Category: music

“Perhaps I would be a better critic if I took the time to consider the output of Justin Bieber on the critical scoring points that matter to me, independent of the mainstream media through which I disregard him, but you won’t convince me of that.”

“The art world took an earlier interest in such pioneering Minimalist composers as Philip Glass and Steve Reich than did the vast majority of musical and academic institutions, which were downright dismissive of the movement.”

“Organisers say it celebrates two things that local people are passionate about – music and cycling.”

“‘We did not have a clue,’ said Edward Gill, the symphony’s chief executive. ‘I was as dumbfounded as anyone else.'”

“The $1-million gift money ‘is not being given to restart raising financial support… for the company as it exists today. Raising public support can only come after we have a workable business plan.'”

“Announced last week, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is not just one of two new Wu-Tang records: the 128-minute double album will only be pressed once, in a unique edition that will tour festivals and galleries. According to RZA, there have already been numerous offers to purchase the music once it finishes its exhibition circuit.”

Jorma Panula, the now-83-year-old professor who trained a flock of talented maestros that includes Esa-Pekka Salonen, Osmo Vänskä, Sakari Oramo, and (ahem) Susanna Mälkki, told a Finnish news broadcaster, “They can come [to my masterclasses] and try. It’s not a problem – if they … take more feminine music. Bruckner or Stravinsky will not do, but Debussy is OK. This is a purely biological question.”

“There is, of course, no science of creative greatness. Yet nobody thinks Rattigan is greater than Shakespeare, or Eric Coates (composer of the Desert Island Discs theme music) greater than Beethoven.”

It’s true that ranking composers ought to be just a bit of fun, but it’s astonishing how touchy people get on the subject.

“It was quite a challenge, even for the crack team of theatrical experts summoned from around the world: less than six months to produce a hi-tech musical extravaganza about one of the most renowned figures in human history. Oh yes, and the title character can’t appear on stage.”