I like Mark Swed’s writing a lot and find I normally agree with his tastes but I can’t make sense out of his review of the Carl Orff/Jefferson Friedman concert at Hollywood Bowl that we hyped a little last week. I am particularly baffled by this line: As in “Carmina,” there is much to like musically in “Throne,” as long as you hold your nose. The political implications in both scores are troubling. Orff was, if not a Nazi sympathizer, at least a National Socialist opportunist. Okay, but I can’t for the life of me see a parallel in anything
Read moreReader Bill Westfall passes along this link to a story about a new research study that reports more than one quarter of classical music fans use cannabis and 12.3 per cent of opera buffs have tried magic mushrooms. This, I suppose, is as opposed to the 100 per cent of Grateful Dead fans who do and have. The finding suggests an interesting topic: Great Composers Who Were Stoners. Discuss. And speaking of discussion, get on over to the new, spiffed up Composers Forum page and weigh in on Rob Deemer’s question about how important a web presence is for an active composer’s career. Meant
Read moreIf there were ever any doubt that Peter Gelb, the new director of the Metropolitan Opera, had big plans to turn the venerable company into a glitzier, more populist experience, there isn’t any more. The New York Times reports this morning that the Met will simulcast the opening night “Madama Butterfly” gala on September 25 on the Panasonic jumbo screen in Times Square. Traffic will be closed between Broadway between 42nd and 45th Streets to make room for 650 cushioned seats and standing room for the performance, which will be blared to the large tin can that is Times Square on giant speakers. Goodbye amplification purists;
Read moreDaniel Wolf, who hangs around these parts from time to time, has written a terrific piece about our resident tech adviser Jeff Harrington who, in addition to knowing how to do a 301 redirect, is also a composer of some talent. Daniel applauds Jeff for being the first composer to put all of his bets on the web rather than the traditional ways composers try to get their works heard. Daniel also has some nice things to say about Jeff’s work. Check it out. And while we’re praising Jeff, now might be a good time to thank him for all
Read moreOkay, we’re back and ready to ramble. What we have here now is a web site that looks great but you don’t want to look in the closets. The original Sequenza21 was just a collection of static html pages, S21 2.0 was the addition of dynamic pages using Blogger software to create separate blogs for the main page, the Composers Forum, the Calendar, and the CD Reviews. S21 3.0 is the same four blogs recreated in WordPress. I’ll be sending out today new user names and passwords to those of you who currently have access to the old pages. The new
Read moreWhat we know to be not possible, Though time after time foretold By wild hermits, by shaman and sybil Gibbering in their trances, Or revealed to a child in some chance rhyme Like will and kill, comes to pass Before we realize it: we are surprised At the ease and speed of our deed And uneasy: It is barely three, Mid-afternoon, yet the blood Of our sacrifice is already Dry on the grass; we are not prepared For silence so sudden and so soon; The day is too hot, too bright, too still, Too
Read moreHere’s a piece of advice. Never say to yourself on a Saturday morning, well, I think I’m just going to completely re-do the old web site over the weekend. Dumb idea, but this is where I am so far. Consider it a work in progress and pass along any suggestions you might have. Right now, the site is still a hybrid. The only other page in WordPress right now is the Calendar page but for some reason, I was not able to import the old posts from Blogger properly so that’s a mess. (Notice to Jeff H. and David T., I will be
Read moreIf you happen to be around my local Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Triangle (which is what the real estate developers call the area around Lincoln Center these days), around 7 pm on Monday, you’ll want to stop in and visit with José Serebrier, his wife Carole Farley, and Ned Rorem who will be signing their latest releases which just happen to be on the Naxos label. Serebrier’s recording of Rorem’s three symphonies at the time of the composer 80th birthday garnered three GRAMMY nominations and their latest collaboration, Rorem’s Flute Concerto (world premiere), performed by Jeffrey Khaner, principal flutist
Read moreJefferson Friedman, one of our favorites among the young turks out there, has a couple of nice gigs coming up next week. On the 13th, 15th and 16th, the Chiara Quartet will be playing his sublime String Quartet No. 2 at Miller Theater, with choreography by Brian Reeder, as part of its New Ballet Choreographers series. And on Thursday night, Leonard Slatkin will lead the LAPhil at the Hollywood Bowl in Friedman’s The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly. Something called Carmina Burana fills out the program. The fact that Friedman mentions Sequenza21 rather prominently
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