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Monday, Sept. 10, 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.

Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.

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?

Pittsburgh, PA: The Kennedy Center Honors were announced last week. Once again, Robert Merrill was not on the list even though he was one of the great opera singers of the last century. Any ideas as to why Mr. Merrill continues to be blackballed by the Kennedy Center Honors?

Philip Kennicott: Because he's not as famous as Pavarotti. The Kennedy Center Honors go to people with high name recognition. It's more a popularity test (with longevity factored in) than a real award for excellence, or, for that matter, the importance of an artist to this country's artistic life. If you spend your life feeling bad about all the truly great artists, and all the vitally important artists who have advanced American cultural life, who don't get honored by the Kennedy Center, you're really in for some bitter disappointment. You might as well get all in a twist that films like Titanic win Academy Awards.

N.Bethesda: Where can I take my two and a half year old to hear live classical music? I want to introduce her to live classical music because I think she'll love it. Any suggestions?

Philip Kennicott: Funny you should ask that. I was at a concert yesterday, at the Kennedy Center open house, and there many children present. Unfortunately, they were quite loud and disruptive. It was an open house, and definitely geared more towards families than most concerts; on the other hand, there was a theater full of adults who had come to hear a lovely harpsichord, violin, cello and flute performance--music that is delicate and small scaled and demands concentration.

So I guess my first question is, how well behaved is your child? If they can sit through an hour of music quietly, then I say take them to the best music you can find. If not, I would look for a specifically family oriented event; a lot of local groups do them, and at times when families are able to attend. Check the Kennedy Center website. For smaller groups, I'll leave the question open for people to jump in and make recommendations.

Boston, MASS: Was anything further ever "resolved" regarding the Deseclos plagairism? It was a great article - I'm a former member of Fairfax Choral Society and still read the Post online and would love to know "THE REST OF THE STORY".

Thanks !! Gayle Lorenz (formerly of Fairfax, Va)

Philip Kennicott: Not much to resolve, though another very good story followed up on the sad tale, written by my colleague Pierre Ruhe at the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Foison lived in Atlanta, and Ruhe's article fleshed out a lot more about his career there, and his personality. And Foison finally confessed the plagiarism. Check out the story on AJC.com.

Fairfax, VA: Your Tales review this morning was quite blunt, especially re: Ms. Domingo. I admire your forthrightness and willingness to take on the Washington musical establishment, but I have to ask: do you have any concerns about the negative professional consequences of antagonizing the powers that be?
For myself I hope there are none, because you have brought a new, vital and much higher level of criticism to this city.

Philip Kennicott: I try not to worry about anything else other than the opera, the criticism, and the best, clearest way to present my reactions. I have received some very indignant calls from people this morning who repeatedly refer to Mrs. Domingo by her first name. On the other hand, I'm not the only person at the Washington Post, nor is the Washington Post the only newspaper, to suggest that while she is competent enough to get a show on stage, she is not among the first rank of opera directors.

Capitol Hill: With regard to your article on the Beethoven Festival: what about those of us who haven't already heard these works 99 times? We don't seem to count for anything in your analysis.

Friday night was my live first hearing of Beethoven's Seventh, and my second of his Fourth Piano Concerto. Given the situation--an orchestra in pre-season form, with a somewhat flashy 23 year old pianist playing the subtle Fourth (last year we had the more thoughtful Radu Lupu)--it was quite useful, and better than I expected.

If I want more--and in the long run I certainly do--I'll go find it. Last spring year I took quick jaunts to Philly, Cleveland, and (for what the Philharmonic's worth) New York. Next month I'll catch five or six symphonic performances during a week in London, several of which may prove eye opening (e.g., Sir Roger Norrington and the OAE throwing musical hand grenades at Mahler's First).

So instead of constant gripes about what we don't have--cutting edge reinterpretations that make the old new again--how about an occasional recognition of the worth of what we do have? And for those of us with more than a casual interest in all this, why not more on where and when, in this increasing mobile world, we can find better. If they won't bring it here--and there's no sign anyone will, right?--we'll have to go find it there.

