Classical Music Forum

Tim Page is the chief classical music critic for The Washington Post and the author or editor of a dozen books, including "Dawn Powell: A Biography," "The Glenn Gould Reader," "The Unknown Sigrid Undset," "William Kapell: A Documentary Life History of the American Pianist" and "Tim Page on Music." He won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1997 for his writings about music for the Washington Post.

He has also worked as an artistic adviser (the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra), a radio host (WNYC-FM in New York), a record producer (BMG Catalyst) and, in his younger days, a rock musician and cocktail pianist. A graduate of Columbia University, he lives in Baltimore with his wife, Julieta Stack.

A transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Tim Page: Good afternoon and welcome to another on-line chat about music, classical and otherwise. I've been very busy this past week -- what with the release of Leon Fleisher's "Two Hands" and Brian Wilson's "Smile" (to choose two rather different recordings), the Slatkin gala at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, the opening of the Vocal Arts Society season and a rare appearance by pianist Gary Graffman up here in Baltimore.

We don't have many questions this afternoon so if you'd like to send in some thoughts, I'll do my best to address them. I'm wondering about this 3 PM time slot -- is it too late in the afternoon for some of you? I asked for a change in time because I didn't want to go up against Michael Dirda, as our audiences seem to cross and some folks have complained of the double-booking. But maybe 1 PM would be better -- or just another day. Let me know. Can't promise I can do much about it, but I'd like to hear from you.

Well, let's get the ball rolling.

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washingtonpost.com: The Slatkin Show by Tim Page, Washington Post Staff Writer, Monday, September 27, 2004.

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Towson, Md.: What is going on with the Baltimore Symphony? I keep reading reports of staff defections, low morale, etc. I hear that a marketing guru has been brought in to run the orchestra. I think this is a wonderful orchestra and I hate to see it go the cheap route.

The Slatkin birthday concert sounded pretty funny. Glad I saved my money.

Tim Page: I'm fairly new to Baltimore and can't say an awful lot about the orchestra yet. There has indeed been something of an exodus from the staff, but the people I know who have left all departed because they genuinely wanted to do other things. (Working for an orchestra is not easy, as I discovered when I was associated with the St. Louis Symphony).

I would like to put in a good word for James Glicker, the new president and "marketing guru," however, who is hardly the trendy airhead you've read about in some of the press. I worked with him at BMG Classics about a decade ago, when we launched Catalyst, and he was the ONLY person in senior management who understood and backed what I was trying to do. Indeed, the only reason we were able to make the best of our records was because Glicker thought they would be both valuable and important. He fought hard for those discs -- and for the label itself.

Quite frankly, struggling orchestras need shrewd marketing; Glicker is a trained musician and a thoughtful man and I have high hopes for his tenure in Baltimore.

Thanks for the comment on the NSO gala. I hated having to be so negative, but there was hardly a note of inspired music-making on the program. What WAS Slatkin thinking?

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washingtonpost.com: Brian Wilson Finally Cracks A 'Smile'" By Tim Page, Washington Post Staff Writer, Wednesday, September 29, 2004.

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Bethesda, MD: Tim, have you heard Leon Fleisher's new CD "With Two Hands" (Fleisher only recently regained use of both of his hands after decades of only being able to use one)? If not, I would recommend you leave here right after the chat and pick up a copy - its one of the most astounding things I've ever heard.

Tim Page: I just reviewed the CD on Saturday. Joe, maybe we can link to this?

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Washington, D.C.: Tim, very interesting review of the Slatkin bash this past Sunday. Do you have any fear for your position at the Post? Thanks.

Tim Page: No fears at all. I'm sure some of my "higher-ups" disagreed with my assessment but the Post truly is (as we proclaim on our editorial page) "an independent newspaper" and I have never felt any sort of pressure to come to any sort of conclusion. For better or worse, I call it as I hear it.

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Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: I thought it was mean-spirited of you to poo-poo the Slatkin birthday/season opener.

Come on! It was designed to be a light-hearted evening for people who don't normally go to the NSO (when was the last time you saw Dan Snyder at the KenCen?) and it succeeded admirably at being just that: light-hearted.

Nothing wrong with the classical community indulging a sense of humor.

Tim Page: I'm sorry to have disappointed you. The evening struck me as pure kitsch. I have nothing against big galas, but there ought to be some musical substance in there somewhere. Not a single artist on the program was represented at his or her best; the orchestral playing was sloppy and provincial and Slatkin (somebody I admire) came off as a tasteless lightweight.

I don't think anybody was well-served by the event.

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Bethesda, Md.: Tim,

Agreed wholeheartedly with your review of the NSO Opening. I don't know if you heard of the Peter Schejldahl talk on art, but the comment I found most interesting of his was the idea that the problem with art is its lack of patronage. That artists should not decide the purpose and direction of art. I thought of that in regard to the NSO Opening - here was a great opportunity to use music to celebrate, remember, etc. and the evening was regarded as "fun" by everyone I've talked to - rather than transporting or special.

