves “finally we heard someone sing with intelligence, passion and bravura… unusually gripping.”
Robert Gardner is the 2007 winner of the Lili Boulanger Memorial Award, chosen from five worldwide nominees (chiefly composers, conductors and instrumentalists) and by the foundation started in 1936 by famed teacher-pianist-conductor Nadia Boulanger, is considered this year’s “musician of exceptional talent and integrity.” A 2001 Pro Musicis International Award winner, he is also the winner of the 1999 William Matheus Sullivan Foundation Award, the 2000 Gerda Lissner Award, and the 2000 Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition. He trained at Yale Opera of the Yale University School of Music and participated in young artist programs with Santa Fe Opera, the Bavarian National Opera in Munich, and the Steans Institute for Young Artists at Ravinia in Chicago. He is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors and has choreographed safe, yet effective stage conflicts professionally, and is a professional animal trainer in his spare time.
Maestro Flatt began this work with wonderful energy and drive. Gardner’s voice quality is absolutely remarkable and he is incredibly dramatic, which is exactly what the Händel requires. All three of these arias were very well sung by Gardner – his voice is so well-suited to this oratorio – that I began to wonder what it would be like to hear him sing the role of Amfortas in Wagner’s Parsifal. I think that would really be something. The only complaint that I might have about his performance of the Händel, was that occasionally his diction was not entirely clear. His rhythmic emphasis, it’s punctuation, were absolutely outstanding.
There are several orchestra members to be remembered from the first half of theis concert: Manny Araujo, trumpet, Suzanne Moulton-Gertig, harp, Shaun Burley, clarinet, David Fisk, piano, and Kim Brody, oboe. And there were more.
Following the intermission, the DPO performed a medley of popular Christmas carols. There was a sing-along, and Gardner returned to the stage and performed several solos of well-known Christmas song. He sang White Christmas in such a smooth, crooning manner, that even though his voice quality is very different from Bing Crosby’s, his performance brought back Crosby’s panache. I might add, that throughout the entire second half of this program Robert Gardner’s diction was excellent. For me, the highlight of the second half of the program was Gardner’s narration, with the DPO’s accompaniment, of everyone’s favorite Christmas poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. There have been others in the past that have narrated this: James Mason, Sir John Gielgud, and, I think, Sting. But for me, Gardner was the absolute best. It was full of emotion and humor.
Maestro Flatt invited three youngsters from the audience to come down to the podium and take turns conducting Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” It was great fun, and all three were grinning from ear to ear.
I also point out that during the second half of the program, Maestro Flatt removed his conducting tails, and donned a white dinner jacket with a red vest, and a green handkerchief in the pocket. I, for one, think that he should have added a Santa hat, but as his conducting style is often quite vigorous, it may have ended up on the music stand.
This was an excellent performance, full of good music, good playing, and an enthusiastic orchestra that truly seemed to be filled with a genuine Christmas spirit. With Adam Flatt at the helm, I see absolutely every reason to believe that the quality of this performance will be repeated. It was a job well done.
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Amanda Lucarini, Biesterfeld, Brian du Fresne, Janes Brody, kim Lancaster, Leah Creek, Rick Wheeler, Rosalie Gilbert, Shira Cion, Stephen Paulus, Steve Winograd, Thomas Edward Morgan
Sunday evening, December 12, I went to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church to hear the Ars Nova Singers, under the direction of their gifted conductor Thomas Edward Morgan, give the first of two Christmas performances. St. Paul’s Lutheran Church is at 1600 Grant St. in Denver. I had never been there before, and I’m not sure if this was the first time the Ars Nova singers had performed there. I can’t be sure, but it seemed to me that St. Paul’s Lutheran Church is a little bit smaller then Bethany Lutheran Church where I’ve heard them perform previously. I must say that I prefer St. Paul’s. The acoustics are better and the surroundings are certainly more intimate. And before I forget, the Ars Nova Singers will present this program again on December 18, at Bethany Lutheran Church, which is at 4500 E. Hampden. Make a special note of this performance because it is a matinee, to be presented at two o’clock in the afternoon.
