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.

Milton Katims 1909-2006

It was sad but not unexpected to receive a phone call today about our dear friend Milton Katims having passed away. My wife had talked to him just recently on the phone and between bites of food he commented that old age had finally caught up with him. We went to visit him five days ago but he was in deep sleep and neither of us had the heart to awaken him. We just spent a good amount of time watching him, guessing that this might be the last time we would see him. Having been born as a preemie, weighing only three pounds at birth, he again resembled a helpless baby. Life is indeed a circle.

What an amazing man and an artist Milton was. I had heard recordings of his playing since my childhood and automatically placed him in the class of William Primrose. During our years in Seattle we became friends and always admired his knowledge of music, intellect and marvelous sense of humor. In spite of being well into his 90s, his mind was still razor sharp and he could tell an endless amount of fascinating stories. Exactly a year ago the Northwest Chamber Orchestra had honored him during Bacchanalia, their yearly fundraising auction. We sat at the same table and watched him absolutely glow from the attention he was getting. Recently we viewed a video taken at a home concert on Mother’s Day in 1992 where he and my then-pregnant wife were playing duos for violin and viola. Even in his eighties his fingers were moving at an amazing speed and accuracy and his immaculate musicianship was present constantly. The surroundings both made him relax and inspired, as his living room was filled with friends and admirers.

We have an old book titled ‘Living Musicians’ printed in 1940, and Milton is featured in it as a young but already very accomplished violist and conductor. He worked closely with Toscanini and he relished opportunities to reminisce about these experiences. Seattle was fortunate to have had him as their orchestra’s music director for many years. Naturally, in such a situation one makes both friends and foes, and not everyone showed him the respect and admiration he well deserved after returning here in later years. I remember a time when I had to help Milton to have backstage access when some eager managerial person wouldn’t allow him through, as his name wasn’t on the ‘guest list’. Even in post 9-11 atmosphere I doubt the old maestro posed much of a security risk.

On a personal note, I shall never forget all the genuine support Milton gave me during my difficult period in this town. He will always live in my heart as a tremendous source of inspiration and courage, and as an example of the kind of person a great artist and musician should be.

Milton, you will be missed but never forgotten.

Does size matter?

No, this is not a study about sexual satisfaction, but rather some thoughts about human nature and physical size.

It is obvious that being much taller than average makes one stand out in a crowd, literally. Most men are not bothered by it, certainly not if they play basketball, but many women find themselves feeling akward. No high heels there! In musicians, tall people often gravitate towards certain instruments, such as the cello and double bass, where their size actually makes it easier to play the instrument in question. I remember a cellist who could pick up his instrument and play it like the violin! Pianists probably benefit from large hands, long limbs and easier reach in general. For the violin, however, tallness often makes a person seem like he is playing a toy instrument and as a general rule, short people have fared better. For young soloist-wannabees, it is easier to pass as a wunderkind, who is a lot younger than in reality, for years longer if one's height supports this assumption.

People either prefer to get attention or not to. Being of short stature is difficult for many as they feel they won't be noticed well enough. We often talk about the Napoleon complex. I am, of course, not talking about true midgets, who will get extra attention whether they like it or not, but men and women who are considerably shorter than the average. While I have dearly loved some people belonging to this category, even some of them have developed a personality that could be described as abrasive or at least attention demanding. Some of the 'little people' have been the closest people to me. Then there are those who are outright nasty and odious people. A skunk is not a large animal, yet other creatures, no matter how big and ferocious, stay away from one. Of course, human skunks exist in all sizes and shapes, but a a disproportionate number of them are in the short-people group.