Philip Kennicott: Your remarks, much appreciated, are also delightfully on the edge of self contradiction. If you're traveling to Philly and New York for concerts, if you're checking out the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightment playing Mahler, if you remember and can compare Radu Lupu and Adam Nieman, I don't buy for a second that you're a novice. I hearby out you as a serious music lover; deal with it. I give you about two years of continued listening before you begin to ask: Why shouldn't the orchestra resident in the capital of the richest and most powerful nation on earth play at a level commensurate with its name (the NATIONAL symphony orchestra)?

Alexandria VA: Nice article in yesterday's edition about Nurit Bar-Josef, the new concertmaster of the NSO. Her story makes me wonder about all the demographics of the "graying" classical music audience, and of the musicians themselves.

Do you keep track of any stats that might indicate whether the supply line of orchestral players in the up and coming generations will be sufficient to staff all the organizations around? Do you see an increase in the diversity of orchestras, including influxes from other countries?

Philip Kennicott: Several questions in one. I doubt the supply of superb young players will dry up; more worrisome is whether the number of jobs available for those players will continue to be there. Already there are more people coming out of conservatories than there are jobs worthy of the decades-long apprenticeship they have served. As for foriegn players, I'm not sure what the story is. Certainly orchestras look more diverse in this country, especially with the increase of brilliant players of Asian background in this country; but I'm not sure anyone has looked into whether this is an increase in Asian-American representation or Asian representation. But really, what does it matter? The important thing is that the best players always have opportunities to make music.

D.C: Fascinating article on the new NSO violinist, Bar-Joseph, but you neglected to tell us where she is from originally. Is she American-born as well as trained? Just curious. I look forward to hearing her

Philip Kennicott: Bar-Joseph's father is Israeli; her mother American. She lived in Israel for a while as a very young child. I left this out of the article on Saturday because I had already mentioned it when she was hired. The tyranny of space...alas.

Alexandria, VA: I was so pleased to read your story in the Post on Saturday that WETA has decided to carry the Met Opera broadcasts after all.
Thanks for your coverage, and for anything you might have had to do with the Post editorial on the topic. And thanks also to John Patterson, for organizing the efforts of people like me (no, I'm not he - just somebody he organized). It doesn't happen too often in these days of big bucks, bug corporations, big political contributors, etc., but it looks like the "people" actually made a difference on this one.

Philip Kennicott: Glad to know there are happy people out there, and I'm personally glad (though I stayed out of the fracas) that the broadcasts will be returning. It just makes sense for the public radio station to carry them; this is what public radio does best. I interviewed John Patterson, and he was very gracious about mentioning a long list of names--people who had also played an important role in chastising WGMS (useless, really) and nudging WETA (ultimately successful).

NW DC: Dear Mr. Kennicott,
have you ever seen Yo-Yo Ma with the Silk Road Ensemble before? Any idea what we should expect at the Kennedy Center show Oct. 20?

Philip Kennicott: I haven't seen this event yet, but about five years ago I interview Ma in Vancouver, when he was about to release a disk of Amercian cello concertos. He was very excited about the Silk Road idea even though it was years away. He doesn't do things by half measures, so I would go without reservations. One of the best things about an artist of his stature is that his very accomplishment is a kind of a guarantee: the sum total of Ma's professional accomplishments let him say "trust me." And we do.

Arlington, VA: In regard to the question of choosing opera directors, how can someone who does not move in the rarefied circles of major donors and (opera) industry insiders have any input into such decisions? I understand that the Washington Opera regularly sells an enviable percentage of tickets on subscription, a statistic that seems unaffected by the quality of the productions. Why would the controlling powers be interested even in the opinion of a local critic, much less that of a mere subscriber? Do you think even a groundswell of public opinion has any chance of making a difference?