This is the 25th year of the Ars Nova Singers. If any of you readers have not heard the Ars Nova Singers in the last 25 years you are missing one of the most enjoyable concert experiences one can have. As I said above, this performance was one of two Christmas concerts to be presented, but you must understand, that this kind of a Christmas performance is so very different from the normal Christmas choral concert. And, it is infinitely more satisfying and more wonderful than the normal Christmas choral concert. Did they sing Jingle Bells? No, they did not. But, what they did was an incredible selection of Christmas music from Gregorian chant through the 20th century, and it was wonderfully and sensitively done. Thomas Edward Morgan, the Conductor and Artistic Director, is not only a gifted musician, he is also a gifted musical scholar. So, what do I mean by gifted? Often, and when one goes to a choral concert, you see the group on stage, the sopranos in the cluster, the altos in another cluster, and the tenors and basses, likewise. I’m not sure why so many conductors think the sections should be so segregated. But I can assure you, that is not the way, Morgan thinks. He fiddles tirelessly with the placement of the voices, and intermingles all of them to get the best possible sound. One of his many gifts is an incredible ear, and one of his other gifts, is the artistic integrity to accept nothing but perfection. This is called “love for your art.”
The program opened with some beautifully performed Gregorian chant, and proceeded to two works by Christian Erbach, a German organist and composer whose dates, we think, our 1568 to June 14, 1635. He was an organist and composer who was strongly influenced by the Venetian school. The first work, Resonet in Laudibus, was conducted by choir member, Rick Wheeler. Mr. Wheeler has many talents, among them, piano technician, and he is Music Director at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Littleton. The performance of the Erbach work was excellent, and he conducts in a very confident and enthusiastic manner, but I found it a little bit disconcerting that he conducted mainly phrases without delineating the beat as clearly as I thought he might. On the other hand, he certainly got results from the choir, and that is what counts.
I wish there were time and space to discuss every single piece on the program – every piece was that well done and that special. One of the works that does deserve mention is the Mendelssohn motet Opus 79, Nr. 1. These motets, and there are six, were written for an eight part choir, and are meant to be used for six special holy days of the church year. However most are suitable for use at any time. Of course, the one that was performed at this concert is entitled Weinachten, and is specifically meant for Christmas. I have heard it only once in my life, and it is an absolutely beautiful piece of music, and it was beautifully performed. Every time I hear Mendelssohn, I think he is still underrated, even though everyone knows that his place on Mt. Parnassus is secure.
The Mendelssohn work was followed by Cantique de Jean Racine by the French composer Gabriel Fauré. The work gets its title from the author of the text. This is an amazingly ethereal piece, and it was very nicely conducted by Brian Du Fresne, who is the Bass section leader in the choir. He demonstrated a very fine conducting technique to my way of thinking, controlling both the beat and the phrases, while very carefully indicating (and demanding) the dynamic level to the choir. I did, however, notice that he did not conduct the harp during its interludes in this work. And at this time, I should point out that Rosalie Gilbert accompanied almost every piece on the harp, and James Brody performed on the oboe and many of the works on this program. Rosalie Gilbert is a fine harpist who is currently working on her Masters degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She has her bachelor’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and she has performed throughout the United States. James Brody is well known to Colorado audiences and has performed throughout the United States and the Far East. As most of you no doubt know, he is associate professor of oboe at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Gilbert and Brody performed the Adagio from the Concerto in D minor by Tomaso Albinoni, the only non-Christmas work on the program, but it was an absolute delight to listen to. Brody has an absolutely remarkable tone, as well as breath control, and his playing reminds me very much of Paolo Grazzi, the Italian oboe virtuoso who is known for his sensitivity. Brody’s phrasing and musicianship are remarkable. And as long as I am making comparisons, one of my classmates (a long time ago) at Indiana University was Eleanor Fell. She was a remarkable harpist who dazzled everyone with her ability. Rosalie Gilbert is also such a harpist, possessing remarkable finger technique that makes it clear that anything is possible for her to play.
