I am of course grateful for the torrent of comments I have received in response to my previous blog about Klaus Makela conducting Tchaikovsky with the New York Philharmonic. Some of you, however, have misconstrued my meaning. I am certainly not suggesting that Klaus Makela would be an ideal music director for the New York Philharmonic (or for that matter for the Cleveland … [Read more...] about Klaus Makela Conducts the Philharmonic — Take Two
Klaus Makela Conducts the Philharmonic
I admit that I am a jaded listener, burdened by a long and presumptuous memory. I heard Mravinsky’s Leningrad Philharmonic during their sole American tour. I heard Jochum and Celibidache conduct Bruckner at Carnegie Hall. At the Met, I heard Karajan in Die Walkure, act one, with with Jon Vickers and Regine Crespin. I heard Nicolai Gedda sing Lenski’s aria. I stood through … [Read more...] about Klaus Makela Conducts the Philharmonic
Lou Harrison and Cultural Fusion on NPR
While the present-day conflation of the arts with instruments for social justice is dangerously overdrawn, some musical experiences are unquestionably therapeutic, and some composers are more wholesome than others. My most recent “More than Music” NPR radio documentary celebrates “Lou Harrison and Cultural Fusion.” Of Harrison’s music, I observe: “In today’s terms, … [Read more...] about Lou Harrison and Cultural Fusion on NPR
The Brevard Project: Orchestras, American Roots, and Appropriation
George Shirley's spellbinding performance of Roland Hayes' "Lit'l Boy," filmed last July at the Brevard Music Festival, was a highlight of twin Brevard initiatives: a week-long "Dvorak's Prophecy" festival inspired by my recent book Dvorak's Prophecy and the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music, and the "Brevard Project," a think-tank/seminar pondering the fate of the American … [Read more...] about The Brevard Project: Orchestras, American Roots, and Appropriation
Toradze Memorial Concert
The recent Alexander Toradze Memorial Concert, featuring more than a dozen pianists, is now accessible online here. In addition to a lot of music, this event features three video clips of Lexo speaking and performing. A Toradze memorial festival will be held in Tbilisi, beginning May 30, 2023, (Lexo’s birthday) with a concert including Vladimir Feltsman performing … [Read more...] about Toradze Memorial Concert