Philip Kennicott: No. Large institutional opera follows money. I highly recommend reading the chapters devoted to the history of the Metropolitan Opera in John Dizike's wonderful history, Opera in America. In the late 19th century, the wealthy patrons essentially owned the opera, hired the general director, etc. I have a grand theory that the 20th century was all an accident and we're about to repeat it. So the Washington Opera, to me at least, feels very often like a turn of the century company.

But do make your feelings known. It can't hurt.

regerfan (arlington VA): Dear Mr. Kennicott, this is more of a comment than a question, but I've been thinking that there's a composer who really put it all together in the second half of the 20th century - 12-tone concepts, chance procedures, lyricism, fine concertos for cello and piano, even some good stuff under enforced socialist realism. I'm talking about Witold Lutoslawski. Too bad his music has seemed to die with him - there seems to be no chance of further performances (Why?). As an aside - I just got a Xenakis CD of orchestral music - looking forward to trying it out.

Philip Kennicott: I second your enthusiasm for Lutoslawski. How about an NSO festival devoted to Polish music of the 20th century? We could hear Szymanowski and Lutoslawksi and just a pinch of Penderecki for the adventurous. Then, I suppose, a populist program with Gorecki.

Arlington: Hooray for WETA -- we have Opera on radio once again! Thanks for you article and please encourage your readers to back up their letters and complaints with a contribution. That way we can make sure we keep the MET in DC.

Philip Kennicott: I post this simply to demonstrate the flawless good nature and impeccable manners of the opera loving crowd.

laurel, MD: In a recent on-line chat you asked if anyone had any ideas why the NSO plays music by the same contemporary composers year after year. In looking at the upcoming season, there seems to be a mixture of familiar names and others that we have not heard before. However, isn't it the responsibility of the music director to bring his or her own favorites to the audience on a regular basis? Why should that person play music that they are not comfortable with? Daniel Barenboim plays Carter almost every year, yet I would not imagine you would criticize this in favor of other American composers that he neglects. It seems to be a matter of personal taste. What Slatkin chooses may not be to your liking but he is the music director and it seems to me that he is doing exactlly what his position requires. The fact that it does not match your own musical preferances is beside the point.

Philip Kennicott: That's a very good point. Why should any musician perform music for which they have little sympathy?

But that misses the point. Music is about adventure and exploration, about continually foraging through unknown pastures for something interesting and exciting. Music directors should have an insatiable curiosity, and be able to communicate that curiosity to audiences. I actually believe that Slatkin is one of the most curious and most intellectually vibrant conductors working today; that's why I wish that the new music programmed didn't so frequently return to a handful of already familiar composers.

Siver Spring, MD: I'm glad WETA picked up the Met. It shouldn't have taken so long to decide. It's part of the Public Radio charter to provide diverse programming and to provide needs that aren't being met by other stations and formats. Do you know what hapened to the person that used to do the Diana Hollander showat 103.5? It seems everyone but Diana Hollander has been doing that show. Why can't that station be honest with the public and tell them what is going on? Isn't it ironic that a religious based company chose to delete religious based music from it's play list and chose to deceive its listeners?
The same is true at WGTS. Is money all that matters anymore? Do you see a parallel the money grubbers at Bonneville and 7th Day Adventist, and the church that kicked out the gas station for a bigger client?

Philip Kennicott: I'm afraid you've lost me. But it sounds like the world of radio is darned fascinating and filled with internecine squabbles and Byzantine conspiracies and so on. Wish I knew what you were talking about, though.

Greenbelt, MD: Hi--

What's your opinion of Henryk Gorecki's work?

Based on what I've read, it seems like the music community has a mixed opinion of Gorecki and his major work, Symphony #3, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs.

Personally, I find Gorecki's pieces fascinating, and I love the second movement of Symphony #3.

thanks

Philip Kennicott: If you like Gorecki, enjoy Gorecki. You might also want to look for the music of Kancheli and Arvo Part. Personally, it's not really to my taste; if I'm in the mood for something like Gorecki, I'm more inclined to go back to the church composers of the early Renaissance, whom I find more interesting, and dense.

rockville, md: Regarding Capitol Hill's comment about "what about those of us who haven't already heard these works 99 times?"

