Posted by richard on July 02, 2003 at 13:20:54:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: "How to Kill Orchestras" - NY Times posted by js on July 01, 2003 at 19:52:49:
NOW I see where you're coming from, and I really agree with you. Part of the problem is fewer works played, and a more "serious" tone to thematically linked programming by arts administrators. Check out old programs by Stokowski, and compare them to most programming today. And Stoky was known as much for contemporary works as the cornball stuff. There are a lot of short, really cool potboilers that audiences would love, not the least due to the fresh approach by musicians who haven't played them since they were kids, if ever.
It's great to get all reverent over Bruckner, but we also need to just trash out on Marche Slav once in a while. And if we want our audiences to go along with us when our maestros take chances on something a little esoteric, we owe it to them to give them stuff we KNOW they'll enjoy.