Archives for March 2009

In a time when nearly every classical music writer has a personal or publication blog, Parterre Box's James Jorden has started reviewing for The New York Post, an honest-to-goodness newspaper. His first review, of The Metropolitan Opera's La Sonnambula, was printed on March 4, 2009. Click here for his next review, of Rusalka, also at The Met, and then here for his coverage of The Met's 125th Anniversary Gala. Having an extremely popular opera blogger write for a print paper - that we'll just safely assume is in trouble - is shrewd. Jorden has a … [Read more...]

There's a Family Guy episode where Peter, Lois, Chris, Stewie and Brian are drowning and, certain they are all about to die, Peter admits to not liking The Godfather. "It insists upon itself, Lois," he explains. "It insists upon itself."It may actually be impossible not to stand at the end of the Broadway revival of Hair. Whether you like the musical, or even like musicals at all, the cast of and the creative team behind this production - transferred from The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park last summer - simply demand you to buy into … [Read more...]

Few things crack me up like spotting classical music celebrities. I perk up and think Oh! There's so-and-so, knowing full-well that no one else on the street recognizes the person. And then I laugh, laugh, laugh to myself at the silliness of the classical music celebrity concept for the rest of the day. (I'm pretty easily entertained.)For example, I just saw Juan Diego Florez on the corner of 65th and Broadway, looking spiffy in a leather jacket and black jeans. I hopped to the left so he could pass and gave him the ol' twinkly-eyed … [Read more...]

Are there any classical music-specific iPhone applications? If there aren't, shouldn't someone hit that? Maybe a variation on Shazam, where you hold the phone up to the speakers when classical music is playing and it finds the score for you. Critics could use it during performances! Shazam aside, maybe the application could pull the score if you're just listening to classical music on your iPhone. Calling all music publishers...? This is never going to get new fans for the art form, but it would certainly be exciting for existing music dorks. … [Read more...]

Making a rare appearance across the Brooklyn border, I met with choreographer Chase Brock and members of his company The Chase Brock Experience (click for an excellent website) on Tuesday. One thing we all discussed was how it's more fun to go see your friends dance than it is to see performances when you don't know anyone on stage. Of course seeing total strangers is intriguing in its own ways/shapes/forms, but prefer it or not, the experience is more detached.  I've written before about how much I enjoy my clients' performances because I … [Read more...]

You know what my press releases are lacking? Balls references. And ironic quotes. I love how "shows" is written here, like, allegedly that's what they're promoting but who even knows. "Eric Owens makes his Carnegie Hall 'recital' debut this April." Courtesy of a blogger friend:FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE3/25/09** Das Racist - Backpack Trap Rap to Dance To! **Lacing electronic, dubstep, and hip-hop beats with worldly freak folk lyrics, Das Racist kicks your balls into outer space. Influenced by rap duos like Kid 'N Play, Bert 'N Ernie, and Ghost 'N … [Read more...]

A writer I work with a lot just forwarded this, let's say "pitch", along:I do hope you'll list this unusual concert - lots of beautiful young peopleand three world premieres, by very sexy composers: [lists three composers]."...three world premieres"-yessss we're going to talk about music and...and...noooo, you should write about this concert because of all the hot-hot-hotness.Groan, I say. And not in a sexy way. … [Read more...]

I asked my friend Megan to text/e mail me a marketing reports for the blog from South by Southwest:i was thinking about marketing things from sxsw and came up with absolutely nothing.  i mean.....it's the same as every other live music show or festival but just on steroids.  there's like a million product promotions (and always the same products.  soco and dewars own the hipster booze circuit i swear) and branding events and whatever but it's all the same.  metallica played to promote their guitar hero game....but that … [Read more...]

I throw my computer into various purses (or "bags", says the semantics police) like it's a wallet. I'm constantly killing an hour, two hours, between meetings, and if I don't work during those gaps, I'll just spend money. It's 5pm on Saturday and I'm meeting a friend to see a movie at the AMC Loews "Lincoln Square" at 7:15. The Starbucks behind the Barnes & Noble is gross, so...ah! Alice Tully's "At 65 Café", a coffee shop/lunch spot/ bar in the lobby of the new Alice Tully Hall. I walk in and ask the host if there's a seat with a plug. … [Read more...]

Just in case any artists or arts presenters out there were worried about YouTube being too low-brow for them/their organization, this just in from the Associated Press:In recording a video message to the Iranian people marking the Iranian New Year, Nowruz, and distributing it online, Obama seized upon one of the Web tools which he used so effectively during his presidential campaign....The 3min 35sec video entitled "A New Year, A New Beginning" was posted on the White House website at whitehouse.gov/Nowruz with captions in Farsi and also on the … [Read more...]

...but potentially bad PR for other artists. Pianist Emanuel Ax has waived two concert fees for the Columbus Symphony this weekend. This is an unquestionably classy and genuine act, but I have to wonder: does it set a dangerous precedent for soloists going forward? Hefty artist fees are often blamed for high concert ticket prices, so will fee-waiving be expected, or - worse -  will artists who do not play with orchestras that can't afford their fees be perceived as greedy by the concert-going public? Also, can Mr. Ax/will Mr. Ax write the … [Read more...]

Last week, Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times wrote a feature about CD box sets. In it, there's a fascinating quote from Nonesuch president Robert Hurwitz about Nonesuch's recently released Elliot Carter collection:Mr. Hurwitz expects this set to sell satisfactorily, he said. But if it does not, so be it. "We have had a lot of longstanding relationships with important composers and performers over the years," he added. "At different times it seems to me to make sense to put together recordings without thinking about a target … [Read more...]

I recently sat in the row behind two important New York City critics at a concert. Both were scribbling throughout the performance, and since they were just across the aisle from one another, I wondered if when one heard a pen scratching to his left, would he surreptitiously glance over and wonder if he should be writing something down, too, and vice versa? … [Read more...]

I had to go to four (4) stores today to find a copy of the April issue of Opera News. Eric is profiled in it, and I got all jealous that friends at his Carnegie Hall/Philadelphia Orchestra performance last night had seen the piece before he and I had. I went to the Borders at Columbus Circle, then the Metropolitan Opera gift shop, then the Barnes & Noble at 66th street, and finally the trailer version of the under-construction Juilliard bookstore, which had two copies left. Which now has no copies left. I asked all these places if the April … [Read more...]