Delta No More

Traveling by air has become unpleasant enough for everyone after 9/11, with long lines at the security checkpoints, no food and minimal space. We musicians face an additional hurdle with our instruments. The larger-than-normal-carry-on violin (or viola) case may not fit exactly within the strict rules of measurements given by individual airlines, but I have yet to come across a situation where a little explanation didn't help. That is until this morning when my wife tried to board a Delta Airlines flight to the East Coast at Seattle-Tacoma. The supervisor must have had something stuck someplace, as he was as rude and as inflexible as can be and wouldn't let my wife on board. This brainless man insisted that she take her very valuable violin out of the case, put it in her bag and store it in an overhead compartment! She called me hysterically from the airport, but I was driving our little one to school and couldn't offer any other advice than to try to buy a ticket for the violin. This is what she ended up doing, but missed her flight and will arrive in her destination after midnight.

I have seldom flown without having to carry a violin with me. I can count with one hand any incidents regarding the extra carry-on, the case. One time SAS let me fly to Copenhagen with no questions asked, but gave me trouble on the short hop from there to Helsinki. After a minute-long argument I was allowed to board, and the same has been the situation all over. Just last week my wife flew Northwest Airlines to Michigan and back, with the same setup, and was treated very cordially by everyone. Even smaller prop planes have never presented a problem. No wonder she was in tears and upset by the treatment at the Delta counter this morning. At least the personnel in Delta's club room was sympathetic with her.

A lot of us have to fly with musical instrument because our work, or school, demands it. What is a violinist to do if he/she is denied boarding because of the instruments he/she wants to keep with him or her? At the rate checked luggage gets mishandled, misplaced and even totally lost, only a complete fool would let the airline be in charge of a violin case. Who would take financial responsibility for a loss of the fiddle or damage to it? What are we supposed to be playing on if something bad happens, even a delay? I know that the American Federation of Musicians has issued letters with the blessing of the federal authorities regarding this issue, but at the end, it is up to the individual airline and the person, in this case the moron, at the gate to do as they please.

Luckily we have a choice to fly on whatever airline we prefer. In our case it won't be Delta any more (although I must admit this was the first time that they have given either of us this kind of trouble). This was an award ticket worth 50,000 miles; the problem is what to do the with remaining 350,000 frequent flier miles with them. I better decide quickly as the airline itself has been very close to having shut its operations down for good. One would think that Delta Airlines would try extra hard to win back the trust of their customers, but that obviously wasn't the case this morning at SeaTac. I wrote a complaint to the company in an email; it will be interesting to read what they reply.

I guess there is truth in the saying that if we were meant to fly, we would have been given wings.

Of CPF and Conducting

A few weeks back a colleague called me, laughing about a story in a daily. The article had described what a concertmaster’s requirements are: not only are they expected to rehearse the orchestra, or at least the strings (although it was unclear when and how this would be possible), they also had to be auditioned with their drinking skills, at social gatherings. This is what I call CPF, the Cocktail Party Factor. Juilliard and other schools, take notice: perhaps you better hire an experienced bartender to give classes in meaningless chit-chat. It is unclear if this brown-nosing ability also produces a dark sound of the same color, another requirement. It is unlikely to boost one’s intelligence, however, also needed. Granted, I don't drink, but in other areas I might be overqualified: after all, the London Times once claimed that I had 'an impressive depth of sonority', and my IQ was the highest the tester had ever measured.

Since it has been made public as to what a concertmaster should be like, I take this opportunity to describe a good conductor. One of my readers recently emailed me with the question and I promised to reply in this blog.

Many orchestra conductors falsely believe that a big ego and basic, rudimentary musical skills are all that is necessary. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all the people all of the time. An ideal conductor is also a performing artist, a practicing instrumentalist of top caliber. Although thorough knowledge of string instruments is mandatory, one doesn’t have to be a soloist in that field. There are many ways to gain the necessary know-how; however, having one’s children play at Suzuki level is not enough. There are pianists who have made great conductors, same with composers, although to a lesser extent. In both these cases the individuals have a great ear for harmony and colors. Wind and brass players often suffer from the fact that they would like the orchestra to sound as if all the listeners sat in their respective sections.

Personality is number one on my list. Conductor/orchestra relationship is like a marriage. Recently ‘falling in love’ and the ‘honeymoon period’ have been scientifically explained very well. Excess amounts of serotonin, dopamine and other neurotransmitters stop working after about a year in a relationship. Since in an orchestra setup musicians don’t have to see their regular conductor daily, this period may be extended. Having guest conductors could be compared to love affairs: they can be wonderful or disastrous, but luckily they don’t last forever, and later it is nice to meet an old flame again when a guest maestro reappears. In a long-term marriage a hormone, oxytocin, takes over to sustain the relationship. Often life becomes routine, though, and so does the orchestra’s playing. Audience, and in most cases, the musicians as well, long for excitement and the cycle ought to start over.

Mental health is an important issue in any artist’s life. Creativity and madness often go hand in hand. In an orchestra this is very evident, especially when you factor in the frustration of a musician not being able to express the artist in him/herself, just having to follow someone else’s ideas. A good conductor, just like a good teacher, should be thoroughly schooled in psychology, to the point that he/she could actually be a practicing professional in that field. Being kind, nice, understanding and yet demanding is not an easy combination. CPF should be a very minor factor for conductors as well. Granted, money needs to be raised, but wouldn’t it be nice if that part of the business could be left for people specialized in that field? Too many great conductors refuse posts as Music Directors in our country, just because of the CPF portion of the job.