Other than Napoleon or Alexander the Great, a lot of 'little' people have done well because they have deserved it. The first time I met Barbara Streisand in a school PTA event in Malibu, I was amazed at how petite she was. Yet on screen she becomes larger than life; same is true when you hear her recordings. It is the people who are little and have little to give the society that are the problematic ones. Screaming and acting out get attention: every baby knows it instinctively. I know people who are truly scared to have a tiny woman throwing a tantrum in front of them. Something in their brain tells them it wouldn't be proper and fair to answer her back in the same manner, although they would have no problem with someone their own size. Short men can be even worse as society expects women to be smaller to start with. Women also can wear enormously high heels and platforms which some find helpful, even if they have to visit a podiatrist regularly later in life as a result, but men really don't have this option to the same extent. By instinct, I prefer to stay away from a small person with a big ego if I can avoid it. There is no real logic to this, of course, but reality has taught me otherwise. Some of the most poisonous substances come in small packages, human capsules of cyanide.

If only people could learn to accept themselves as they were created. My first serious girlfriend was barely 5 feet tall and I still am very fond of her and stay in touch, more than four decades later. But even she had a serious complex about her height, manifestations of which probably drove us apart in our early youth. Is there a lesson in all of this? If a person, no matter what size, seems kind and friendly and continues to do so, she/he probably is. Otherwise, watch out.

Gratitude

Waking up early on New Year's Day was an interesting and sobering event. The night before my 18-year-old pride and joy said that this had been the best holiday time in her life. From a person of such age that is quite a compliment. Adding to that the incredibly nice and sweet holiday cards and thoughtful presents from students made me realize that I had excelled in the two things most meaningful in my life, raising children and teaching. It was nice to feel so happy, especially with my soulmate sleeping next to me. I may have had some hard times, most of them caused by abusive people, but what do they amount to compared with all that genuine love surrounding me. I realized that a long nightmare was over. One of the great mistakes of my life was what I had done as profession for so long. That job is far better suited for a person without a heart or intellect; often completely meaningless work, which I'll elaborate on more at a later date. The Guardian wrote some excellent articles on this matter recently.

Looking at my partner for over a quarter of century I realized how fortunate I have been. There is no need to chisel away all the plastered make-up to see what she really is like; neither do I have to put up with a woman who chooses to look or act like a Stepford Wife. How many of us are able to finish each other's sentences every time, or throroughly enjoy disagreeing and agreeing with each other the same? Not only is my wife one of the finest violinists and musicians anywhere, more importantly she is one of the greatest human beings I've ever met and known, honest and compassionate. I pity men who are stuck with nasty and toxic women; or perhaps they deserve them.

People don't seem to understand how it is possible that one is so fortunate with children as I have been. What is the magic of bringing them up? The secret: let them be in charge of their own upbringing; tell them if and where they have erred and encourage them to find their own path in life. None of my daughters has ever been punished: if they have done something wrong, they have known it and made sure on their own that it didn't happen again. Young people have an excellent sense of what's right and what's wrong. The motivation to do something right shouldn't happen out of fear of being punished but from reasons of conscience and moral values. At an age when most young adults want to get as far as possible from their parents and barely keep it touch, unless money is needed, it may seem odd to many that a strikingly beautiful and independent young lady chooses to drive home often weekly and call her dad daily, just to check. The children were never pressured to choose a career: they have done great choosing on their own. So many parents force their offsprings to follow in their footsteps, perhaps hoping that the children will do better than they themselves, be that in music, business or whatever field. Granted, my kids have attended a lot of concerts but it has been out of their own choice, not having been forced to show up like trained animals. Perhaps they'll end up genuinely loving music as well as other forms of art.

As far as those couples go who have chosen not to have children, having dogs or cats is not the same as little human beings, no matter how this matter is argued. A retriever may look at you as if you are a god or goddess, but a child will test your love and often put up a fight. Granted, parenthood is not for everyone, but too often people just want to care about themselves and not others. Selfishness and a family don't mix. Thinking of others before yourself is something many of us are incapable or reluctant of doing.

A little more than a month ago there was an interesting special on television with Barbara Walters regarding different religions and their beliefs in afterlife. Most of the people interviewed were incapable of thinking outside of their box. Outright frightening was a would-be suicide bomber who didn't care for martyrdom or the promised virgins: he just wanted to kill Jews. Kind of sad was the Catholic clergyman who said that when his body is finally risen, he hopes he'll have a head full of hair again. Had Ms. Walters been a Muslim, there would be handsome and pleasant young men waiting for her in their paradise, just as men have their young virgins. Hands down the most interesting and sensible person interviewed was the Dalai Lama. He was incredibly charming, to the point that Ms. Walters asked if His Holiness wouldn't mind if she kissed him on the cheek. He chuckled and after the kiss he showed how the Maoris do the same thing in New Zealand by rubbing noses. I'm presently reading his book "The Compassionate Life." There is true humanity in the world after all, although much of the time one wonders if that is the case.