Thomas Morgan, Brian Du Fresne, and Steve Winograd were joined by other members of the Ars Nova Singers and they performed a processional, Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, on krummhorns, recorders, oboe, and an instrument that looked very much like a kortholt. Except for the recorder, these are double reed instruments, and I find it amazing that the members of the choir are so incredibly versatile. That is simply exciting, and it proves that they are dedicated musicians, and that practice pays off! It was very well done.
Two works, which I think were out of the ordinary, were arranged by Steven Paulus. Everyone is familiar with The Holly and the Ivy and O Little Town of Bethlehem, but Steven Paulus, a composer in Minnesota, took the melodies from these pieces, left the text the same, but set them to new harmonies. Stephen Paulus is a prolific composer of over 400 works. He is fluent in all genres, including orchestra, opera, chorus, chamber ensemble, solo voice, concert band, piano and organ.
Born August 24, 1949 in Summit, New Jersey, Paulus has lived most of his life in Minnesota.
He co-founded the American Composers Forum in 1973 and continues to work on behalf of his colleagues as the Symphony and Concert representative on the ASCAP Board of Directors. His music has been commissioned, recorded and performed by such varied performers as The New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Washington Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale, The Dale Warland Singers, VocalEssence, Doc Severinsen, Thomas Hampson and Deborah Voigt.
The Holly and the Ivy were accompanied by the outstanding Jim Brody and the equally outstanding Rosalie Gilbert. The opening had some very strong rhythms which will surprise many, but I must say it was extremely well done and did not detract from the melody that we all know so well. The harmonies seemed to involve 9th and 13th chords, as well as a few tone clusters. It certainly made this traditional carol sound new and fresh. And likewise, with O Little Town of Bethlehem. Paulus did not write any complicated rhythms with this piece, leaving the serene quality of this carol in tact. However, the new harmonies made this carol new as well, but one could still envision a cold fresh snow on Christmas Eve.
Ma Navu is a Hebrew melody. It uses the text from Isaiah: “How beautiful are, upon the mountains, the feet of the messenger of good tidings: of salvation and peace.” This was arranged by Shira Cion for soprano and two altos, and was sung by soprano Kim Lancaster, with Leah Creek Biesterfeld and Amanda Lucarini, alto. It was absolutely gorgeous and these three women have beautiful voices and remarkable diction.
Shira Cion, of Russian, Belarussian and Ukrainian/Jewish descent, has been active both as a professional performer and arts administrator for over 25 years. She holds degrees in Classical Music Performance (oboe/English horn), Ethnomusicology, and Slavic Folklore from the Hartt School of Music, Wesleyan University, and Russia’s Moscow Conservatory. Her life-long interest in new music and the expressive possibilities of the voice led to composition and performance work with Alvin Lucier, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros, Joan Jonas, the Composers Cafeteria and ultimately to her discovery of traditional Balkan and Slavic women’s singing, which has been her obsession since 1986.
Every time I hear the Ars Nova Singers perform, I can never imagine that the performance will be better than the last, but it always is. I have never heard a group so dedicated to perfection, nor have I heard such imaginative programming. I seem to recall that in one of my articles about the Ars Nova Singers, I said they would become one of the best ensembles in the country. I truly think they are one of the best ensembles in the country. As a group, and individually, their diction is always clear, and one can understand every syllable of what they are singing, no matter the language. They are consistent in this, and they are wonderfully consistent in their musicianship. In addition, they are wonderfully consistent in their joy of singing. You can hear that in every composition they perform.
You must go hear them on December 18th at Bethany Lutheran Church.
