|
Monday, April 9, 2001; 1 p.m. EDT
Philip Kennicott, the classical music critic for The Washington Post, has served as music critic for the Detroit News and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is a pianist and graduate of Yale.
Classical music is both one of the most established and most imperiled art forms in America: a mainstay of the cultural world, yet fraught with economic and aesthetic problems.
After a century of radical musical change, and two decades of increasing commercial exploitation, the art form has ceased to have the coherence, and cultural centrality, that it did in the time of Mozart and Beethoven. What sustains our appetite for a musical form which lives in the shadows of popular culture?
This discussion is devoted to the subject of music, both here in Washington, which enjoys a vibrant musical life, and in the larger cultural world beyond the District.
Please contribute your questions and observations about music, heard in Washington or anywhere -- in the concert hall, opera house, on recordings or the Internet.
Philip Kennicott: Starting just a bit late today, with apologies.
DC:
Your blurb yesterday about the Stabat Mater by Szymanowski looked interesting. Can you tell me more about that piece?
Philip Kennicott: It's one of the great and least heard works of the choral repertoire this century. Szymanowski covered a lot of ground, stylistically, and to some ears his music seems equal parts French (Debussy) and German expressionism (R. Strauss). The Stabat Mater was his attempt to work out a genuinely Polish idiom, using large, archaic sounding sonorities to give it a kind of grand, Gothic sound.
Capitol Hill:
I would never have known about, much less purchased a ticket for, the mammoth Messaien work the NSO performed last week if it hadn't been for your two articles on it. I went on Thursday. The hall wasn't sold out but it was far from embarrassingly empty. Very few people left during the work, which I enjoyed by the way. It was very gracious of Cynthia Millar to come back on stage after the performance and talk to anyone interested about her instrument. (She stayed until Slatkin came out and said, "We're hungry.") Do you know whether your public support of the work generated any ticket sales or at least stemmed the tide of returns/exchanges? Thank you.
Philip Kennicott: I don't know what impact the article had, other than a positive one of the writer who enjoyed spending the weekend listening to Messiaen. I'm glad not too many people left on Thursday. The night before, quite a few people retreated, and, alas, before the fifth movement which is the most accessible. I'm glad Cynthia Millar stayed to demonstrate the Ondes machine; it's a novelty for a lot of listeners.
Washington, DC:
Why is there no coverage in today (Monday's) Post -- or at least the edition I received -- of the Bach B Minor Mass performed to a sold out house in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall by the Choral Arts Society? It was one of the glorious events of the season and surely deserved attention.
Philip Kennicott: The review should run on Tuesday. There is usually a glut of reviews over the weekend, so we space them out, some on Monday, and for certain Sunday concerts, we hold them over till Tuesday. I went just to hear the piece (another reviewer will actually write the article). It's grand music, but I sure do appreciate a good, lean, 24 voice choir. Keeps all the lines clean.
Washington, DC:
Mr. Kennicott--
My question is somewhat off-message, have you had a chance to utilize the online version of the New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians ? What's your reaction? Do you prefer using the print version vs. the web product? Any other favorite reference books that you frequently consult in your reporting/writing?
Philip Kennicott: I've tried the online version and find it rather slow. On the other hand, it's a lot more portable than the massive printed version. I enjoy Baker's concise dictionary because the writing, by Slonimsky is so salty. Kobbes is good for opera. Tovey is also fun though it belongs to another era.
Silver Spring, MD:
I must have missed the article DC was referring to; when/where/by whom is that Stabat Mater being performed? Thank you!
Philip Kennicott: It was a "Here and Now," not a full article, just a weekly Sunday recommendation that the Post's critics give. Check in yesterday's arts section.
Capitol Hill:
Any thoughts on Lang Lang (young pianist performing Grieg's Piano Concerto with the Baltimore Symphony April (BSO) 19-21)? I've been reading rave reviews of Mr. Lang's technique and musicality.