As I recently wrote, fear and inspiration can produce similar results in a short run. But if you are in a musician’s shoes, I don’t think too many would choose the fear over niceness, kindness and inspiration. Time for rehearsing is increasingly limited and a conductor has to be able to maximize it. It is amazing how people can often exceed their limitations and perform miracles: sometimes even the first concert of many in a row turns out to be decent, although it has a resemblance to instant art: just add water and mix. If I had to attend a concert as a listener, I would probably choose the last one in the series, although some musicians may falsely believe that they don’t have to try as hard as on previous occasions, and end up not giving their best. Sometimes a rush of adrenaline is great, but most often musicians try to counter it with the use of beta-blockers, alcohol or other drugs.

The person, who inspired me to write this, sounds like a very insightful person, and talks about his desire to treat musicians with great understanding and ‘utmost respect’. I didn’t know such wonderful people still existed, although I have crossed paths with a few, such as the late Hermann Michael. I want to wish all the best to such a conductor, as an orchestra will be blessed to have a human being like that at their helm.

Another Loss

Death of the Northwest Chamber Orchestra didn't only only harm its musicians, it also hurt the audience. They no longer have an opportunity to see and hear the genius of Ralf Gothóni, nor the orchestra's longtime principal conductor Joseph Silverstein. Mr. Silverstein is one of the icons on the American music scene: a fabulous violinist, chamber musician and equally at ease on the podium. I will never forget listening to a performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto on the radio years ago. The playing was absolutely phenomenal, full of old-school beauty and totally faultless technique. I was almost shocked when the soloist was announced. I knew that Mr. Silverstein played well, based on his reputation and recordings of orchestral solos, but this was absolutely world class. By this I don't mean to use that term as one often hears these days (superlatives come cheap at least in this town) but in the real sense of the word. Later I, of course, heard him play live many times and every time absolutely immaculately. I have never heard better or more beautiful Mozart on this continent; the phrasing is just as it should be and overall playing without peer. Although he is still active as a violinist and chamber musician, he is also teaching in Philadelphia and Boston. I hope the students at Curtis and the New England Conservatory understand how lucky they are if they get to study with him.

Mr. Silverstein has a long conducting career as well. While concertmaster in Boston for 22 years, he was also their assistant conductor and later became the Music Director of the Utah Symphony in Salt Lake City for 15 years. Rumors were then that the job almost went to another conductor, but the Mormon leadership had problems with the candidate's lifestyle. At the end they got the better deal, I'm sure, and the orchestra developed into a fine group. I would like to say 'world class' again but that expression is so misused that it has lost its meaning.

I got a very nice letter of recommendation from Mr. Silverstein, something I truly treasure. In it he states: "I have been familiar with the playing of Ilkka Talvi for many years. The discography of [...] is a fine showcase of his playing and leadership. His background is a veritable "who's who" of the 20th century as it includes studies with Ivan Galamian, Jascha Heifetz, Ricardo Odnoposoff, and other prestigious teachers. I would characterize his playing as technically brilliant and stylistically elegant. In the many performances and recordings of his that I have heard there has never been an instance when I felt that there was a lapse of good taste."

Getting such compliments from a true master musician means a lot to me, to the point that I almost blush.

Fear or Inspiration?

In raising a family, education, relationships and the workplace, there are two main ways of achieving results: either through fear or inspiration. Of the two, fear is the easier route. Your children learn not to do something because they are afraid of being punished. A student studies hard because of the fear of making mistakes, or having the teacher get mad at him. In many relationships, including marriage, one of the partners accepts the submissive role, and does what the other one demands, in order not to be rejected, or in many cases, assaulted. In the workplace, a boss can make his subordinates work hard, out of fear of being fired, demoted or humiliated. This can work to a point but at a price: children who leave home are not likely to return home often, a student ends up hating the subject and the teacher, the abused spouse finally gets the courage to leave, and the stressed worker obviously is constantly looking for another job opportunity.

The inspirational route, without the fear factor, is far more demanding. Your child has the option of doing something that he or she knows is right or wrong. A student with an inspiring teacher will look forward to his/her classes and lessons, even when there might not have been time to prepare adequately every time. In a relationship people want to be with each other because it is inspiring. Yes, it works even in a marriage long-term. And it is possible to be excited to go to work when one knows that his or her effort is appreciated by the boss and coworkers as well.

Being a source of inspiration is not easy. One has to be loving, caring and understanding beyond the 'norm' and constantly make an effort. One has to be open to admit his own faults, yet show an enthusiastic desire to achieve a higher level in whatever the subject is. A child looks at the parent for an example, a student at the teacher for the same. A partner in a relationship may not always do the right thing to please the other, and everyone has their moods and weaknesses, yet knowing that one is always accepted as he or she is, means, without exception, harmony and lack of fear. At work one gives his best and utmost when the effort is genuinely appreciated, not just expected.

A smile goes a long way. I don’t mean the typical empty ‘look at my teeth’ smile most of us have been taught to show, but the often very subtle expression of acceptance, praise and even gratitude one can sense. Showing one’s teeth is a sign of hostility in our cousins the great apes, and I don’t think we would use that as a sign of lovability if we hadn’t been taught it as ‘proper’ behavior. Interestingly, new rules for the passports in EU countries require that person not show his or her teeth in the photo. Of course, whatever form the smile takes, even if it is invisible, it is usually easy for the recipient to understand. One can even smile with his/her eyes alone! All those years when I worked in orchestras, I can remember those conductors who in concerts made their musicians feel joyful and at ease, in spite of being very demanding in rehearsals, rightfully so, given the short preparation time. When a musician senses such approval instead of being faced with almost hateful glances, as if in 'you are making me look bad', not an uncommon approach, he or she tries differently: not just to play correctly but to play with the same kind inspiration the maestro has shown. Making one feel that we are in this together makes a world of difference! The same is true with teaching an instrument: mistakes don’t really matter, as the student knows where they happen, and the professor’s reinforcing the positive can produce miracles. Even criticism can be constructive and to be learned from, not just destructive as often is the case. None of us is perfect, and it is the teacher’s duty to point out where improvement is needed.

