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the orchestra world

can wishes come true?

David Stabler has a wish list for what he hopes will transpire with the Oregon Symphony in the next few years.  I must say, I couldn’t agree more with his selections!  (My only alteration would be a different Mahler symphony: either 3 or 6 are on my wish list for repertoire).

Here are my own additions to my wish list for the Oregon Symphony’s future:

  • Having a 2010-2011 season.
  • Three consecutive seasons in the black for the OSO budget.
  • A full complement of strings on stage for all classical series concerts.
  • Violinist Hilary Hahn as soloist in any piece she cares to play.
  • One concert version of a major opera, performed every other season.
  • Reneé Fleming singing Strauss’ Four Last Songs.
  • Making above the median salary level of the ICSOM orchestras.
  • Playing in Benaroya Hall in Seattle, or Disney Hall in Los Angeles.

7 replies on “can wishes come true?”

Hmm, Nozze di Figaro please!
Otherwise ditto and ditto, well done Charles. (How about our own Disney Hall…)

Sooner or later, Carlos is going to have to program Mahler 8. My wish–and hope–is that the performance isn’t done on the cheap. Do whatever needs to be done in order to make it something truly spectacular.

And I’m totally with you on the concert opera idea. In fact, I’ll post my own Top 10 list a bit later today.

I agree with your list. I would like to hear both Mahler 3 and 6 before 2 is played again. I would love to hear Mahler 8, too, but I just don’t see that happening. I would also like to hear a concert opera occasionally but I wonder how effective it would be in the Schnitz, though. I liked David Stabler’s list except for the alternative methods of delivering classical music. I’m not crazy about multiple venues, or the suggested methods. They sound gimicky to me. Call me old fashioned, but I enjoy the standard concert hall experience. I would add that I would like to see an improving economy leading to increased donations and continued strong attendance. Finally, I wish that writers at the Oregonian and elsewhere would not focus so much on negative things and emphasize positive developments more often.

I recently saw an amazing performance by the Lithuanian Pianist, Rudolph Budginas, and was wondering if you have heard of him. He is currently touring the US; he was recently playing throughout many cities in Oregon and is doing so at many local high schools to bring musical awareness and interest to the students. He incorporates his classical training, his own jazz arrangements and sense of humor to connect with the audience. He explaines musical lines from Lizt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody” and Johnny Cash’s “Walk The Line”. He also jazzes up pieces like Claire de Lune and Moonlight Sonata as a soloist and with a jazz accompaniment. To see video clips of Budginas performing go to http://tiny.cc/djJ57and http://tiny.cc/gpKLU, and for a complete tour schedule for interested readers, you can go to http://www.rudolfpiano.com.

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