La-la-land

Los Angeles, although not my favorite place to live in, has for almost forty years had a special place in my life. It was there in 1967 that I started my American experience and moved back there with my family from Scandinavia a decade later. I still have a daughter living there with her family, working as a geriatrist at UCLA. My first grandchild will be having her first birthday celebration next month.

A home for many famous and excellent musicians, L.A. never was known for having an important musical life as far as orchestras and opera were concerned. Most of the talent were busy working for in the studio scene. Decades ago, movie scores were demanding and difficult; much of the great American composing happened there. Of course, much of that is history today, as soundtracks have become more like sound effects and have lost their importance as an art form. The Philharmonic in that city was never considered a 'serious' first class orchestra. Many of their musicians were all too happy to augment their income in the studios. I can remember a principal string player doing a double session at Warner Bros. on a day when he was featured as the soloist of his orchestra the same night. One of the violinists carrying a 'concertmaster' title called in sick for a rehearsal, just to show up in the same building, and at the same time, to play the Academy Awards. That is how seriously people took the orchestra.

Things have changed a lot in recent years, however. There is an excellent long article in last Sunday's New York Times, titled 'Continental Shift'. In it, Allan Kozinn writes that the L.A. Philharmonic "tops the list of America's premier orchestras and serves as a lesson in how to update an august cultural institution without cheapening its work." There are two reasons that I can think of: the orchestra got rid of some of its less capable musicians, either through retirement or other means, and hired a new Music Director, a fellow Finn Esa-Pekka Salonen. Having a great new hall doesn't hurt either, but the orchestra was rapidly improving before they moved to their new home.

This conductor is an interesting case. Back in Finland years ago, he wasn't #1 on the list of local favorites. Then came a sensational London breakthrough as a last-minute substitute and the rest is history. Of course, now my country treats him as their hero and most of the 'great promises' from time before there have faded to the background. Of course this is typical to the human nature: no one is a prophet in his own land, at least to start with. Interestingly, to quote the article, "One reason Mr. Salonen stands out among this country's music directors is that he never wanted to be one. His first love was, and is, composition; he studied conducting during his student years at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, mainly so he could lead performances with Ears Open, an avant-garde collective." This is almost never the situation in this country: often serious musician-conductors shy away from such positions, and they are taken by people by people that like to be in control, whether they are good conductors or not.

Of course there are a lot of people who don't agree with the claim that our musical capital has moved to Los Angeles, but one has to admire all the development in Smogville. As the city's population structure is moving away from being white-dominated, one would expect classical music becoming an endangered spieces, much like in San Diego, just a two-hour drive south. But the opposite seems to have happened, and not only is the orchestra doing well, so is the local opera company.

Next time I fly down to see my family, I just might go to a concert, something I don't normally like to do.

Lessons in Water

Having come from a society which takes great pride in education, the American system continues to puzzle me. This country has free public schools, yet so many parents opt to send their children to costly private ones, although there is no proof that the education the students are getting is any better in the latter. My home country simply doesn't have the private option, or it is so limited that the total of those schools numbers just a few. The same is true with universities. Not only is the tuition (or rather registration fee) ridiculously low, students get a monthly stipend from the system to cover their living expenses.

