Category: music

“He’s a passionate new-music advocate who is also a dedicated bicyclist and a firm believer in sustainable use. To that end, he has commissioned a steel-framed bicycle trailer for his bass. The idea is to expand his performance opportunities without having to cadge a ride, rent a car or crowd his fellow passengers on the bus.”

“As well as the statistician’s joy in finding how many performances there have been of Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony (56), Bruckner’s Ninth (15), of Ligeti’s Requiem (er, one),” the archive provides “a historical cross-section of how tastes have changed over more than a century of Proms-going, and how concert formats have transformed.”

“Such songs speak to us as only music can, evoking feelings of national fervor despite — or perhaps because of — their sometimes commonplace-to-cornball lyrics. It’s no coincidence that patriotic music has accompanied virtually every war the U.S. has been involved in, save perhaps for the Afghan conflict.”

The cellist “said he had already bought a coach ticket for the instrument — which requires its own boarding pass, has a frequent-flier account and has already racked up tens of thousands of miles. But the airline refused to let him board with it when, at the last minute, the gate attendant protested that it wouldn’t fit in the seat.”

“There’s a rich history of musicians being arrested while making music in New Orleans. When I first began interviewing musicians, I was shocked to learn that just as surely as the horn players I spoke with had soaked up musical tradition from authoritative sources like Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen, a beloved musician and bandleader who died in 2004, so too had they been introduced to this other legacy–arrest while playing–by badge-wearing authorities.”

“Sure, they have released mountains of Top 40 schlock. But it paid the bills and enabled them to put out less-profitable music with real cultural value, like jazz, opera and all sorts of esoteric rock ‘n’ roll.”

“If the “Ring” had been a slam-dunk sellout, the three cycles would have played to just 9,189 privileged people. Instead, they became more democratic. The result, Rountree said, was “a younger, more diverse group of people” experiencing the “Ring” and being introduced to the company.”

“It’s a momentous day for many music writers — truly worthy of that hackneyed phrase, the end of an era. Generations of fans have crafted their music collections with Bob’s blurbs clutched in their hands (or, later, downloaded on their iPhones.) Countless writers honed their craft with his voice in their ears: emulating his endlessly deep, intricate, referential but always fun-to-read prose, or reacting against it.”

“Achim Freyer’s audacious vision for the four-opera cycle, met with boos and spotty tickets sales early on, is ultimately vindicated with a triumphant finale from L.A. Opera.”

“A five-year merger agreement between the two groups expired at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, and the Philadelphia Orchestra Association had the option of dissolving the Pops’ board and fully absorbing the smaller group. But orchestra president Allison B. Vulgamore said Tuesday that the orchestra would not exercise that option.”