RRe: [BC] Digital Interference

[Robert Orban]

At 04:41 PM 12/19/2005, you wrote:
>From: Rich Wood <richwood at pobox.com>
>Subject: Re: [BC] Digital Intgerference
>To: Broadcast Radio Mailing List <broadcast at radiolists.net>
>Message-ID: <7.0.0.16.2.20051219112651.0660f8e8 at yahoo.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
>------ At 04:26 AM 12/19/2005, Robert Orban wrote: -------
>
> >As for classical concerts, it's hard for me to put myself in the
> >shoes of a 15 year old listener. But I love live classical music. I
> >go to the symphony at least 15 times per year and it never fails to
> >strike me that symphony audiences are probably the best-behaved and
> >most respectful audiences of all.
>
>Then you've never been to a Boston Symphony Friday matinee. When
>Michael Tilson Thomas was Associate Conductor he developed a
>"Spectrum" series featuring contemporary works. Blue haired Beacon
>Hill matrons revolted. They'd get up, slam their seats back and storm
>out of Symphony Hall. Michael got no respect. He and I had common
>friends so I saw him often. It frustrated him that they wouldn't give
>him a chance. This wasn't Cage stuff. Even Stravinsky didn't pass muster.
>
>Not unexpected. Most Beacon Hill matrons were pretty revolting, anyway.

Drifting off-topic: MTT (who is, of course, the San Francisco Symphony's 
current Music Director) is worshipped by San Francisco audiences. He has 
programmed some very challenging 20th century works (Berio and Schoenberg, 
for example). He and the orchestra are always applauded at the end (and I 
can almost never recall an instance when someone walked out), although MTT 
is not necessarily brought back for the traditional third bow.

One great thing about living in the Bay Area is that there are a lot of 
culturally literate people here. But then again, I've been told that the 
Los Angeles Philharmonic (under Esa-Pekka Salonen) also gets big audiences 
and he certainly doesn't dumb down his programming. Culture snobs in Boston 
or New York City who thinks that California contains nothing but dumb 
surfers are kidding themselves.

The one problem San Francisco has in this area is that it has a dumbed-down 
commercial classical music radio station with no non-comm competition (at 
least for now). KDFC is very good about being involved with the local 
classical music community, but to say that their programming is not 
challenging is to put it kindly.

Bob Orban