Likewise, music education differs vastly. The country is full of government-supported music schools where teachers get paid a good salary, with all the usual perks such as long paid summer vacations and year-long maternity leaves. Yet students (who are chosen by auditions) pay only a small tuition, but have to play regularly for juries, to make sure they are working hard and making progress. Instrumental instuction has no place in universities; conservatories are there for that. Private teaching hardly exists as there is no need for it. The country's population is only slightly more than a half of New Jersey's, yet it produces an incredible number of world class musicians: conductors, instrumentalists, singers and composers, making the Garden State look like Afganistan in comparison. - Yale received a lot of publicity recently because of a gigantic anonymous donation to their Music School and news agencies were busy telling the country that there would be no more tuition for their music students. A new Curtis had been created, it was said. However, this was too good to be true: at least one student parent of mine was told the free tuition only applied to graduate students. Yes, it is free after the first $150,000.

I have never been able to figure out where a normal family with more than one child can come up with all the expenses of a college education, whether in 'ordinary' academics, sciences, medicine or the arts. Somehow I have managed to have done my share, only the youngest of my four daughters has college in front of her. None of them needed any guidance as to what to do: my 18-year-old found out on her own about this state's Running Start program and did her two first years of college for free while others were still wasting there time in regular high school. Her remaining tuition was paid in advance with the state's GET program, in fact she'll be using only have of the money during the two years at WWU in Bellingham. She instantly figured out that all schools are ripping students (or rather parents) off with enormously high room and board expenses and decided well in advance to rent a place with a girlfriend for much less money and far better privacy and space. The two older siblings both graduated a year early each and both have excelled in their fields: one has won numerous prestigious awards as a journalist and the other one has been hired as a staff doctor in geriatrics at UCLA.

Just the other day I was reading a Scientific American from a couple of years ago. In it was an article comparing bottled water with ordinary tap water. It is possible to spend 7,500 times more for a bottled product than what an equal amount of tap water costs. Yet in blind tests nobody preferred the expensive product. In a California restaurant with a hidden camera, bottles were filled from a hose in the back yard. They were labeled with foreign labels such as 'Faucet Water' in French and 'Water for an Ass' in Spanish; diners happily paid $7 per bottle and praised the product. In truth bottled water can be far worse than what you get from tap: a higher percentage has harmful bacteria and other residue in bottles. A municipal water system is carefully monitored; bottle the stuff and those restrictions disappear. It is all in the consumer's mind: if something costs more, it obviously has to be better than a cheaper or free product.

This brings me to the price of private music lessons. There are teachers who are charging an arm and a leg for their time, obviously claiming to be worth the money. Granted, there are better teachers and not-so-good ones. But is someone charging $120 per hour really twice as good as another with a $60 fee? Is your child making progress at twice the speed and becoming that much better a musician, or are you just being ripped off? What about someone in New York whose rates may exceed $300? Obviously, if the parent has money to burn, the price of a music lesson doesn't matter, but there are a lot of talented youngsters whose families are on a strict budget. Personally I feel that the more advanced the student is, the responsibility and demands on the teacher are higher and the fee should be adjusted accordingly, especially if the teacher has to be able to show how a passage or a phrase should sound. After all, an example is worth a thousand words. And obviously, the length of a lesson should vary based on the skill level: in what seems like an eternity to a beginner, the advanced young artist is just getting warmed up.

The Northern European system is perhaps like tap water: clean, tasty (especially if you use your Britta to filter out the chlorine) and inexpensive. We are obviously more attracted to Evian, but ought to once in a while read the label backwards.

Empty promises

It seems to me that there is no honor in truth and keeping promises these days. Lying is not only accepted; it has become our national pastime. When was the last time a politician was behind his words, promises and accusations? From invented WMDs to manufactured Al-Qaida-Iraq links everything had been forgiven and forgotten. It is not long ago when rebuilding New Orleans was supposedly made a priority in our country: is there anything concrete happening down there or have the people and the city just been erased from our memories?

In the same league are rich people who have made pledges to non-profits, whether for humanitarian aid or to keep an arts organization running, and then conveniently choose to ignore them, for reasons only clear to themselves. If someone's finances have taken a turn for the worse, such actions would be understandable, but not in a case where the would-be-donor is swimming in wealth. Are such pledges worth no more than marriage vows that few couples seem to take seriously any longer?