Granted, results can be achieved with both methods, but at the end you have a child, spouse, friend or a worker who is either burned out or happy with life. Having experienced both, I know what I would choose; pulling over on a narrow street to let another car through makes one feel a lot better than an episode of road rage.

Uncle Milton Once More

There were at least two wonderful and interesting obituaries of Milton Katims on the other side of the Atlantic, in the Guardian and the Telegraph. Both are worth reading and they talk about Milton's peaks and pitfalls in Seattle. A person may no longer be with us, but his words and music still live.

Here is a copy of a letter Milton wrote a year ago and wanted it published. Somehow it had accidentally disappeared from my blog. In the letter Milton explicitly defines the role of a concertmaster which may appear quite different from what one reads in the dailies. Milton was a musician and string player par excellence, and as such he surely knew what he was talking about.


May 6, 2005

Dear Margie & Ilka,

During the very early period of your problems with the [...] there was a good deal of newspaper coverage which I read with understandable interest. One particular aspect caught my attention, a point of view with which I disagree in no uncertain terms. I’m referring to the description of a concertmaster’s vital role as builder and molder of an orchestra’s character.

I thoroughly disagree! The concertmaster, in my opinion, plays an important, but secondary role. It is the conductor who wields the power and bears full responsibility for the shape and sound of an orchestra. It [is] the conductor’s musical concepts and his/her ability to translate those mental images so clearly into semaphoric signals with the baton that the members of the orchestra understand and produce the desired effect.

The concertmaster helps by providing a standard of string playing excellence, is capable of appearing as soloist with the orchestra, illustrating and clarifying where needed the conductor’s idea of a phrase, suggesting appropriate bowings, and with the help of the first oboe making sure that the orchestra is tunes before the conductor walks on-stage. Etc. Etc. Etc..

In my estimation you (Ilka) do fulfill the above description of the responsibilities of concertmaster of a first rate symphony orchestra. If I were the music director of such a group I would engage you. More — I cannot say.

With admiration

[Milton]

Milton Katims

Information Highway?

Americans are notoriously unaware of the rest of the world. Especially if one lives away from the coastline, news about anything outside of the country's borders seem unimportant. Yes, we talk about Iraq, Afganistan and now Iran, and we know that just about everything in a Wal-Mart comes from China. Our electronics are from Japan which also designs our favorite automobiles. Yet put Joe Shmo in front of a globe or a standard map and he will have difficulties in identifying these places without studying names of countries and cities carefully.

Time has come for this nation to take responsibility for the global mess we have helped to create. The warming climate is affecting us as well as others; the bird flu will reach us in no time. Gasoline is climbing in price but do we even know where the crude oil is coming from? That geography, ecology and world affairs are not taught in schools early on is inexcusable. Most of the news we read or watch seem centered in the U.S., and often only serve the interest of our government and politicians, plus, of course, big business.

Since the school system will not be changed overnight, what can we do to educate ourselves? By carefully selecting our sources of information is a good start. You cannot expect to learn the truth by watching Fox News, and even CNN no longer offers an unbiased view. Personally I turn to the internet and read what people in different countries think. We do get the New York Times, which is a pretty good newspaper, even if its tainted articles helped us to get into the frenzy of invading Iraq. Actually, I prefer that paper's and other publications' joint production the International Herald Tribune, which thankfully is available on the web. I used to get the print edition of the Christian Science Monitor but now subscribe to their online PDF version. This publication is probably the most neutral and best informed paper available in this country. It is rather small in size, so obviously it cannot cover many topics. They put out a marvelous email newsletter in which one can read opinions from leading papers of the world. The Los Angeles Times is also on my list: it has come a long way from the provincial paper it was when I first started reading it in the late sixties. The Guardian's newsletter gets read every day and I also try to read the Times from London. Perhaps my favorite news source is the BBC which has numerous sites serving different populations, such as Mundo for the Latin world (great for brushing up your Spanish!). Obviously I also carefully read Finland's leading daily, Helsingin Sanomat, for which I pay an online subscription. They also present news in English, although those understandably are centered around Finnish events.

For many years I was a loyal reader of the Economist which produces some wonderful and insightful articles. However, during Bill Clinton's troubled times, the magazine openly stated that he should resign. Since I felt it wasn't the publication's business to try to decide who would be in charge in the White House, I canceled my subscription. Too many other leaders, whether politicians or in other civic positions, not to mention in the business world, have had their own Monicas, and yet their authority hasn't been questioned, even if it should have. The Clintons were subjected to a witch hunt from the very beginning, something the Republican party should not be proud of. The Economist should have had the integrity to stay out of it all.

Journalism is close to my heart because so many relatives have been involved in it: my father, brother and eldest daughter in the immediate family. Each one of them have obeyed the highest principals and never written or broadcast propaganda to serve as mouthpieces of a few. Silja, my daughter, just won her second national PASS award in the magazine category. Last year she shared it with The New York and Los Angeles Times Magazines; this year she didn't have to.

