Greetings online world!
Finally, I’m sitting down to write my long-intended blog, on which I hope to post my impressions of some of the extraordinary musical happenings here in New York, and occasionally other places. I’m starting Feast of Music with a healthy sense of self-doubt, knowing there is already significant coverage of the New York music scene, both in traditional and non-traditional media. But, after much deliberation, I’ve come to the conclusion that while some folks cover some of the things I’ve seen (and heard) some of the time, no one has managed to capture it all. For myself, then, I wanted to create a scrapbook, something to look back on someday and marvel at the miraculous music scene that existed in the early years of the 21st Century in New York City. I hope it’s something others will enjoy as well.
For those of you who don’t already know me, my name is Pete and I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn. By day, I work at an interactive advertising company, which I love. But, my passion is music, and has been ever since my first day as an announcer at WSND-FM in South Bend, IN. (You can find out more about me by visiting the About section.)
I’d love to hear from many of you, and I especially hope you’ll tell me what you do or don’t like about A Feast of Music. My only request is that you keep your comments as brief as possible – under 100 words would be ideal. (I should be so lucky!)
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Last night, Osmo Vanska and the Minnesota Orchestra came to Carnegie Hall for the first of two concerts, playing Sibelius and Beethoven. (The second concert is tonight.) The hall was only about 2/3 full, which may have had something to do with the weather, but more likely had to do with the fact that this orchestra is still not well known here, despite the near-relentless hype of the New York critics (Alex Ross actually went to Minnesota to hear this same concert last week.)
For those who did come out, they were treated to an extraordinary experience. Vanska has made a home with these composers, and he led his players with ease and authority. (Yet without self-promotion: appropos for a conductor from Minnesota, he would bow and leave the podium in a single, fluid motion.)
Towards the end of the intermission, I noticed a young man, maybe 25, in a white t-shirt, jeans and Chuck Taylors, speaking at length with the concertmaster, Jorja Fleezanis, while she warmed up for the Sibelius. They shook hands, and it was obvious that they had never met before. Can you imagine Glenn Dicterow (the NY Philharmonic’s concertmaster) or any other major orchestra’s concertmaster being so open and generous in the midst of a performance?
The concert concluded with Sibelius’ 5th, which I’ve enjoyed for a long time in recordings but had never before heard live. For those unfamiliar with it, it has three movements, with a finale that is both beautiful and stunning; in the program, Vanska himself says he cannot listen to the conclusion without crying. After an appreciative ovation, we were rewarded with Sibelius’ Valse Triste – which, coincidentally, I heard Neeme Jarvi use as an encore last season with the New Jersey Symphony, on a program that also included Sibelius and Beethoven. Jarvi is in the twilight of his estimable career; after last night, I can’t think of a more worthy successor.
Yay! I’ll spare the jokes about the mere idea of you blogging (and other signs of the apocalypse).
If I had to suggest something, I’d say keep up the ‘informed everyman’ approach, along with the insights such as your observation about the conversation between the gracious concertmaster and the casually dressed young man. I know how you feel about the future of this type of music and the NEED to get past the stuffiness if this art form is going to survive for much longer. This can be your soapbox and I think that will set you apart.
Yay! I’ll spare the jokes about the mere idea of you blogging (and other signs of the apocalypse).
If I had to suggest something, I’d say keep up the ‘informed everyman’ approach, along with the insights such as your observation about the conversation between the gracious concertmaster and the casually dressed young man. I know how you feel about the future of this type of music and the NEED to get past the stuffiness if this art form is going to survive for much longer. This can be your soapbox and I think that will set you apart.
Yay! I’ll spare the jokes about the mere idea of you blogging (and other signs of the apocalypse).
If I had to suggest something, I’d say keep up the ‘informed everyman’ approach, along with the insights such as your observation about the conversation between the gracious concertmaster and the casually dressed young man. I know how you feel about the future of this type of music and the NEED to get past the stuffiness if this art form is going to survive for much longer. This can be your soapbox and I think that will set you apart.
Yay! I’ll spare the jokes about the mere idea of you blogging (and other signs of the apocalypse).
If I had to suggest something, I’d say keep up the ‘informed everyman’ approach, along with the insights such as your observation about the conversation between the gracious concertmaster and the casually dressed young man. I know how you feel about the future of this type of music and the NEED to get past the stuffiness if this art form is going to survive for much longer. This can be your soapbox and I think that will set you apart.
Yay! I’ll spare the jokes about the mere idea of you blogging (and other signs of the apocalypse).
If I had to suggest something, I’d say keep up the ‘informed everyman’ approach, along with the insights such as your observation about the conversation between the gracious concertmaster and the casually dressed young man. I know how you feel about the future of this type of music and the NEED to get past the stuffiness if this art form is going to survive for much longer. This can be your soapbox and I think that will set you apart.
Yay! I’ll spare the jokes about the mere idea of you blogging (and other signs of the apocalypse).
If I had to suggest something, I’d say keep up the ‘informed everyman’ approach, along with the insights such as your observation about the conversation between the gracious concertmaster and the casually dressed young man. I know how you feel about the future of this type of music and the NEED to get past the stuffiness if this art form is going to survive for much longer. This can be your soapbox and I think that will set you apart.