There have been times and places where a verbal agreement has been worth as much as a written contract. An example would be the diamond merchants in Manhattan. Unfortunately, our society is moving away from that tradition with an increasing speed. Even in families and close relationships promises are expected taken with a few grains of salt. Wouldn't it be nice if we all stuck to we had agreed on? Whom can we trust any more?

In a previous post I mentioned the Audubon Quartet. Quite a few people have since pointed out that in their opinion the faulty party isn't necessarily the one victorious in the courts. This may well be the case, but whatever the reasons behind this costly and ghastly breakup, it should have been taken care of in a civilized manner. Even a divorce can be almost painless and done without the expense of lawyers (oh, would they hate that!); so why couldn't the same be true with an unhappy chamber music group? This ought to be possible similarly with any breakup, personal or job related. It is sad that more often than not you have a party (or two) who just want to destroy each others lives, and fatten the bank accounts of their attorneys. There is so much evil amongst us, and an equal amount of parasitic people who love to benefit from the hate and destruction.

Happy holidays.

Leggo My Ego

Reading about the Audubon Quartet's legal battle is both unbelievable and frightening. Common sense would dictate that if four people don't enjoy playing together and don't get along, the group splits, or at least the person who seems to be the culprit, whether true or not, will leave on his own. But because of an inflated ego, the fact that a lawsuit dragged on until remaining musicians had to declare bankruptcy, lose their home and worse yet, their instruments, is beyond belief. Everyone is ending up a loser, other than the lawyers who have laughed all the way to the bank. The 'winner' of the legal battle will not have too many supporters and I doubt fellow musicians are lining up to play chamber music with him in the near future.

Classical music is such a limited field, that making it difficult or impossible for someone to work and earn a livelihood, because of hurt feelings or whatever, is a severe blow in most cases. In many other professions one just looks for other employment in town and life goes on. Yet there are enough narcissistic and psychopathic musicians who are more than willing to do anything to destroy a colleague's life. I have enough examples that have touched my life, and stories told by others are plentiful. For example, a couple tried to prevent a fellow musician from getting work, using their connections in the media to humiliate the individual. In this case the attempt backfired and the culprits had to pack up and leave town in a hurry. The harassed musician is still employed, and the case ended as it should have.

Of course this kind of behavior is not only happening in the arts. Just remember the McCarthy era: my extended family had members who lost their important and lucrative positions, just because they were labeled 'communists', often for refusing to turn in names of their friends and colleagues. Blacklisting is a terrible thing and should be outlawed, and those guilty of it punished by law. In this country one is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, but in truth it doesn't take much to taint someone's reputation. The nation feared communism in the fifties and it was almost impossible to try to convince others that a suspected person wasn't member of the party or supporter of their ideals, especially if he or she believed in the society's role in helping the less fortunate.

This is gift giving season and I wish everyone would get what they deserve. In many European countries St. Nicholas came early December with his horse and took bad children with him away to Spain. Father Christmas would show up later and bring the good ones presents. Children were careful to behave well and stay out of mischief. We should have the same system for grown-ups. I personally would have no problems with St. Osama taking the nasty people with him to the caves on the Afganistan-Pakistan border.

Wisdom of the week: 'Happy are those who have not perfect pitch, for the kingdom of music is theirs.' How true.

Mediocrity rules

Although history in its hindsight often glorifies individuals who were true geniuses in their field, be it sciences or arts, in their lifetime these people often receive little or no recognition. At least it can take a lot of time, like in case of Einstein; or people are credited for something else than what they will remembered for later on, like J.S. Bach or Mahler. People like to turn mediocre people with limited talents into their heroes and often ridicule those who can see things outside of the box, the truly gifted ones. In medicine, the first ones to suggest that an ulcer wasn't caused by stress but by an infection were laughed at. Another medical student came up with the theory that combination AIDS drugs would work better than any single agent; that idea didn't fly well at first either. Schubert was an unknown composer who couldn't get his works performed, Buxtehude and Telemann far more popular than Bach as composers.

