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style or substance? May 17, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : miscellaneous, music, add a comment

Style vs. substance the duality that’s on my mind as I write this.  I’m at a loss.  Why do individuals or organizations who do impeccably prepared, virtuosic performances passed over in favor of those who cloak mediocrity in the guise of a fancy mission statement?  Does it really all come down to marketing?  Are we who play traditional forms of classical music doing ourselves a disservice by slaving away to perfect our craft?

I don’t think that the style/substance relationship is a zero-sum equation.  One can inform the other.  They can achieve a symbiosis together that they would lack separately.  But, still, are we in America so impressed by a slickly packaged idea that we can overlook the actual substance of that idea?  I’m afraid to answer my own question, because one answer indicates that I’m cynical beyond rescue, and the other answer says that I’ve hopelessly naïve.

Any thoughts?

commenting May 16, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : News, miscellaneous, add a comment

I’ve been made aware by a few readers in the last week or so that some security features were making it impossible to contribute comments to this blog. This is obviously not a good situation! I’ve gone in and changed the settings to make it as simple as possible give public feedback to posts.

Wordpress, which is the blogging platform that I’m using, does not allow unsubscribed readers to comment. For that reason, if you wish to comment, you need to go to the register link up at the top right of the window and give a name of your choosing and a valid email address. You’ll receive via email (at the address you supplied) a link which will allow you to login along with an automatically generated password. Just click the link, enter your name and password, and you’re good to go.

After you login, you’ll be sent to your profile page - if you want to change your password, or give a new nickname or your real name or change your contact information, you can do that at this page.  I would suggest changing your password at your first visit, since it is computer-generated and difficult to remember.

If you have any difficulties, just go to the “contact me” tab and shoot off an email and I’ll do my best to assist you!

for the love of it May 16, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : music, the orchestra world, add a comment

It’s easy to have a well-developed sense of ennui by the end of a symphonic season, at least if you’re a member of the ensemble. But, occasionally, it’s nice to have a gut check provided by one of your brothers or sisters in the orchestra world. Mine came this morning in the form of a rapturous blog entry by Columbus Symphony principal clarinetist David H. Thomas. There was a paragraph that reminded me of my experience playing the last movement of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony a few short weeks ago: (more…)

carmina cut-ups May 16, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : music, opera, soloists & recitals, the orchestra world, add a comment

We had one of those priceless moments tonight during our evening rehearsal (our first with the Portland Symphonic choir for this series) - Soprano Cyndia Sieden was singing that most gorgeous and time-stopping aria (the one that goes up to a super high D) from Carmina Burana.  She had just done the slow scale up to the high D, and was at the pause before the phrase ended, and the whole hall was silent: you could have heard a pin drop - she was sounding phenomenal, and everyone didn’t want the spell to be broken, and she turned to Carlos with a slightly helpless look on her face: she’d forgotten the last six notes of the aria!  Of course Carlos cracked up, followed by the orchestra, Cyndia, and the entire chorus.  It was a nice moment in an otherwise hard-working rehearsal session.

I was a bit out of it for the first part of the rehearsal as I’d decided that riding my bike to work on an 85 degree evening would be fun (plus my wife had the car).  It was hot and I didn’t drink enough water along the way, so I was in a bit of a daze for a while.  I also learned that riding with my viola on my back is a deal-breaker: the top of the case hits the back of my helmet so I have to keep my head way down to ride.  Bummer!

taruskin to speak tonight May 15, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : appreciation/criticism, music, add a comment


Image courtesy Stanford University.

This via David Stabler.

Leading music scholar and sometime iconoclast Richard Taruskin will speak tonight at 6:30 at the Benson Hotel.

He’s written, edited, or co-written some of the seminal books on Western music, including The Oxford History of Western Music,  Music in the Western World: A History in Documents, Text and Act: Essays on Music and Performance, and Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions.  Should you be so inclined, you can buy the here.

sea of tranquility May 14, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : photography, add a comment

sea of tranquility | Originally uploaded by darkmatter
click photo to enlarge

This great photo of Disney Hall’s facade is a great perspective that I’ve never seen before, from one of my favorite photographers on flickr.com - darkmatter.

more columbus analysis May 13, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : labor issues, music, the orchestra world, add a comment

Robert Levine, writing over at Abu Bratsche, has finally weighed in on the Columbus Symphony debacle.  It’s a pretty damning case he makes for the vast majority of the responsibility to be given to the board of the Columbus Symphony for the current state of affairs.  I’d consider it required reading - discuss.

Even with the problems that the OSO is currently facing in terms of recurring budget deficits, the board has not shied away from hiring a strong, competent, clear-eyed president.  We’ve at least had someone at the helm (except for one season after the abrupt departure of former president Tony Woodcock) throughout the time I’ve been here (12 seasons and counting), and that counts for a lot.  I cannot imagine why the CSO decided not to hire an executive director for THREE consecutive seasons.  Amazing, and not in a good way.

NY Times cutbacks hit culture beat May 13, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : the orchestra world, add a comment

As reported in the online journal Musical America, the New York Times has offered buyouts to several writers on its culture beats.

Downsizing at The New York Times has hit the culture department. Among those taking the recently offered buyouts are Bernard Holland, music critic; Jennifer Dunning, dance critic; Diane Nottle, deputy editor for classical music and dance; Gwen Smith, assignments coordinator for dance and art; and Lawrence Van Gelder, senior editor.

That leaves Alastair Macaulay as the only full-time dance critic at the Times, although the newspaper uses free-lancers Gia Kourlas, Roslyn Sulcas and Claudia La Rocco as well. The two full-time music critics left are Anthony Tommasini and Allan Kozinn. James R. Oestreich, editor of classical music and dance, occasionally pitches in as well; Steve Smith and Vivien Schweitzer are Times free-lance classical critics.

Read the entire article here.

carmina burana cheat sheet May 13, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : the orchestra world, add a comment

C’mon - you know you’ve thought of this, too…

columbus symphony circling the drain? May 13, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : labor issues, music, the orchestra world, add a comment

The news from Columbus seems to be getting more dire by the day, and those with the power to change the situation seem unwilling to do so (or to be charitable, unable to do so). Here’s a collection of posts from around the classical blogosphere concerning the situation in Columbus as of late.

What bothers me the most about this situation is that the responsibility for the plight of the orchestra is being placed squarely on the shoulders of the musicians. According to the board, management, and the editorial board of the Columbus Dispatch, the musicians are selfish and greedy for being unwilling to accept the cuts which are being proposed.

In an orchestra with a multi-year CBA, the costs of the musicians’ salaries are the one factor which can be budgeted for in advance - the numbers are agreed to and known in advance. Certainly, compensation package items such as health care expenses can take sudden up or (ha!) down turns, and those can cause some cash flow problems.

If there were ever a clear cut case of mis-management on the part of both the administration and board of an orchestra, this is a text book example. I just hope that the 08-09 season doesn’t consist of the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony playing run-out concerts in Columbus - it’s a fear expressed by some CSO musicians, and given the Cleveland Orchestra’s expansion into South Florida (after the demise of the similarly mis-managed Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida) to supplement it’s income, it’s not out of the realm of possibility…