Filed under: Commentary
Sometime in the not terribly-distant future, I hope to complete a project which will involve organizing an orchestra and choir. It is a big enough project that I have already begun working on a budget in order to anticipate what kind of expenses and revenue will be required. Since it involves an orchestra and a choir, and since I am not a member of the union, I called the Denver Musicians Association to get information on the latest payment requirements for musicians who are members of their union.
I made the call, and introduced myself to the young man who answered the telephone. I explained that I wanted to know what the union rate of pay was for musicians that are members of the union. I explained very briefly that I was working on a project, which hopefully would come to fruition sometime in the not too distant future. The following conversation ensued:
DMA person: “Well, wait a minute, wait a minute. Are you a member of the union?”
Me: “No, I am not.”
DMA person: “Do you know anyone in the union?”
Me: “Yes.”
DMA person: “Have you ever called the union before?”
Me: “No.”
DMA person: “Have you ever spoken to anyone from the union office?”
Me: “No.”
DMA person: “We can’t just give this information out to anyone who calls.”
Me: “I told you why I am calling. I want to make sure that I pay the musicians the proper amount so that I do not incur the wrath of the union.”
DMA person: “Well, I’m in a hurry today and I have to go to a board meeting. We can’t just give this information out to anyone over the phone.”
Me: (Biting my tongue to keep from asking if there was a secret handshake) “I have told you who I am and why I want the information. I gave you my name. I told you that I am a semi retired Prof. of Piano and Medieval Musicology. Before I called, I was under the impression that the DMA would certainly want to know that I was paying musicians at proper rate.”
DMA person: “Well, I have told you that that is proprietary information and we cannot give it out over the phone to just anyone. I have also told you that I am in a hurry because I have to get to a board meeting and I can’t be late. I will have someone call you back tomorrow morning.”
Hmmmmm. The big brush off. At that point, I gave the individual my phone number, and said that I looked forward to hearing from him or someone who could answer my questions which I considered to be legitimate.
By two o’clock in the afternoon the next day, no one from the DMA had called me. So, girding my loins to answer the same questions again, I dialed the phone number of the DMA. Imagine my pleasant surprise when the phone was answered by a very helpful woman. I explained who I was, and the project. The following conversation ensued:
Helpful DMA person: “Well, will the performance be indoors or outdoors?”
Me: “Indoors.”
Helpful DMA person: “Will there be just one “side man?”
Me: “No, as I said, I will probably hire a 60 person orchestra.”
Helpful DMA person: “Well, the union rate for one side man is blah, blah, balh (she gave me the information). Who will be the leader?”
Me: (In my naïveté) “Do you mean conductor?”
Helpful DMA person: “Are you going to lead the orchestra?”
Me: “No.”
Helpful DMA person: “Then, you’ll have to pay the leader blah, blah, blah (she gave me the information).”
Me: “What about the choir?”
Helpful DMA person: “You don’t have to pay a choir, all you have to do is pay the musicians.”
Me: (In my thoughts) Hmmmmm.
Me: “Are you saying that I don’t have to pay the choir?”
Helpful DMA person: “You just have to pay the musicians.”
At this point, I was loathe to get into a discussion with her concerning the musicianship of singers and the musicianship of instrumentalists, because after all, I did have the basic information. I will simply pay the choir the same rate as the orchestra.
I never did hear from the young man who promised to call me the next morning. I would like to assure him, and the DMA, that I am not employed by Wikileaks. I hope that everyone who reads this will take note of the fact that I did not publicly announce any union rates for orchestra members, who I gather are considered to be musicians by the DMA, or for choir members, with whom, I gather, the DMA does not seem to have much truck. It is with feelings tinged with melancholy, because I’m forced to disagree with the Helpful Person at the DMA, that I must state that many choir members I have known are consummate musicians. In addition, I have known several musicians who have fought tenaciously to have choir members admitted to their ranks.
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: Dave Herrera, Kyle MacMillan
All of us should know by now that newspapers have a minimum of least two types of reporters. The first is a news reporter who goes out into the field and reports news as it happens, sometimes in dangerous situations.
