tossing it out: Classical Music Is The Best. Blogger Arlee Bird proposes: “Classical music as a genre is superior to all other forms of music.” And I like the way he puts it: “Let me frame this argument another way.…
Marion Harrington’s Clarinet Notes from France
I am delighted to report of my first listening experience of Marion Harringtons’s debut CD, Clarinet Notes from France. Though I received it a week ago, I did not take advantage of the early opportunity to listen to it until…
The (clarinet) black hole strikes again
The black hole strikes again. The clarinet induced black hole. Although I have never seen it myself, I am certain that my children’s school has its own black hole, a dark region from which even light cannot escape. Because whenever…
bassoon blog: Symphonic significance
bassoon blog: Symphonic significance. My friend and colleague Betsy Sturdevant has posted a wonderful, thoughtful article about classical music’s universal appeal. There’s a great TED video with Benjamin Zander showing why music has such power. Go check it out. The…
Jennifer Higdon premieres concerto ‘On a Wire’
Jennifer Higdon premieres concerto ‘On a Wire’ | Philadelphia Inquirer | 06/08/2010. This sounds like a fantastic collaboration between performers and composer. I can’t wait to hear it. Written for Eighth Blacbird and called “On a Wire”. Philosophical Soliloquies. Dense…
Poem: Instructions to the Player
Instructions to the Player by Carl Rakosi. From the collection Mixed Voices ed. Emilie Buchwald and Ruth Roston. Fun little poem with soulful advice for any performer, not just cellists. Cellist, easy on that bow. Not too much weeping Remember…