Category: music

Online services like Pandora, Last.fm, Spotify and others keep on trying to figure out the algorithms – and then pulling in human recommenders as well. Why? “Algorithms and APIs can do amazing things. But at the end of the day, determining what music – as well as art, movies, books and other media – people will like still requires human beings with real ears connected to real brains.”

Esa-Pekka Salonen: “The power of the installation is that it places no demands on you. If you hate it, you leave after 30 seconds. If you like it, you stay for two hours, three hours. For me personally, the best experience was to see two old ladies in their 80s banging the hell out of the bass drum, trying to hit the off-beats and shrieking with joy like little girls.”

What’s in your earbuds at the ocean? “Mention Bach and the beach, and most people think of the Brandenburg Concertos. In the stately French manner, and equally entrancing, is Bach’s third Orchestral Suite. You can stop after the rollicking six-minute overture, but few will be able to resist the second movement Air (on a G String) and the dance movements that follow.”

“In truth, with DarwinTunes, or the performing robots, there is no danger of any contemporary composer losing their job. These attempts to replicate the process of creation fail to see that composition requires human beings – exceptional individuals – and society.”

“Hitler made Wagner into a prophet. But Hitler, of course, reinterpreted even the worst things Wagner wrote about the Jews in a way for which Wagner cannot be held responsible.”

“With an operating budget of $8.6 million, symphony ran a deficit of $450,000 for the year. That means the symphony is now about $3 million in debt.
Because the symphony received about $984,000 from non-recurring major gifts during the year, it could face a $1 million deficit next year if expenses aren’t significantly cut or revenues significantly increased.

“Tenor sax legend Sonny Rollins was a triple winner Wednesday at the annual Jazz Awards, garnering musician of the year honors for the second straight year” as well as best tenor saxophonist and best jazz recording.

“The question of greatness used to be an easy one. In years past, the measures were fairly straightforward and objective: budget size, wages, number of recordings, volume of touring. These days, the standards are more complex, and the orchestral landscape has changed dramatically.”

“Israelis have mostly made their peace with Germany. They drive German cars, drink German beer, and even import goods from companies that utilized Jews as slave labor during World War II. But in the still complicated dynamic between the two countries, an unofficial ban on Wagner has somehow survived the rapprochement.”

“Musicians across the globe have launched a petition demanding European legislation be updated to ensure fair treatment for performers travelling on planes with their instruments. The International Federation of Musicians (FIM) has launched the petition.”