Of course, every journalist has an editor whose duties are to check the facts and truthfulness of content before the story goes to print. This is to protect both the publication and the people the paper is writing about, and also the reader by providing the most reliable information possible. It is obvious that some publications want to have a slant to a story and some editors simply don't always do their job. Just re-read a case (scroll down to June 22, 2005) involving yours truly from a year ago. Some star journalists in even the top papers have been fabricating stories, such as was the case in the scandal with Jayson Blair and the New York Times. As Slate put it: "What can you say about a trusted professional who makes stuff up and publishes it as fact?" As readers, we have a right to expect to see the truth on the printed page of a paper we pay for. It is a sad fact that public's trust in the media has diminished year after year. Reader's Digest shouldn't have become Reader's Indigestion.

Long live hyperlinks! ¡Vivan los enlaces!

Blessing

Now that I'm back to teaching more than just a couple of students, as was the case when I simply didn't have the time or energy, I really enjoy the different ethnicities and cultures my students come from. Not only are the students themselves interesting, but getting to know their parents, often first generation immigrants to this country, is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the world. Since I was little, one of my main interests has been geography and all the different peoples of the globe. My collection of world atlases is probably better than that of any library, plus these days there are wonderful online mapping tools. Reading about ethnic groups is not the same as coming face to face and interacting with them. I hate to stereotype, but at least in this case the immigrants are usually better educated and more knowledgeable about the world than an average American. It gives me great pleasure to learn about their history, languages, customs and so on, and I tend to spend a good deal of time doing my 'homework', researching through my library and the web.

This country is a wonderful mix of people, although there has always been a lot of pressure to assimilate. Obviously, a grown man or woman is not going to be able to do that to the same extent as a child. Parents wanted their children to fit in, gave them American names and didn't want to pass on their native language. This was especially true in the earlier part of the 20th century. "John" would certainly not have been a choice for a son's name in the Pale: here it became very popular as it didn't carry the same label attached to it as 'Mordechai'. Often parents and their children grew so much apart that they couldn't even verbally communicate with each other well enough to remain close. Recently much of this has changed, and especially Latinos and people from different parts of Asia are proud of their heritage, and make sure their children have a tie to the old homeland. I personally could have done better: out of my four daughters only the eldest speaks Finnish completely fluently, the second one fairly well, but the two youngest only know words and phrases. At least they have visited in their second homeland often, and know the customs and understand the special qualities their people have.

What usually sets an immigrant student apart from an American is their work ethic and desire to learn and learn well. As classical music and playing the violin may not be part of their background, being at ease with our Western music can be in some ways be more difficult to them, but most of them overcome this in no time. As a teacher I feel more challenged but I simply love that. I just wish I could learn about their music and culture as much as they learn about ours. I'm doing my best and have always enjoyed listening to songs and other works from all over. Since early on, I was a short wave radio buff, and I would spend hours listening to faraway exotic radio stations. These days it is easy as you can hear them on a web stream, as clearly as your local stations.

This country has not always treated its immigrants, legal or illegal, very well. The Chinese were singled out for a long time: they couldn't become citizens or own property, although we had brought them here to build railroads as they were willing to work under conditions our own people wouldn't. The last couple of weeks have seen massive demonstrations against proposed legislation that would make criminals out of people here without legal documents. Yet, like the railroad builders, they work the jobs we wouldn't touch. Without them our economy would completely collapse, and it isn't doing so well at this point anyhow. People from the Middle East are treated with suspicion, even when they have been born here, and anyone dark-skinned is lumped easily in the same category. Many stories are simply heartbreaking, but it is not easy to find them in the media. If you have the time, read this article by my journalist daughter Silja, who has dedicated her life to writing about social injustice.

Our differences are our greatest blessing.

For the People, by the People

As the budgets of many arts organizations have increased year after year, more and more of them have had to either scale back operations or cease to exist. In the current climate of rising health and education costs, questionable future of pensions, Social Security and Medicare, the typical age group of potential donors is far more weary than a decade ago. Even the truly wealthy have their limits, and as I have written before, they would rather see their names on a building than be listed as donors for operating costs in a program book. If a landmark institution like the Metropolitan Opera has to tighten its belt, everyone else is in the same boat. Who can blame people for wanting to be careful in this restless world of ours? A ticket to hear an opera performance or a concert given by a major orchestra is expensive enough, especially if there is more than one person attending; thus the thought of having to give extra help to the organization to stay afloat may not sit well with many of us.

Every once in a while I end up going to hear a community orchestra, sometimes out of curiosity, having been asked to attend, or having a friend or family member playing as soloist. In an earlier blog entry (March 26, 2006) I divided orchestras into different categories, based on their importance, but left this important group of musicians purposely out of the story. Like their full-time professional counterparts, community orchestras can vary from excellent to awful. Most of them do fill their function rather well though. This last week I was pleasantly surprised by a local group which performed admirably. To most people in the near-capacity audience there would have been no difference between this orchestra and a professional one. Better yet: this was music for the people, by the people, performed by their family members, friends or neighbors. I paid close attention to the musicians. It seemed to me that all of them were truly enjoying their music-making, and they wanted to show their audience what they were able to accomplish. This was not playing by snobs, for the snobs: the unpaid musicians must really love what they do to give up so much of their time for this cause. Ticket prices were cheap, so an entire family could easily afford to come to listen; the percentage of young audience members was high. Four or five different live concerts a year is plenty enough for most friends of orchestral music. If they want more, it is all too easy to put on a cd or listen to a classical music on FM, cable, satellite or internet station. It would be difficult to explain to that audience why millions should be spent on something they get for practically free.