A former doctor and friend of mine, now retired, was related to Edvard Munch, the great Norwegian painter of the 'Scream' fame. The artist was a true black sheep in the religious, fundamentalist family. After he passed away, none of the relatives wanted to have anything to do with his paintings. Had they only guessed what fame this ridiculed man would achieve after his death and how much his works of art would be worth later on! Another greatly misunderstood artist was Vincent van Gogh, who was equally unsuccessful during his lifetime in commercial sense.

It was van Gogh who wrote lots of now famous letters to his brother, also about mediocrity. His comment is included in this speech by the former Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson, given in Siena, Italy in 2002:

Mediocrity is the greatest enemy of good and life. Vincent Van Gogh's letters to his brother, Theo, are among the most moving cries of understanding and humanity that we have. In one letter, he writes, "How does one become mediocre? By compromising, by making concessions, today in this matter, tomorrow in another, according to the dictates of the world, by never contradicting the world and by always following public opinion." I don't think anyone has ever summed it up more perfectly.

Mediocrity is safe, very easy – and therefore to be avoided at all costs! The purpose of life, it seems to me, is to leave no one and nothing indifferent. It means taking risks, going down paths that are not approved. It means the possibility of loneliness and isolation. It means, in sum, all that which is opposed to mediocrity.

I couldn't agree with Her Excellency, or the artist, more. Even when choosing our leaders we shy away from the most capable ones and put people in power whom we think are most like us regular folks. Foreign policy is decided by people who cannot even read a map. In Kansas schools are teaching intelligent design, creationism in a different clothing, a slap in the face of science. Yet according to polls most of us are comfortable with this. At the same time we criticize the Taliban and other fundamentalist Muslim movements, but refuse to see the same pattern in our own country. It is difficult to remember that Islam saved our civilization and was more advanced in the sciences than anything before them. What happened there since could be taking place here right now.

Just like in politics, people in the arts, and entertainment, depend heavily on PR. We rush to see and hear 'artists' who have really no place in the spotlight. We take the word of 'experts' for face value, although often these people are among the least competent. People seem to think all it takes is believing in themselves and instantly greatness is there. Take for example a string player in B-rate orchestra, who got his job because the organization was in desperate need and truly qualified applicants were few or none. Immediately he thinks of himself now being part of the musical elite, although just yesterday he was an unemployed nobody. There was a time when a musical entertainer needed to know how to sing: today lip syncing is sufficient, with good marketing. Mediocrity rules again.

Crime and Punishment

Often it seems like bad people can get away with anything. Being ruthless and having a heart of stone are signs of a successful person, a leader. They are also trademarks of criminals. But if you look at life from a different perspective, as if it was a history book, you'll see that in most cases there is a judgment day for these utterly selfish and cold-blooded people.

He may be up there in years and have one foot in the grave, but Chile's general Pinochet is finally coming face to face with his past. Hitler ended up committing suicide with his mistress. Chairman Mao may have ruled to the end but the real evil force in his shadow, his wife, was made to pay for her cruelty. Although at one time he was a great friend of many members of our government, Saddam Hussein is going through his trial, as a result of becoming an enemy to the United States. If you believe like most of Americans seem to these days, that we were brainwashed and misled to go and occupy Iraq, there is some satisfaction in knowing that people are finally seeing the truth, at least a partial one. After this all is history, those warmongers responsible for this bloodshed will have to always watch their backs. I don't think they would feel at ease traveling abroad as there are plenty of people willing to do anything to pay them back. Everything comes at a price.

All this is true for the common man as well, not just world leaders and such. There are plenty of us who think they are untouchables, for whatever reason. Some are able to operate above the law, or at least above common decency, for a long time, but finally the handwriting on the wall becomes too visible to hide. We live in a democracy, even if it seems questionable at times, and in such a system everyone has a right to his or her opinions and beliefs. Decades may go by, but if one is patient he/she will see justice done. Unfortunately, exceptions will always remain and innocent ones get punished instead of the guilty ones, but in this age of information and the internet, truth is harder to hide. People don't automatically think that just because they read it in the paper, it must be true and correct, no questions asked.

