Last week’s article got quite a few clicks, and yesterday I received a comment from Claudia Fritz, who supervised the much-discussed research. I detected a slightly elevated fur level, so it seems like a thoughtful reply is in order.
They blinded me with science.
Last week there was an enormous amount of press pertaining to a recently published paper that examined whether a group of professional violinists could tell the difference between fine old Italian instruments (such as Stradivari or Guarneri) and more modern (and much less expensive) violins. The researchers concluded that the participants were not able to distinguish the differences with any degree of accuracy, with various implications. I was struck by a number of factors in the press accounts of this study, so I decided to read the actual paper in its entirety and draw my own conclusions.
Holiday link dump and Santa Track
Just a quick post today to wish everyone a great holiday season. For you Santa followers, NORAD is once again hard at work. Or here’s an alternate view of Santa. Christmas came early for this woman, although not for the Gergiev Foundation, but who knew the Romanovs were composers? Or that pigeons might conduct an orchestra one day? And here’s some interesting reading about Beethoven’s deafness. Wishing all of you a great holiday, no matter how you celebrate.
A special road trip.
This week I head off on a trip I couldn’t have imagined a few years ago. Most readers know I play on a stupendous violin that sort of dropped out of the sky awhile back. In a few days it’ll be in its old neighborhood to play some concerts in honor of it’s namesake.
Bring your wallet (updated fines).
Now that we’re all back into the season full swing, I thought it would be fun to revisit a popular post from a couple of years ago. Different versions of this list have circulated for years, so again I encourage you to post comments with any suggestions for additional fines/infractions. Also, it seemed appropriate to add a special management section, just as a sign of the times. Please note all management fines are per incident, but variable depending on current executive compensation. 2011 Bonus Section: Management Fines Creative accounting: $500.00 Using the … Continue Reading
Back-to-school link dump, featuring Rachmaninov, the trumpet lady, venture capital, and more.
As we all head back to the artistic trenches, some random links starting with some Rachmaninov home movies. And by the way, the BBC says orchestras are too loud.