Of course I have a biased view in this matter. After all, I was playing in such an orchestra before my 6th birthday, as my father was the conductor. We had some excellent concerts as many of the principals came from the country's leading orchestras, such as the Helsinki Philharmonic and the Finnish Radio Orchestra, for the dress rehearsals and concerts, and the group itself had some amazingly talented instrumentalists, who had gone to other fields, as was the norm those days. Everyone got along famously, which in that one-company town meant people at the very top and your ordinary lowly workers. Music was what they had in common, and in that situation they were equals. Well, my native country changed, got rich, and soon such idealistic organizations were history. After my father retired from conducting his beloved orchestra, they folded in a couple years. Nothing nice and wonderful seems to last forever.

Obviously a ballet company cannot expect to find capable dancers in their community for free, and Wagnerian opera singers are not that common, either. Instrumentalists are plentiful, however, as so many excellent musicians have either switched careers or gone to a non-musical field to start with, knowing well what an unpleasantly difficult field being a professional musician is. If we encouraged these community orchestras and gave then more of our support, perhaps we wouldn't need all these regional expensive orchestras in every city and town. How about having up to ten truly great symphony orchestras in the entire country, and they would spend most of their time touring all over? It certainly would be more interesting to the listeners than seeing the same faces and hearing the very same music-making year after year, sometimes with no change for decades. Certainly an enormous amount of money would be saved, and some of it could be spent on bringing in interesting chamber music ensembles and recitalists. Isn't it a fact that many listeners go to an orchestra concert just to hear the soloist and then leave the hall before the Bruckner? Somewhere I remember seeing a string teacher show up with his more advanced students whenever there was a well-known fiddler playing a concerto, and carefully writing down bowings and even fingerings. After intermission they were never to be seen. Certainly this was a less expensive and more convenient an approach than taking lessons from the artist, or going to his/her masterclass. Had there been a video dvd of the piece by the same artist, the teacher and the students would have stayed home. I am in no way condemning this pedagogue's action: what better way to learn than to see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears. Great playing is worth a million words. I just don't think an entire program should have been put together by the orchestra just for this reason. This might have been a cheap lesson for these listeners in question, but at a great expense for a lot of others.

At What Price Freedom?

Passover is rapidly approaching. It is a proper time to examine the question of freedom, not only for the Jewish people but others as well. Freedom, unlike our present government likes to present it, means different things to different people. Recently, a surprised representative of our administration, Karen Hughes, was told by Saudi women that they do not desire American values: they are happy being whom they are. We all know that they cannot vote nor drive a car, but being protected and taken care of, like they are in that society, is a form of freedom our women can only dream of. I personally firmly believe that a good dictator is better for the majority of world's people than a lousy democracy. The emphasis here is on 'good' which unfortunately is rarely the case. However, history has numerous examples of good, even great kings and other rulers who were fair to their people and let their subjects live in harmony and peace. At the time when our country had slavery, not every slave-owner was an evil man: many actually took good care of these people at their mercy. We just don't often hear about them as good news has never made the headlines.

People in general fall into three categories: followers, leaders and free thinkers. Most of us obviously belong to the first group: even in the best functioning democracy an ordinary citizen has very little say as to how things are run. The larger the country, the more true this fact is. Perhaps in Iceland, with its 300,000 inhabitants, an individual vote is important; certainly more so than in the United States with a population a thousand times that. In a true democracy everyone's opinion is heard, but it also requires everyone's participation in decision making. For the followers, it is easier to delegate this power to others and then do as one is told. Those who crave to be in a leadership position, the reasons too rarely are what they should: being capable of improving lives of everyone, educate them and take care of their needs, to care about the environment, to promote peace over war. Most often greed and being power-hungry are the main factors behind their desires. As far as the free thinkers go, they are not usually well accepted by either of the other two groups: the followers don't understand them, and the leaders are afraid of them, as they are the best educated ones and possess superior intelligence and knowledge. It is no wonder that often they are targeted by the ruling class, and the followers that follow their orders. Just remember the Cultural Revolution in China, the atrocities in Cambodia, Uganda or Zimbabwe in recent history. The last on the list, Zimbabwe, former Southern Rhodesia, used to have a high standard of living for an African country, yet the news just a couple days ago told us about the shortest life expectancy in this world: all of 34 years for a woman.

The Biblical story of Moses leading the Hebrews from slavery to freedom is inspiring but also presents many questions. Surely the Hebrews could have assimilated better in Egypt and thus not have been threatened: after all, Joseph, a slave, had managed to rise to a seemingly impossibly important position in the Pharaoh's court. Of course, being submissive would have meant giving up their own special identity, at least to a degree. Moses and his people had to pay a price for their freedom: the biblical story tells about wandering in the desert for forty years. Since anyone knowing geography realizes there is not that much desert to wander in, unless the Hebrews decided to go sightseeing in the Arabian peninsula, the only explanation is that the people did not know what to do with their their new freedom and lived in chaos for a long time. Doesn't this resemble the situation in Iraq today? Granted, there were no plastic explosives, car bombs or even guns then, but these are not the only manifestations of a chaotic society. Without our present government's invasion of Iraq, life in that country would probably have continued in relative calm. Granted, their leader was a tyrant who was responsible for a large number of deaths. However, whom do we hold responsible for the casualties, both Iraqi and our own, that resulted from the invasion and the mayhem that has followed and which seems unstoppable? A hero today, a villain tomorrow: it all depends how matters turn out. Of recent history's despots, Mao had the largest number of his own people killed, followed by Stalin, yet both are thought of as great leaders by many. The Pharaoh probably listened to his advisers, Hitler to his (although we like to blame him as the sole architect of the Holocaust). It is naive to think that our president alone was behind the idea of the Iraqi war; nor was the decision to drop the two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki the brainchild of then-president Harry Truman.

