By James Conlon I had intended to submit this entry on December 15, the day after the terrible events in Newtown, CT. I found it impossible to think about anything else, and felt it was inappropriate, if not disrespectful, to publish it on that day. I have kept it for the New Year and offer [...]
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By: James Conlon The Gewandhaus Orchester was the first to play the Prelude to Die Meistersinger, conducted by the composer, on November 1, 1862. The orchestra traditionally observes important anniversaries of works that were premiered there. The honor (and pleasure) fell to me last week to open the program with the Prelude before moving on [...]
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For people who don’t happen to read the Los Angeles Times, I would suggest clicking here for an excellent article posted on October 21 by Neal Gabler. It is headlined, “Hollywood’s perception of value versus real value [my italics]: America emulates Movieland’s way of measuring the worth of things, which teaches us to place the [...]
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by James Conlon About a week ago I witnessed a heart-warming spectacle in Rome. Imagine 750 kids between the ages of five and twelve, screaming, giggling, squealing with delight, singing, dancing while running on and off the stage of a theater. It lasted about an hour and ten minutes in all. They were grouped together [...]
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“There is no disputing taste,” “fashions change,” “to each his own,” and “vive la difference.” Certain pieces come in and out of the classical music repertory, while others never get a foothold; still others seem omnipresent. Classical music institutions today have to grapple with balancing repertory over the course of years, to make sure everything that [...]
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by James Conlon On February 15, one of the great men of opera passed away. Charles Anthony will be long remembered for the stunning statistics of his career at the Metropolitan Opera: 2,928 performances of 111 roles in 69 operas in 57 years. He appeared there more than any other artist in the Met’s history. [...]
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by James Conlon Public school districts throughout the country are struggling to meet mandated requirements with shrinking budgets. In such times, school boards are forced to make wrenching choices. The Los Angeles School Board met on February 14 to consider the elimination of a number of programs, including all elementary school arts instruction. The public [...]
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by James Conlon Gore Vidal once observed that at a certain age writers turn to politics or alcohol. I am a musician and am turning to neither, but in recent years have found, conversely, an increasing satisfaction through writing. For that reason I welcomed the invitation from MusicalAmerica.com to write a blog on a somewhat regular [...]
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