I find that problem with music in general however - can't say that the Vocal Arts concert held together, transported, and moved me in an intellectual or personal way, either. Beautiful music, but hardly a personal message. Billy Budd, in contrast, holds together as an evening, as connected both to the present and the past...

I was wondering if you agreed or disagreed with Schejdahl's comment regarding the divorcing of art from purpose.

Tim Page: Don't know the Peter Schejldahl piece at all. How would I find it? It sounds interesting.

I have nothing against "fun" -- and I can even enjoy kitsch. But this seemed so cheesy, so sloppy, so poorly rehearsed, so much more about celebrity than artistry, that it rubbed me the wrong way. We might have had a new piece of music; we might have heard a gifted young artist who could have used the exposure; we might have heard at least one polished and meaningful performance from the very talented artists who came to Washington. We heard none of the above. Instead, we had a bad classical music in-joke -- a sort of "Can You Top This?" game.

I consider myself one of Slatkin's admirers -- he still strikes me as one of the most gifted conductors out there and I commend what he has done for American music. But there are times when I am appalled by his taste -- and never more so than Sunday night.

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Fairfax, VA: Tim,

I have no preference for the time; 2 or 3 PM is fine with me; even 1 PM.

Thanks!;

Tim Page: Thank you!

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washingtonpost.com: For Fleisher, The Sound of Many Hands Clapping By Tim Page, Washington Post Staff Writer, Saturday, September 25, 2004

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Tenleytown, Washington, D.C.: Dear Tim: Was your review for "Smile" an audition to become the pop music critic for the Post? Are we going to begin to see you hanging out at the 9:30 Club?

Tim Page: I've only been to the 9:30 Club once and then only to hear friends. In general, if I don't have a concert to cover, I'm in bed by 9:30!

No, I'm just a Brian Wilson buff. What an ear he had! And I'm glad to have a finished version of "Smile," even though I don't believe for a minute it bears much resemblance to what we would have heard in 1967. Every now and then I like to write about pop music that appeals to me -- most of it fairly antiquated by now. In short, I'd make a terrible pop critic.

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Falls Church, Va.: Tim

A bit of an academic question. We just got back from the beach, where our favorite bar plays the 1812 overture every day at sunset. (I've no doubt that some of your readers know which bar I'm talking about).

Anyway, I was trying to find a description of the piece that might explain some of the passages. The canons are obvious, but why is that soft interlude (that we've always called the gypsy music) inserted in the middle. Is there a story that is closely linked to the music, it always felt that way to me. Can you recommend a text.

Tim Page: Wow -- the "1812 Overture" at happy hour!

I once knew the story that accompanies the Overture -- something to do with a thwarted invasion of Russia -- but I don't remember it now and have no easy access to my reference books. Can one of our readers help us out?

I know that the piece was disapproved of by the Soviet Union because of the inclusion of the Tsar's hymn. But my knowledge of Russian history is not what it should be. Readers?

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Alexandria, Va: Hi, Tim. I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful Saturday morning article about Leon Fleisher. You managed to put into words my feelings about this CD.

Tim Page: Thanks ever so much. It's a simply stunning album.

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Bethesda, MD: Could we possibly get the NSO to play anything else besides Beethoven, Bach, and so forth?... Can't recall the last time there was a program with Coplan, Stravinsky, etc... Just something a bit more different...

Tim Page: I think the NSO is more adventuresome than you suggest -- but it is always good to let an orchestra know when you want more contemporary music. As you might imagine, orchestras are often pushed in just the opposite direction by conservative subscribers.

Why don't you write directly to Slatkin, or to Michael Kaiser at the Kennedy Center? They are the powers-that-be at the NSO and I'm sure they'd be interested in your response.

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Laurel, MD: Any estimate on the chances of Del Tredici's
"Final Alice" being released within the next
30 years (my life expectancy)?

Tim Page: It came out on London Records about 1980. Has it never made it to CD? It was a fine performance -- George Solti and Barbara Hendricks, as I recall.

Also, it sold rather well. If London doesn't want to reissue it, perhaps one of the smaller labels like Bridge might take it on.

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Fairfax, VA: I don't know the whole story, but I always heard that the 1812 Overture was written to celebrate the Russians' defeat of Napoleon when he invaded. The Marseillaise is in there somewhere, n'est-ce pas? Find a recording of it with the story in the liner notes. That's where I learned what little I know.

Tim Page: It's funny. The "1812 Overture" is one of the most famous pieces in the repertory but because I'm unlikely to play it at home, I don't listen to the radio and I rarely attend summer concerts, I don't think I've heard it in at least two decades. The weird world of a classical music critic!

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Bethesda, MD: Any prognosis on how long Slatkin will be at the helm of the NSO? As long as Ozawa stayed in Boston?

Tim Page: No idea. But his present term ends in 2006, so I would assume that talks would have to begin soon, for that is a very short time in this world.