The other kind of reporter is the critic. It used to be that the individuals had some background in what they wrote their critiques. But, newspapers have changed over the years, and now it seems that the most important thing that all newspaper “critics” have is a degree in journalism. That is first and foremost. Kyle MacMillan of the Denver Post is one such “critic.” I found a very short bio statement of his on the website “First Chair Productions.” This is a marketing firm that publicizes concert artists, run by Amanda Ameer. Kyle MacMillan would be the first to admit that he is not a concert artist I’m sure, but he had been interviewed as a fine arts critic by Amanda Ameer, and apparently that is the reason his bio statement is on her website. Mr. MacMillan’s bio statement reads, and this is a direct quote:
“An alumnus of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, Kyle MacMillan has been an arts critic for more than two decades. Besides writing for the Denver Post, he has free-lanced for national publications ranging from Opera News to Artforum. A native of Kansas City, Mo., he enhanced his love of classical music while serving for a year as assistant to the director of that city’s Friends of Chamber Music.”
I draw your attention to this, because the other day I stumbled across an article, published in three sections, that apparently appeared in the Denver Post written by Kyle MacMillan on the subject of “Classical Music,” and the burning question concerning its ability to survive. As I said, it is one big article divided into three sections. The first article is entitled, “Relevance lost;” the second article is entitled as a question, “A classical comeback?”; and the last of the series apparently has the title, “A new image.” Now, we all know that often reporters will write stories without regard to their content, but with total regard to the controversy they may cause, in order to get a reaction from the readers. The more reaction from the readers, the more they can point out that they’re being a more successful “critic,” and they can point to e-mails, letters to the editor, or phone calls they receive, thus proving to their editor that they are attracting attention to the newspaper. On the other hand, some “critics,” because of their lack of knowledge of the field they are critiquing (it doesn’t seem to matter whether they “love” what they are critiquing) write things that are, 1) wrong, 2) uninformed, or 3) silly to the point of being stupid.
We all know that in difficult economic times, the arts and music are the first to suffer, but recently many reporters and “critics” have gotten out of hand by predicting the end of classical music, and then suggesting that the only way to save it is to make it “popular.” As a matter of fact, even the general public often gets into the act. A reader of this blog attached the following comment concerning what I had written on this popular subject. Again, I quote:
“Even if a Lady Gaga of serious music existed – someone with the appeal to attain broad popularity and reengage cultural attention – there is too much “respect” for tradition or fear of losing a dwindling audience for someone like that to succeed. The problem is in the colleges, the symphonies, the recording labels, the festivals. Until we stop feeding on and regurgitating hundred years of dead culture, we will continue the downward spiral.”
It is clear that the individual who wrote this comment is not aware that serious music is still being written, and I have no clue as to what he means by “cultural attention.” He also says that there is too much respect for “tradition.” Again, I have no idea what he is talking about: art is art and good music is good music, and there is much good music that has lasted for hundreds of years, but apparently, that annoys the above reader.
Not only are these difficult economic times, but Kyle MacMillan is missing one incredibly important point, and that is that we live in a time, or if you prefer, era, that is a result of a gradual change in philosophical outlook. This philosophical outlook began to take place, perhaps 25 or 30 years ago, and it has resulted in a generation of individuals from the age of two (at the beginning) to the age of 35 or 40, who believe they are entitled to have society accommodate them. They apparently think they are entitled to the rewards without having to do any work. A side effect of this, while not strictly representative, is the way they speak. For example, if they acknowledge a mistake of some kind, they do not say, “I made a mistake,” or, “I guess I got that wrong.” What they say is often, “Oh dude! My bad, my bad.” Some people think this is cute, and some dismiss it as just one of the trendy ways that young people talk. However, I have heard 30-year-olds speak the same way. This is, in some ways, much more harmful than an article I saw a printed in Westword, in which Dave Herrera queries his interviewee:
“Quick: when you think of classical music, what are the first things that come to your mind? Okay, times up. We’re gonna guess you conjured up images of stoic academicians playing stodgy, archaic music by dead guys for a room full of well-heeled intellectuals within the impeccable confines of a sterile music hall. You probably didn’t dial up words like young, hip or progressive. Are we close?”