Just recently I had the pleasure of playing three concerts as soloist of an orchestra which doesn't pretend to be one of the best in the world, but which took me by surprise by how good they sounded. What made the difference was the attitude of the musicians. They clearly loved what they were doing and there was genuine joy in the music making. There were no phony smiles in the group, meant to impress the audience. These faces expressed true pleasure - what an enviable situation.

Today's 'oddly enough' section in Reuter's news has an item titled 'Longer needles needed for fatter buttocks.' It has become a strange world indeed. Interestingly, where I spent almost a week, the population was far trimmer and in better shape than one would have expected. Active people equals active bodies and active minds.

Shortages

Last week in Sweden there was a serious shortage of cash. Half of all ATMs were totally empty because the companies responsible for transporting money and other valuables refused to make deliveries. The drivers and their union insisted on better police protection, as a record number of armored vehicles had been attacked, with weapons and explosives, probably by organized crime. A good Svensson would not commit such an indecent act, but the country has a lot of immigrants from countries where criminal deeds are a normal part of life.

A different kind of shortage was evident when I was living in that country in the mid-1970s. One couldn’t buy beef in any form, for reasons that are not clear to me even now. Restaurants were able to purchase some from Poland and steak dinners were very expensive indeed. A mere mortal didn’t have this option and ‘the other white meat’ was all that was available. We used to joke that Sweden had invented kosher pork. There were small billboards on utility poles with pictures of bread, of which every good citizen was encouraged to eat seven slices a day. This was a strange phenomenon in one of the richest countries of the world, true at least at that time.

Although I was used to a Western-style socialist welfare system, the Swedish way was at times hard to understand. Never mind the more than 60% income tax rate I was paying; if one felt sick, a government healthcare office needed to be notified, as the salary for the sick days came directly from there. Because it wasn’t fair to expect everyone to have a phone, a postcard mailed on that day was sufficient. Although the pay for the first two sick days was reduced to 80%, after which it went to full pay, it was too much of a temptation to pass. A card mailed on Friday would not reach the government office until Monday, and so many people took an extra long weekend on a regular basis that even then-mighty Volvo could operate only on four days a week. The system provided incredible tax-free benefits for the less fortunate, or to people who opted not to seek work. Below us lived a woman who had children with different men. Based on her mail accidentally delivered to our apartment, her net income was greater than mine, so there was no need for her to work. No, I didn’t open any envelopes; in such an open society all such payment forms were mailed as postcards.

The city of Malmö had a very respectable orchestra which also served the opera and ballet, housed in the same complex. I got to do an endless number of Show Boats in Swedish, plus the mandatory Swan Lakes and even a modern Swedish opera, where my opening solo in harmonics imitated an SOS signal emitting from a lost spacecraft. We had some excellent guest conductors and soloists. Arthur Grumiaux played one of the best performances of the Brahms concerto I’ve ever heard. The legendary Emil Gilels came over with a Soviet conductor, whom he obviously didn’t have much respect for. It was humorous to see the pianist standing up and conducting the tutti sections behind the guest maestro’s back, quite differently to say the least.

It was in that city that I heard the New York Philharmonic perform during their European tour in the spring of -77. Thomas Schippers conducted Bartók absolutely brilliantly and it was shock to read about his death just a short time afterwards. What a talent he was and there was good chemistry between him and the musicians. What sticks in my mind, though, was a female first violinist, sitting on the outside, who decided to turn the concert into her own show. She would insist on using the entire bow when others quietly played at the tip, and often make a point of bowing long passages differently from everyone else. Tremolos she didn’t care for, and needless to say, her outfit was more suited for an escort service than a symphony orchestra. Perhaps she had a healthy attitude: so many string players like to compare orchestra work to prostitution, as they feel used and get very little in return, other than money. It just might be that she saw her job in a more realistic light. In fact, I have observed many similar individuals in numerous orchestras, usually youngish women. Obviously someone in these institutions likes and tolerates it, as otherwise such exhibitionism would come to an abrupt end. Perhaps audiences feel more entertained this way: whatever sells tickets is good. Even if people don’t know a good musical performance from a bad one, at least they can appreciate visual delights and temptations.