All Entries Tagged With: "Current Events"
A Tale of Two Cities…
Two interesting situations are developing that on the surface may not seem connected but are actually deeply related. For better or for worse.
What The Hell Were They Thinking?
It’s Bastille Day. We have our General Dress rehearsal tonight for Porgy. Tomorrow I travel to Valence to see the 11th stage of the Tour de France. With all that going on why, you may ask, is my mind a thousand miles away?
Stravinsky on a Stick…
It’s that time of year again, when the average Minnesotan starts salivating profusely and planning their foray into the great culinary unknown. Yes, folks, it’s just around the corner, only three months away. The great Minnesota get-together known as …….. The Minnesota State Fair!!!! WHEEE!!!!! Heart surgeons within 500 miles are on high alert…
Truth and Consequences…
Hawai’i. Some of us consider it a paradise. My wife and I were married on a beach on the beautiful island of Maui and we’ve been back twice since to celebrate anniversaries. But for others – namely the Honolulu Symphony musicians – Hawai’i is proving to be a black hole, and like the black holes [...]
Grammys? Who cares!!!!
It’s that time of year again. The Grammy Awards are all the talk of the business, and once again there is the yearly bellyaching about how the Classical Grammy awards aren’t shown on TV. Well……. who cares?
The Passing of an Era…
I am deeply sad today. This year has had it’s share of depressing moments, but in the space of 1 1/2 months I have lost my two biggest inspirations. Please allow me to pay tribute….
Random Thoughts…
It’s random thought day. Be warned.
Having our Cross-over to Bear: Concert Snapshot – Chris O’Riley
A funny thing happened on the way to the Dakota: a new magazine came across my path. It’s called “Listen – Life With Classical Music.” Actually I don’t know if it’s new but it’s definitely new to me. What caught my eye was an article on Erich Korngold and his travails for having the …… [...]
The New Golden Age – Defending the Jury pt. 2
With so much attention being paid to Tsujii (including from me) I wanted to be sure to not overlook the other gold medalist Haochen Zhang, his extraordinary ability and unbelievable upside potential. If not breaking barriers like Tsujii he certainly dispelled a myth and if some feel that the jury took a chance with him, [...]
Is it time for the Revolution?
Newsflash – Endowments are down the toilet; Arts orgs. are laying off people at record pace; donations are down; the NYCity Opera got sold a bag of rotten turnips; ponzi scheems are playing havoc with donors; orchestras/dnace companies/opera companies/etc. are folding ……… Folks, is it time for the next Revolution?
Cliburn: Striking Human Gold! – Defending the Jury part 1
There are so many things people are hoping for in the winner of the Cliburn. Every 4 years this veritable Piano Olympiad usually picks a winner who possesses pure virtuosity, stage presence and superb musicianship. Expectations are high for the Pianists and the pressure is intense to say the least. This year was different and [...]
Cliburn Soundoff! – It’s OVER – wrap with James and wild closing!
I wanted to post Monday, but it was such a blur! For the final post from this year’s Cliburn, I post the final two parts of my conversation with James Conlon, and I edited a two part audio clip of the closing ceremony complete with wild (and very frank) opinions, Van speaking, the awarding of [...]