On a related note, I very much enjoyed the recent BSO performance of another amazing young pianist, Arcadi Volodos. As far as I can tell, the BSO is a tighter orchestra (even without Termirkanov, whom I've yet to catch), in a superior concert hall (architecturally and accoustically), with comparable if not more interesting soloists. But their playlist is awfully conservative (it makes the NSO look quite progressive).
As for trips to the Baltimore Symphony, Washingtonians should know that Amtrak and Marc are a viable alternative to driving (avoiding traffic, parking, and unnecessary contributions to global warming). It's only a short walk, through an interesting part of town, from the Amtrak station to the symphony hall.
Philip Kennicott: I haven't heard Lang Lang live, but there is a recording and it's spectacular. You're right about the programming tending to the conservative; on the other hand, if you're going to hear standard rep, it's worth the trip to Baltimore to hear it played with really superior results. Thanks for the travel tips. Remember: The BW Parkway at six o'clock for an eight o'clock concert isn't even enough time on some days. Trains make sense.
Salem, Oregon:
Daniel Barenboim is such a legend, I'm wondering why his fifty year legacy hasn't been more widely celebrated. I can't imagine any other musician who has been so successful for so long, both as a pianist and a conductor. And his efforts to keep the older, Furtwanglerian tradition of music-making alive in the face of the tremendous commercialism of the recording industry are quite heroic. This is especially true of his Beethoven symphony cycle with the Staatskapelle Berlin. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Philip Kennicott: Wow, it's finally happened. Daniel Barenboim has a fan. Of course many people admire his mind, his skills as a pianist and his daring repertoire with the Chicago. I suspect that no one could really compete with Solti in the glamor department, and Barenboim has unfairly suffered by comparison. Sometimes his music making can be a bit dour.
D.C.:
I was at Friday night's performance of the Messiane work - I won't try to spell it. It was very well attended (only a few vacant seats here and there) - and very few people left. Mr. Slatkin introduced the piece quite nicely by explaining what it would be like, how long it was, it's history, the various instruments used, etc. I know his explanation helped me to understand and enjoy the music. Does he normally do that ?
Philip Kennicott: More good news on the Messiaen Turingalila Symphonie. Slatkin will introduce new works from time to time; he's a very good public speaker and he presents music well. His comments before playing the Mahler Beethoven retouchings at this years Beethoven Festival were marvelous.
Fairfax, VA:
I was wondering where you think the future of Classical music lies? Bartok studied and internalized folk music, Messiaen birdsong. Do you think the serial, atonal path should be pursued, even if it means empty seats?
Philip Kennicott: Yes. And look at Messiaen: Aspects of his harmony, derived from birdsong, are as complex as anything worked out according to serial technique. And he also borrowed serial ideas quite extensively. It has been a very fruitful technique, and doesn't have to mean empty seats. Education, and perhaps some guidance (see the above comments about Slatkin's introductions) are all it takes.
Arlington, VA:
For the person asking about the Stabat Mater, I sing in the Master Chorale of Washington. We're performing that piece, along with the Brahms Requiem on Friday, April 13 at 8:30pm at the Kennedy Center.
Philip Kennicott: From the singer's mouth.
washingtonpost.com:
Read Philip Kennicott's Best Bets for April in the washingtonpost.com Entertainment Guide's music section.
Arlington, VA:
It was so nice to see a review of a good recording yesterday - and to hear about an new recording that is not geared toward being cute or trendy. Thank you. The classical recording industry is really being turned into a "vast Wasteland".
Philip Kennicott: There are some fortunte exceptions. Nonesuch is one of them, so is ECM. Look for the small independent labels, like harmonia mundi and Hyperion. Forget about Sony. It's been give to the barbarians.
