March 2008
7 posts
3 tags
Model MD
In 2000 I participated in the inaugural National Conducting Institute, a groundbreaking conductor development program created by Leonard Slatkin. Over subsequent seasons I covered a number of concerts for Leonard at the National Symphony Orchestra.
Learning under his direction and observing him in Washington taught me a tremendous amount about the ways a music director can foster engagement both...
1 tag
Answers
Back to Justin Davidson of New York and occasionally The Rest Is Noise. Here is his recession and the arts quiz. Here are my answers:
1] C 2] Probably C, hopefully D, but every day I dream of A. 3] A and B seem irrelevant, so I’ll go with C. 4] B, maybe. Imagine what a nice world it would be out there for all us artists if the answer were C. 5] The hard question. B and C involve too...
2 tags
Caught in the classical web
Recent murmurings from classical music practitioners and/or observers online:
A brief but perceptive take on recent ‘findings’ in the symphony orchestra biz by Justin Davidson [coming off the bench for The Rest Is Noise].
Props to eighth blackbird for this playful overture.
Engaged as I am in shaping an orchestra’s mission through artistic planning, it’s fascinating,...
1 tag
Seeing Mozart
Two 18th-century images have recently been confirmed as portraits of Mozart. The identification by Cliff Eisen is a major breakthrough in Mozart studies, particularly as there are few reliable likenesses of the composer from his years in Vienna.
This portrait by Joseph Hickel [1736-1807] was most likely painted in 1783. In a letter cited by Eisen in his research on this topic Mozart writes to...
2 tags
What Yo-Yo believes
A quintessentially elegant and powerful statement of belief from Yo-Yo Ma:
Click to listen →
A Musician of Many Cultures NPR All Things Considered – March 10, 2008
I had the opportunity to work with Yo-Yo and to observe firsthand his matchless ability to cross barriers and connect – this 500-word essay reveals the source of that impulse in his work and life.
5 tags
Shadow of Schumann
Sparse posting of late – last week I did my first performance of Brahms’ German Requiem, on a program with the extremely challenging Metamorphosen by Richard Strauss. Great effort from all involved [the Met Chorale and Wartburg College Choir along with the WCFSO] especially after 20% of our rehearsal time was ceded to another burst of rough Iowa winter weather.
A dramatic moment from...
4 tags
Picture this
Links to some great photo sites I’ve been looking at recently:
A Photo A Day The title says it The Ones We Love A conceptual photo project Shorpy Everyday images from the past 100 years Unphotographable No photographs, just snapshots in words
I have recently begun collaborating with a talented young photographer in Iowa named Noah Henscheid [the image above is one of his unique views of...