Well, there is plenty of exciting, heartbreaking and fantastic music by many other composers that hasn't been heard or played even 9 times, so why not even out the playing field a bit?

Philip Kennicott: I tend to agree. Capitol Hill raised a very important issue however, and that is, how much should our orchestra's be conservators, and how much should they be galleries for new work? I know that my own tendency, when I'm exploring art forms with which I'm not so familiar as music, is to want things laid out in an orderly fashion: to be able to get my bearins, get a sense of what is canonical first, and then branch out into the sidelines and eccentrics and other oddities. So I do sympathize with someone who says, Hey, I want to get to know Beethoven, so why should the NSO play Beethoven?

I realize that in the answers to two of today's questions, I lamented the lack of a kind of personal authority that great musicians have: The authority to say, trust me, I find this music interesting and I think you will too. The real hope for expanding what is available is based on that kind of authority, on musicians who establish such credibility with audiences that if they say, you'll like this Lutoslawski, then people come, even if the name seems a little obscure to them. If, however, you get to the point that you behave the way WGMS behaves--survey your audience, play what they want--you may please a lot of people; but ultimately you lose that authority to communicate your enthusiasm and curiosity. And at that point musicians might as well just put the 18th century livery back and on play nothing but music for the Kings Table.

Philip Kennicott: I don't know why I'm posting this, but I feel the need of some fresh air. Here, unedited, is a partial text of an email I just received, while answering chat questions. What does this say about classical music?

Gutbucket is a dirty, juke-joint punk-jazz kerzoom!
that has been making its mark with some of New York's
most exciting performances. Gutbucket's tunes
continually challenge - with frequent rhythmic shifts,
evolving grooves, funky time sigs, and pushy melodies
that still leave room for the group to feature its
exciting improvisations. Plus stage antics and
audience participation more out of the Big Apple
Circus than the Blue Note. Squonk, rat-a-tat,
chuck-a-luck, BANG!

rockville, md: In the story about XM Radio in today's edition, I was shocked to read this from martin Goldsmith:

"It's an uppity British baritone that says things like, "And now, the symphony number five in C-minor, opus 67, by Beethoven, with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic, in which the second movement has a diminished second chord."

Goldsmith, a veteran of National Public Radio, gets downright angry at introductions like those. "It's just chockablock with jargon," he said. "You have to either avoid the jargon or explain what an opus is or what a philharmonic is or what it means that it's in C-minor."

I don't know what planet he's been on for the past few years, but I haven't heard any radio announcer give pertinent details like this in a very long time. I would -pay- for a radio announcer to tell me interesting or educational musical details about a piece. but instead, announcers these days are just throwing the music at us so they can save time for the commercials and newsbreaks.

It's ironic that as the "pre-concert" talk about a program's music gains more ground in the concert hall, the radio stations have decided that we the audience are not worth any intelligent conversation.

Philip Kennicott: I haven't read that story, but thanks for the alert. It's true: the idea that there is somehow a cabal of jargon speaking anti-populist high-brows running the classical music world is preposterous. And anyone who tries to puff themselves up by knocking down this straw man just looks absurd. Most commercial classical radio is announced by vulgarians who can't even pronounce the name of the orchestras correctly.

arlington, va: I hadn't planned to attend Tales of Hoffman--I was leery of the direction, if you know what I mean. However, it was the most interesting Hoffman I have seen in Washington, and I have been a subscriber for over 25 years.I didn't like some of it, but it was "a good show". After reading your review today, I am glad, dear Mr. Kennicott, that you missed all the other Hoffmans we have had presented here.

Philip Kennicott: I am sincerely glad you enjoyed it.

Philip Kennicott: We've reached the end of the chat. Thanks for all your contributions. I'm glad to see the number of people participating is increasing. Let's continue the trend. Until the next chat...

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