In my life, I am presently enjoying the first real time of freedom from slavery of any kind. I am in a position to make a positive difference in lives of quite a few young people, something I truly treasure, instead of being a mere entertainer. Of course, like in the Passover story, this freedom has come with a price. For example, there are a few people in this, sometimes very provincial, town who are seemingly upset by my writing this blog, keeping an online diary of my thoughts, thus exercising my rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. Spreading lies in the press or blacklisting a family member hardly comes as any surprise. Of course, even this chaos will come to pass eventually, just as the Hebrews reached their promised land.

Happy Pesach and Easter! May you all learn to be free and enjoy life.

Age discrimination

Although many laws have been enacted to prohibit discrimination based on age, protecting those over 40, in practice violations happen every day. There was once a time when old age was respected and revered. Younger adults were considered too inexperienced for any leadership position, as those were reserved for the learned. This is still a case in much of the world. I remember a story an old musician friend told me many years ago. He had visited China, soon after it became possible again, and someone had politely asked him his age. He said, jokingly, that he was a hundred years old. His hosts took this literally and seriously, and from that time on people came to see him and bow down to show their respect for the old wise one. He couldn't retract his words as it would have been an insult to lie. All elders were taken good care of by their families and the society itself. How wonderful that sounds compared to our tendency of sending an aging family member to a home and telling ourselves that he/she is cared for, so our conscience could be clear.

The purpose of my writing is to talk about a slightly younger group of people, those that cannot pretend to be twenty- or thirty-year-olds, but who might be in the prime of their lives, creative and with all the wisdom they have managed to collect. This society of ours often thinks of youth as their idols and heroes. Granted, a young person can run faster, can have more nimble fingers and many young bodies, if well kept, please more people looking for 'eye-candy' than those a couple decades or more older. But where is the wisdom, the experience and the know-how that can only come from having lived through life, with its difficulties and also pleasures? Of course, we all age very differently: Altzheimers can strike a person of 40 and there are others who also have less and less to give as they grow older. In the arts, such as music, there are instrumentalists, and even conductors, who are truly 'geriatric' before they have reached 60, with no creative spark left. Yet others are just starting to bloom, once the highly competitive 40s and early 50s are past. It is incredibly hurtful to hear a self-made expert call a wonderful violinist a 'hack', 'past his prime' or 'uninteresting', just because he is no longer young. Of course an age comes when an instrumentalist cannot control the movements of his fingers quite as well as before, but even then he or she should not be forced to disappear into retirement and oblivion. These people should be our greatest teachers and sources of inspiration! They are the ones who relay messages from bygone era, from their own teachers.

While in my early teens, I showed up at the door of a famous French pedagogue while visiting Paris. He had previously written to me that he was too old to teach any longer but I tried my luck. At first the old frail man in his 80s was angry but then asked me to take my violin out and proceeded to give me an incredible lesson. I learned more during those two hours than from someone else in a year. He wouldn't accept any money, and once I returned to Finland I sent a pair of old-fashioned black shoes that went over the ankle (my teacher in Helsinki knew what style and size!). I got the sweetest thank-you letter as reply.

It is amazing to hear from a number of people, in the arts in particular, who have been deeply wounded by age discrimination. For instance, somewhere in this country I bumped into a singer who had been dismissed from his opera company. His voice was 'showing his age', he was told. Yet he said that after his last role, European guest artists had praised him for his youthful voice, supposedly in front of his former employer. There are many instrumentalists with similar stories who have confided in me. Perhaps the person guilty of such cruel demeanor should take a good look in the mirror and realize that possibly the wrong individual was forced to retire. Naturally everyone who feels they have been discriminated against, whether the cause being age or AIDS, could fight it in the court system, but most of these victims are too emotionally injured to pursue this course of action, and it can become awfully costly. Public, of course, should often be enraged, but in most instances they are kept in the dark by a cozy arrangement between the media and the perpetrators. Much hasn't changed in this area since the overly friendly relationships between the mafia and the police many decades ago.

Those of us who have watched the documentary on the incredible Cuban 'Buena Vista Social Club' and listened to their music, realize that none of that fabulous music-making would have been possible with younger singers and instrumentalists. Now, just a few years since the filming, many of these fantastic artists are gone. Respect age and rush to hear and see performers who are in their upper years, as soon they may not be with us any longer! On the other hand, the little, cute sex-kitten might have turned into an old hag in the meantime, and if there was little substance to start with, there isn't going to be anything left when the youthful looks are gone.

Autopsy Results

The human tragedy behind any orchestra collapsing is more than just your ordinary loss of a job. In any other field you just look around and find another place of employment, but not so in music. Take your typical symphony orchestra and try to figure out how many of their musicians in reality could find a similar job in an increasingly competitive situation. An individual might have earned his/her position years ago, but sooner or later the 'orchestra syndrome' would have set in and in most cases this person's playing would have become less accurate and controlled than before (see my blog entry on May 29, 2005). The percentage of success might be in single digits, and I would be surprised if it exceeded 20%. In addition, many have families and it is not easy or possible to uproot. In the Northwest Chamber Orchestra's case, most members were covered under the local ballet company's health plan, but not all. My heart goes out to those individuals who were relying on those benefits, some even with little children.

It is interesting that just a few weeks before declaring bankrupty, the side of NWCO's board that ended up losing in the battle of control, were trying to coerce the organization into hiring a new Southern California-based executive director, with very limited managerial experience, at an expense of over $80k per year. When this faction lost, they used the old 'burnt ground' tactic. Knowing that they were defeated, the Third Reich leveled Warsaw, and Paris almost met with the same fate. It is hard to imagine that these people, well aware of the orchestra's financial situation, were ready to increase expenses and just a bit later the organization folded.

