ConnectiCUTS Deep and both ways! An Irreversable Immolation!

A famous incident took place in a performance of Tosca when Maria Callas drew blood from Tito Gobbi when the retractable knife didn’t cooperate (it was only a minor injury). In another performance (in the same scene) Callas getting too close to the candles set her hair on fire, only to be rescued by the Gobbi smothering the flames (she reportedly said thank you before stabbing him!). Well Connecticut Opera just stabbed their audience to death, and then burnt themselves to the ground!…..

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Paying for Arts in the Land of the Free…

I was sad to read that the Milwaukee Symphony are canceling 4 out of their 5 free concerts.  It’s probable that many more orchestras might be forced to cancel free concerts as budget choices are made.  In Springfield we usually do 2 free concerts each summer.  They are not for certain since they’re connected with city festivals that are at this point are on hold.  The NEA might be getting $50 million extra this year, so I’ve got a suggestion…..

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Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

What is it all coming to?  The recession is forcing even major arts organizations to …..gulp……actually program what the audiences want to hear and see!  Now what’s that I hear, the big 3 automakers need to build cars that people want to drive!  I guess newspapers need to start writing what people want to read!  In the immortal words of R.E.M:

It’s the end of the world as we know it…..

Let’s hope so, at least for the arts world!….

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The People Business….

I am embroiled in rehearsals for Mahler 5 and was not going to write till later in the week, but something jumped out at me over on Greg Sandow’s blog that I could not let pass by. The talk of free concerts for the community have been the subject of his last two post,s and most of the comments coming back to him make me think that people still believe we are in the music business. We are not, we are in the people business!….

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