Ozawa was in Boston for 29 years; Slatkin would be well into his 80s if he stayed with the NSO for that long.

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Laurel, MD: Brief explanation of "1812 Overture":

http://www.bhso.org.uk/tcha1812.htm

Tim Page: Many thanks!

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Rockville, MD: On the Slatkin gala: You said you think no one was "well-served"--well I was. I was not part of the gala; my husband and I just purchased tickets when we realized that anyone could go to the concert (we are classical music concert goers), and because of this one concert, we nearly bought an entire subscription (and didn't because of the lack of knowledge of the K-C telemarketer). The part that makes the audience "well-served" at this gala was that anybody--rich or poor--could buy a very reasonably priced ticket and enjoy a wonderful, and as you did say in your review, "fun" evening--an evening at which a smile never left my face, an evening that I would think would usually be a private event. It was an opportunity to see some of my favorite musicians together on one stage, see them as human beings with personalities thus making me feel that I got to know them better. This feeling will make me more proactive in seeking out a concert performance of any one of them in the near future, thus bringing me, and others of my thinking, to purchase tickets for these performers' more serious performances (except for PDQ Bach, known for his not-so-serious). As you can tell, I loved the evening!;!;!;!;

Tim Page: I'm glad you enjoyed it -- and I'm sure you have a lot of company.

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Georgetown again: Well I commend you for sticking to your guns on the Slatkin gala.

I had a great time, regardless.

To Bethesda: on 11/18, the NSO's doing Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.

And Beethoven, with none other than Fleisher in the Emperor Concerto.

Tim Page: Yes, I'm looking forward to Fleisher. What a wonderful story this is!

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Washington, DC: I can't disagree with you too strongly about the musical values on display at the Slatkin birthday bash. But watching Katia Labeque do her comic bits in the P.D.Q. Bach piece was -almost- worth the price of admission. What a cutie!;

Tim Page: Yes, she's delightful.

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Somewhere D.C.: Comment: New Yorker art critic Peter Schejldahl lectured at George Washington University last year on "What Art is For Now." His earlier essays are collected in his volume "Hydrogen Jukebox", which you probably know.

Tim Page: I'll have to catch up with this. It's amazing how much I haven't read -- and even insomnia doesn't help.

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Laurel, MD: Re: "Final Alice"

My 1980 LP is about worn down. There were reports on a Japanese CD a few years ago, but my contact in Tokyo was unable to find it. I had high hopes for a 25th anniversary release in 2001 and am now hoping for 2006.

Del Tredici told me that (for the obvious reason) he'd very much like to see it on CD.

Tim Page: It's really amazing that it hasn't come out on CD. It's probably my favorite Del Tredici piece -- and it was extraordinarily liberating in its time. It was obviously new music, but so drastically different from the academy-supported aesthetic of the time. All those sixth chords! Like "Der Rosenkavalier" on amphetamines...

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Washington D.C.: Tim, I was wondering if I could get your reaction to Howell Raines comments in the Atlantic Monthly, backed by Arthur Gelb, that John Rockwell was a "former rock critic who had undergone a highbrow conversion" and was "licensed to ignore suggestions from anyone." In my experience, every musician in Christendom would agree with that assessment. At least those who are not deskbound.

Tim Page: Did Raines really say that? Outrageous -- Rockwell did a hell of a lot more good for the Times than Howell ever did.

In fact, Rockwell began as the highest of highbrows (I think his doctoral thesis was on Strauss's "Arabella") and gradually became more and more interested in popular culture, which he wrote about with originality, scholarship and taste. Rockwell probably discovered more new and unusual artists than any other Times music critic of the century (I am not forgetting Harold Schonberg).

I, too, am licensed to ignore suggestions from anyone. It's called intellectual freedom, and good papers (and editors) permit it to their critics.

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Washington DC: Is there any site online that discusses opera intelligently? I know about the Opera-L listserv, but that is exactly the opposite of what I am looking for. ArtsJournal is OK but not opera-specific. Thanks!;

Tim Page: Opera-l.org seems to be pretty much all we have -- and there are some smart people who write for it (along with the "Maria is the one true God!" crazies that you'd expect...)

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Palookaville: Tim, I've written in before to ask you about William Duckworth, and I've just discovered "Southern Harmonies." Do you know this work? It's a series of 20 choral pieces loosely based on hymns from a shape-note hymnal. The transformation of "Rock of Ages" is a wonder, and I think the whole series is quite beautiful and not altogether like anything I've ever heard before.

Tim Page: I'll pass this on. I haven't heard it yet.

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Tim Page: And, as it happened, we got a lot of good questions today that I simply didn't have time to answer. I thought it was going to be a slow afternoon, but I still have about ten queries that I would love to answer, and the hour is already up.

I hope that those of you who didn't get answered today will submit your questions again for next time. I'll try to give you priority.

We'll talk again in two weeks.

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