Mr. Gothóni might have been too cosmopolitan for Seattle with his musical ideas. After all, no other person here has been in such worldwide demand, from China to Africa. Tastes vary, and unfortunately this town still prefers the Pachelbel Canon, the Four Seasons, the Nutcracker and the likes. A person says: 'I know what I like.' The correct interpretation of this is: 'I like what I know.' The person behind impulsively hiring Mr. Gothóni five years ago should have been well aware of the inherent challenges and complexities of this arrangement. Of course, some people wisely wanted to keep a relationship with Joseph Silverstein, a legend in the American music scene, as he knew how to better appeal to the ordinary audience members' taste. In hindsight one might ask: would the NWCO have suffered the same fate, if Mr. Silverstein had been appointed music director and Ralf Gothóni appeared as a frequent guest?

There is a good story on the web in 'Adaptistration' titled 'Throwing in The Towel' , by Drew McManus, about this subject. Of course, it would be too much to expect an unbiased perspective from the local dailies. I haven't read them in years, but it has been brought to my attention that one on-off-on-again music 'cricket', close friends with a former, dismissed executive director of the organization, has written outright inflammatory articles on the issue. What the paper didn't print, however, was a 'this-says-it-all' email from Mr. Gothóni, sent on March 20th 2006:

Thank you for giving space for the bankruptcy information of the NWCO on March 17th.

If your paper would have given once a while the same space the concert reviews and interviews, this lovely chamber orchestra might have gotten more audience and maybe even survived.

Ralf Gothóni

Preliminary autopsy results thus show the cause of death to be homicide.

Short Lists

Although the news about James Levine’s most unfortunate fall on stage was a terrible shock, at the same time it has given a golden opportunity for deserving conductors to become better known and create a stepping stone to stardom in the orchestra scene. As it is no secret, Mr. Levine’s schedule with the BSO and the Met is very busy and we are not talking about getting replacements for a few concerts and opera performances but a large number of them. It is interesting to see who has made the ‘short list’ of these famous institutions, as it is a kind of ‘Who’s Who’ of today’s conductors of interest. Obviously the music directors of the Big Six (yes, Los Angeles has to be included), what I call the ‘A’ group, don’t need additional exposure and have their schedules fully booked for years. Group ‘B’ consists of orchestras that are not quite as important, but nevertheless have a global presence because of frequent touring and general excellence. Most conductors of these orchestras would consider an invitation to come to Boston an honor. We also have groups ‘C’ and ‘D’, both strictly regional orchestras that seldom venture outside their home turf. The difference between the two is that musicians in the first make living wages, whereas in the second one they have to supplement their income with teaching or doing something else, perhaps outside the world of music. In truth, a number of the leaders of these groups are talented and promising, but one is not likely to see many names appear on a short list of an ‘A’ organization. Although most of them have had an opportunity to direct such an orchestra, often as a result of sudden cancellation, only some have been invited back. Competition from overseas is also fierce, and traditionally American orchestras have had a very high percentage of foreign maestri. One of the reasons may be the fact that when a person feels insecure about speaking a foreign language, they tend to talk less and often give the impression of being wiser and more knowledgeable that if they were completely fluent. Music doesn’t require a lot of talking, and a diarrhea of the mouth certainly ruins it instantly. – May Mr. Levine recuperate soon and stay in better health.

Another heavyweight, in more ways than one, Sarah Caldwell passed away a few days ago. She was one of the most illustrious characters of the American music scene. The New York Times wrote a fascinating obituary of her, telling about her life and career as it really was. Not only was Ms. Caldwell the first American woman conductor to become truly famous, she also was, as Andrew Porter put it, "the single best thing about opera in America." Few if any people in today’s opera world would have the guts and the talent this musical giant possessed.

Opium to the People

All the lives lost and money spent on liberating Afghanistan has seemingly gone to waste, as far as democracy and human rights go. It is terrifying to read news about a convert to Christianity being on trial for that and facing a probable death penalty for giving up Islam. What has happened to the religion that saved the Western civilization a thousand years ago with its tolerance? Since all the monotheistic religions supposedly believe in one God and share a common foundation, wouldn’t it be a given our Almighty would be the same, no matter under what tradition the worship happens? After all, an Arab calls God ‘Allah’, even if he or she happens to be Christian or even Jewish. Instead of our country’s pushing for American-style democracy, we should insist on mutual tolerance and same respect for human rights everywhere. American values will never be accepted by most other cultures and for a reason. Can you, for instance, expect the Iraqi people be enthusiastic about private health insurance or having to pay fortunes for an education? But we could by our own example, show that different cultures and religions are able to coexist. Unfortunately, this country is not doing a very good job at it. However, we are not likely to execute someone for his beliefs, although a crazed intolerant fundamentalist might go after the life of someone else whose different values irritate him to no end. Intolerance, whether religious, political, racial or socioeconomic, is truly criminal and should be treated as such by law. We should all get along, even in the workplace.

A few days ago I was reading the Guardian and on the front page was a story on the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leader of the Anglican Church, who insisted that schools must not teach history and science based on the stories in the Bible. In other words, he strictly opposes the teaching of Creationism. Here is a very religious man, an intelligent believer, who has the courage to say that our Holy Book is not to be taken literally. Kansas could use a leading figure like that! He reminded me of my first and second grade teacher in Finland (we start a year later there). She was a true believer: looking into her eyes was like seeing peace and infinite wisdom; but she insisted that God was the same for everyone in the world. Religion was (and still is) a mandatory subject in school. These days every student has the right of getting educated in it according to his or her beliefs, or if desired, in philosophy. Having read through the Old Testament when I was just seven, I remember asking her about the obvious contradiction in Genesis regarding the creation of the world. Her reply was the wisest I have ever come across: to God a day can be a million of our years. No wonder I stayed close friends with her until she passed away well over 30 years later, and I still feel her presence in my heart.