Of course, a comment like that is stupid. But, Dave Herrera and Kyle MacMillan are looking at society rather than at the art and they don’t even know that. Music and art have been the same ever since it came into existence. It has always needed attention and insight in order for it to be understood and appreciated. In the bio statement above, he proclaims his love for the art. Therefore, one would think that he is going to approach it intelligently and understand that in the last several years music (and art) has gradually been phased out of the public schools. He does not stop to think that some of the younger parents fall into this age group of not understanding art and music, and therefore not appreciating it. Therefore, how can they teach their children to understand and appreciate it, let alone care about it? They see their children engrossed in computer games rather than books, television rather than books, popular music, much of which is trite and oversimplified, hence its immediate appeal. You don’t have to think about it. All you have to do is crank the volume.
Kyle MacMillan and Dave Herrera are blaming music itself as the problem rather than looking inward to themselves, or taking an intelligent look at society. It seems that there is a belief in a certain credo: Everything has to change just for me – I don’t want to have to do any work.
I have asked this question many times: when did ignorance become a point of view? A corollary might well be: when does something become worth fighting for because of its aesthetic beauty and its intricate, and therefore almost limitless, possibilities?
Many parents enroll their students in the Suzuki music program, because there the student learns by listening over and over to tape recordings until they can reproduce it on what ever instrument it is they are learning. They do not stop to think that the reason Suzuki works so well in Japan, is because in the public schools of Japan, the students are taught to read music. Here in the United States they are not, at least, not very often anymore. I have had many Suzuki students come to me for piano lessons and become extremely frustrated when I try to teach them to read music. They do not understand the necessity.
There have been many times when I think that Mr. MacMillan, like many journalists, is not so much interested in what he says, as in the reaction that he gets from readers. And many readers assume that because he is a music and arts critic that he knows something about music and art, and that often seems to be dangerous assumption.
MacMillan thinks music, as an art, should change to become popular. Of course, Kyle MacMillan is not solely responsible for this attitude. Aside from the schools and parents, we live in an era where newspapers include music and the arts in a section of the paper called Arts and Entertainment. Serious music and serious art have never been entertainment.
Again, because many newspaper critics have degrees in journalism, and none in music and the arts, many people believe that they know something about which they are writing, simply because they have the title “music critic” or “art critic.” But newspapers should not receive all of the blame. The same can apply to radio stations that play classical music. I heard a local classical music DJ make the absurd statement that “most contemporary composers are determined to write music that has no melody whatsoever.” When people hear comments like that (and I point out that that comment was not made over the air, but at a panel discussion) they assume the individual, because of their position, knows what they are talking about.
On a visit to Prague, I walked into a room that held no more than 60 people. At one end of the room was a French Pleyel grand piano. It had been played by Frederic Chopin in the early 1840s upon a visit to Prague. Because of his tuberculosis, he could no longer play in large concert halls because he did not have the strength. The sound that he made would simply not carry far, so he spent the remainder of his life playing in small salons. I told the woman in charge that I was a semiretired Professor of Piano, and I asked her if I could play it. To my surprise, she said yes. I lifted the cover to the keyboard, and just stared for a moment or so at the keyboard. I then played a Chopin waltz, and it occurred to me as I was playing, – and pay attention please, Mr. Herrera and Mr. MacMillan – that even though the waltz I was playing was well over 100 years old, it was Chopin’s art, and it was part of his survival. It gave him life, and it gave his life meaning. It was part of his inexhaustible expression. Don’t begin to tell me, in your deficiency of clear thinking, that serious music has lost its relevance for any of us who know it, or for any who have the curiosity and intelligence to learn about it.