New Haven, CT:
My father reported to me that Leonard Slatkin gave a little talk before playing Turangalila the other day explaining why it wasn't as bad as everyone might think it is. Do you think this sort of thing is really in anyone's best interest? It seems to me (although I wasn't there) that it would necessarily be patronizing to the audience and probably set those unfamiliar with and potentially unsympathetic to the work to thinking "oh well, another piece I'm not going to -read not supposed to] like..."
Philip Kennicott: It's all in the tone. Slatkin's intent was to give some musical guideposts, not just insist that everyone take their medicine. And with a work like Turangalila, those guideposts are really quite useful; Messiaen uses four themes, in particular, with great frequency. On first hearing, they might pass by unremarked; with a little pointing and a few musical examples, the ear can get the lay of the land quite quickly.
Arlington, Va:
I see that the National Symphony will be performing Carmina Burana at Wolf Trap this summer with guest conductor Leonid Grin and the Washington Chorus. Is this a reprise of an earlier performance at the Kennedy Center? Do you think this will be worth attending? Do you know anything about Grin?
Philip Kennicott: If you're a fan of the work, I'd say go. Why not? I don't know the conductor, but he could be very good. And hearing a bad performance of a piece of music isn't exactly like falling in a vat of toxic waste; it washes off easily and the worst effects should be gone by the time you get home. Plus, Wolf Trap has it's own charms, independent of the musical performance.
Baltimore,MD:
Dear Mr. Kennicott:
Wait a minute. Wasn't the recording of Maw that you so admired on the Sony label? They can't be doing everything wrong.
Philip Kennicott: Good point, I suppose. But it took years to get it out, and Bell had to insist on it. Mea culpa, but only a little bit.
Fairfax, VA:
I appreciate your continued championing of new music, but I also think we must have sympathy with the busniness managers of arts organizations who depend on ticket sales to pay the bills. Can we also respect the audience that isn't interested in European modern atonal music? Or do you think they should be dragged, kicking and screaming, to a point where they appreciate this style?
I also wonder what you consider the alternative path(s) that Classical music can now take to evolve and advance? Is atonality the only option? Have all the potential uses of tonality been exploited?
Thanks for any response and for your wonderful reviews.
Philip Kennicott: I do have sympathy for the people who manage the business, but at the same time, many of them have abandoned the responsibility of leading. No, don't drag people kicking and screaming, but at the same time, if musicians don't champion new music, no one will. And if managers simply capitulate to the fear of bad box office, then we end up with a dead musical culture. The orchestra management world is particular venal in this regard, and the future of orchestral music is pretty dim. But the opera house is a bit more vibrant, chamber music even more so; and "new" music also happens in cafes, clubs, living rooms, and informal salons, which is where the creativity is most vibrant.
Capitol Hill (again):
Cynthia Millar said on Thursday that there were only about 20 ondes martenots in excellent condition in the world, and that no more are being made. She added that it's hard to teach the instrument since a student couldn't practice on it. She also said that there aren't 20 people in the world who specialize in playing it. Is any composer working today writing for this instrument?
Philip Kennicott: Good question. I'm sure there must be, but at the same time, electronic music is no longer limited to specific instruments like the Ondes. One could probably create Ondes like effects with digital technology quite easily. And some Midi interfaces also introduce the human, physical element, allowing sound to be shaped by hand motions, for example. A composer writing for an Ondes today might be a bit like a photographer who works with large format glass negatives: Specifically interested in anachronism and the creative possibilities it suggests.
Capitol Hill (last time):
To New Haven: I heard Slatkin on Thursday and he wasn't the least bit patronizing. I appreciated his demonstration of the themes of the work; it was very helpful in trying to grasp a large and unfamiliar piece. And we all laughed when Slatkin said that he knew no one would leave during the piece "because we locked the doors."
Philip Kennicott: For the record...
Philip Kennicott: Well, an abbreviated but lively chat today. Tune in again in two weeks. Thanks to all.
|
|
© Copyright 2001 The Washington Post Company | 