Love of fellow man and tolerance of others that are different are by many considered to be signs of weakness. I beg to differ. The real weaklings are the pitiful people who cannot see the big picture of life, and resort to threats and destruction in order to advance their own point of view, or to strengthen their seemingly all-important position in society, politics, corporation, organization or even family. God have mercy on them, although I have a difficult time seeing how they would deserve it.

Another Obituary

The past year and half has not been very kind to us as far as deaths are concerned. My wife lost her mother in an accident and just recently her dearest sister to cancer. Many of my beloved friends and colleagues have died: in addition to Hermann Michael and Milton Katims, a longtime friend, violinist-turned-diplomat Edgar Borup passed away last summer in Bellevue. I had known him since he was the U.S. Cultural Attaché in Helsinki around 1970. Later we found ourselves living here in the Pacific Northwest and were able to renew our friendship again.

Another plug was pulled last night when the board of my wife's Northwest Chamber Orchestra voted to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 7, right before two planned tours to Michigan and Finland. After 33 years of bringing beautiful music to the Seattle community the group has had its financial ups and downs, but this time it fell victim to a certain clique's ill will. Although the orchestra's main fundraiser just a couple weeks ago was well attended, a lot of wines and other items to be auctioned off were withdrawn last minute, thanks to outside interference and the proceeds did not meet expectations. Even an article with a negative spin was planted in one of the dailies just prior to the event. Obviously the orchestra had been a thorn on the side of certain local influential folks and they had done their best to set the organization up for failure. Some sizable pledges given were not honored, although this would have been pocket change for the 'philanthropic' individuals. Others who wanted to be in charge of running the ship were not willing to donate a dime. Some terrible miscalculations were made a number of times, whether artistic or administrative. This group, unlike most others of its kind, provided health and other benefits to the core musicians, so the innocents will suffer once again.

Seattle is a progressive community in many areas, but also hopelessly provincial. Neither the Sante Fe nor Seattle International Music Festivals could last in this environment. The classical music scene in town seems to be governed by two 'mafias', one hiding behind a religious-cultural shield, and the other being a sexual minority club. Corruption and greed for power are prevailing dark forces once again.

With hundreds of emails in my wife's prossession, the true story will make a fascinating read one day.

Haman

Today marks Purim, which commemorates the victory of the Persian Jews over the evil vizir Haman, who wanted to have all the Hebrews killed but ended up being hanged himself. Of course this wouldn't have been possible without the intervention of a beautiful woman, Queen Esther. We all have known a Haman or two, perhaps even many, and secretly wish a similar fate will be awaiting them. These Hamans are in a leadership positions like the famous one, whether in government or in a company or organization. The festival itself is a merry one, belonging to the "they wanted to kill us; we won; let's eat" category. The old story is acted out by "Purim Shpielers". Perhaps I ought to participate as such, to witness the victory of good over evil. In any case, Hamentaschen or Haman's Pockets taste delicious. My daughter Anna baked a wonderful batch and a student brought over more. Interestingly, in Israel, a three-day festival called Adloyada is celebrated. The name means "until he did not know". It must have been invented by early politicians, since the idea is to eat and drink so much that at the end you cannot tell the difference between Haman the criminal and Mordecai, Esther's uncle and the good guy.

Spring seems to be arriving in Seattle, although some days have been surprisingly reminescent of winter, with strong, cold winds and even a dusting of snow. However, our Sun is at its closest to Earth at this time of the year and one feels its powerful warmth whenever the skies are clear. Many allergic people are suffering from all the pollen in the air but the blossoms are a beautiful sight, not to mention the new leaves which are uniquely "baby green" in color. A walk in a forest or park can do wonders to one's mental state. Spring break is almost here and I can hardly wait for my college junior to come home for almost two weeks. Hopefully she'll take care that her old man gets a hike of a few miles done on a regular basis.

Two days ago maestro Milton Katims was remembered in one of the most wonderful memorials I can recall, in Meany Hall at UW. Pianists Bela Siki and Robin McCabe played, as did my wife and I, accompanied by a quartet from NWCO, with the help of a senior student of mine from Seattle Pacific University. At the end there was a fabulous video presentation of this great man's life. We felt very honored to be part of this occasion. A lot of people showed up, but almost more noticable was the absence of the ones who should have been there but opted not to come, from certain organizations which more or less owe their existence to Milton. After all, he was the force behind Seattle getting their Opera House which became the main venue for these groups to perform and grow. One doesn't need to agree with everything a person did or said, but one has to be able to to give credit where credit is due. Ingratitute is the way of the world. Enough said.

Last week brought sad news from my home in Finland: it is basically a one-company town and that company, the world's largest maker of magazine-quality paper, decided to eliminate thousands of jobs and move them elsewhere where people will work for much less and trees grow faster. Naturally, the company's stock price went up sharply. This is so typical to todays's world and global economy: to benefit a few, far more many have to suffer. Although people there will be protected much better than in this system and the place will not become another Flint, Michigan, it will still negatively affect the lives of everyone there, from subcontractors to businesses and lowered real estate values. Managements seldom have a heart and those in charge only think of themselves.

Time to take out Purim's noise makers and protest. I just passed a car with a bumper sticker that stated "Stop bitching - start a revolution". Wish it were that easy.