The following is a guest post by Viswa Subbaraman, Artistic Director of the Skylight Theater in Milwaukee. He’s a very interesting young man.
Bill Eddins
Hell’s Coldest Day
This may come as a shock to many people but…. the classical music world is very strange. Case in point – this weekend, which found me the one place I was pretty sure I would never be again, and though it was a balmy 64 degrees in Minnesota it was certainly the coldest day in the history of hell.
The Swimsuit Edition!!!
Every blue moon or so someone (or something) that purports to be part of the classical music business comes up with a sure fire way of grabbing headlines. Yes, in order to save classical music we must thrust classical music into the mainstream! We must make a splash! We must dive right in!!! (are you getting my drift yet?… so to speak?)
A (Washington) Post Mortem
Two days ago I tuned into my local MPR station and within 30 seconds had correctly identified the two gentlemen talking – Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. There was something about how they presented themselves which made me immediately think about Watergate and Nixon. I didn’t even get the gist of their topic before I knew who they were. One of them (can’t remember which), when talking about that era, mentioned that he thought they were working for the greatest editor (Benjamin Bradlee) and the greatest owner (Katharine Graham) in the business. Lo how the mighty have fallen.
Dear Mr. Gelb…
Well, to be blunt, you’re not just wrong, you’re dead wrong. And since the eyes of the (baseball) world are on the beautiful city of Minneapolis right now I’d like to invite you out here for a visit. “The Minnie-Apple?” you say. “What could that Midwest backwater possibly have to interest such an urban New York sophisticate as myself?” Admittedly, the bagels here aren’t nearly as good as most places in Manhattan, and for some reason the Twins simply cannot beat those damn Yankmes (yes, Derek Jeter is one of the greatest … Continue Reading
The Tale of Two Papers: A Head-to-Head Breakdown
Sticks&Drones is delighted to hear about the deeply researched article in the Indianapolis Star, the premiere paper in all of Indiana, that delves into the upcoming appearance of Joshua Bell with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. In today’s world it is a woeful rarity to have such erudite reporting about classical music, let alone a major symphony orchestra. The choice of pairing him with Joshua Kaufman was certainly inspired as well. And if the idea is taken a step further…
The Broken Circle
Well, it finally happened. Those of you not living in a cave will have heard the Osmo Vänskä is returning as the Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra. I’ve already heard some people claim that the orchestra has come full circle. Not quite. There are still some major issues surrounding the M.O. that cannot be avoided. Musicians have left, and to replace them is a lengthy, time consuming, and expensive process. There is still a deficit which needs to be addressed. There are very bruised feelings in the community over how this has all … Continue Reading
The Opera That Cried Wolf!
In what is turning into a regular guest slot we have a third blog installment by our friend Viswa Subbaraman, Artistic Director of the Skylight Music Theater in Milwaukee. Enjoy!.