Thursday, December 2, 2010

Fw: "Butt of the orchestra gets a makeover" (05.11.10)

This letter appeared in The Guardian Weekly, Dec.3, 1210.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 1:30 PM
Subject: "Butt of the orchestra gets a makeover" (05.11.10)

The revolutionary design of the contraforte may someday render the traditional contrabassoon obsolete, as well as relieving bassoonists from being the unfortunate butts of orchestral jokes. Yet I recall one contrabassoonist---a deceased colleague of mine who played for many years in the pit of the Metropolitan Opera House—who was probably the sole bassoonist in orchestral history never reviled or joked about. I refer to Hugo Burghauser, who was invited to join the Vienna Opera Orchestra by no less than Richard Strauss in 1917. Mr. Burghauser was President of the Vienna Philharmonic from 1933 to 1938, and during his regime hired Arturo Toscanini, Karl Boehm, Herbert Von Karajan, and Bruno Walter. His complex journey into the Met orchestra pit began when he fled the Nazis in 1938. Practically penniless, he ran into Carla Toscanini in Paris, where she was on a shopping spree. Without hesitation she gave him money for a boat trip to America, where she and Arturo were also headed the next day. In New York, the director of the Metropolitan Opera, Sir Rudolf Bing, (who was an opera-buff clerk in a Viennese bookstore in 1934, while Burghauser was indisputably the most powerful figure in the music world), heard of his plight and offered him the Met orchestra position of contrabassoon.

            Whenever maestro Boehm conducted at the Met and spied Burghauser sitting in the rear of the pit, there were invariably nostalgic embraces and moist eyes. Sadly though, the former President of the Vienna Philharmonic was not the same virtuoso bassoonist hired by Strauss in 1917. I recall maestro Boehm conducting a series of Beethoven's Fidelios, in which there is a notorious brief solo for contrabassoon. As Ms. Midgette notes in her article, the contrabassoon is known for its "sometimes flatulent sound." Now whenever that solo came (even at the broadcast!), what emitted from Burghauser's Heckel instrument can only be described as sheer flatulence. Yet not one musician laughed or even breathed during those few catastrophic moments, while Boehm, who was known to fly into a rage over musical mishaps, merely tossed his old comrade a faint smile and a wink. It saddens me that the contraforte was invented over a half century too late for poor Burghauser.

 

Les Dreyer

(Retired violinist with the Met Opera Orchestra)

180 West End Ave.

NYC 10023  USA

 

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Fw: "Snooze and you lose all in the stalls" (On Theatre, Oct.29.10)

 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2010 9:05 AM
Subject: "Snooze and you lose all in the stalls" (On Theatre, Oct.29.10)

My first violin teacher (a cantankerous old Russian, yet highly respected in the music world), had an interesting theory why people fall asleep at concerts:  If the artist is not world-class, the audience worries that at any moment there might be a musical disaster--like a memory lapse, or botched technical passage, or missed note---so the listener is nervously alert.
    Yet if the artist is a reliable superstar (like a Heifetz or Horowitz), then the listener relaxes, comforted that nothing can go wrong, and pays the artist the ultimate homage---by falling blissfully asleep.
 
Les Dreyer
(Retired violinist of the Met Opera Orchestra)
 
180 West End Ave.
NYC 10023  USA

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

NYTimes.com: The Mystique of Ballet

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OPINION   | September 28, 2010
Letter:  The Mystique of Ballet
A response to an article about making ballerinas more accessible to their audiences.


 

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Fw: Is a feminist who wears make-up a hypocrite? (10.09.10)

Published in The Guardian Weekly (Sept.24/10)
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, September 10, 2010 11:50 AM
Subject: Is a feminist who wears make-up a hypocrite? (10.09.10)

    An unmarried feminist who dabs lipstick on her pale lips or a dash of powder on her shiny nose, with the innocent intent of appearing more attractive to a lover, is by no means a hypocrite. Yet a married feminist (no oxymoron intended!), who drains the family bank account to indulge in costly hair-do's and cosmetics, manicures, pedicures, fur coats, and jewelry---all of which may well culminate in divorce and alimony--is indeed a hypocrite and an anathema to the feminist movement. Moreover, if she is not physically or mentally disabled ---  yet prefers to collect alimony instead of supporting herself with a job ---she is worse than a hypocrite. She is a kept woman
 
Les Dreyer
 
180 West End Ave. 
NYC  10023  USA 

Sunday, July 18, 2010

NYTimes.com: Young Conductors: Old Fires Burn, Too

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ARTS   | July 18, 2010
Letters:  Young Conductors: Old Fires Burn, Too
Mr. Tommasini praises the recent trend toward young symphony conductors.

Cyrus - An official selection of the Sundance Film Festival. Starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, and Marisa Tomei.
Now Playing
Click here to view trailer


 

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Juilliard Private Teacher Directory

Please note: The Juilliard Private Teacher Directory lists 39 violin teachers online (including me) at: www.Juilliard.edu/ptd  I prefer to coach advanced players for auditions, and highly motivated intermediated students. No beginners please, or children fresh out of Suzuki method classes. 

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

NYTimes.com: Catching a Catchy Tune (1 Letter)

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SCIENCE TIMES   | March 22, 2010
LETTERS:  Catching a Catchy Tune (1 Letter)
A letter to the editor.

Crazy Heart - Winner of 2 Academy Awards, including Best Actor - Jeff Bridges.
Now Playing.
Click here to view trailer


 

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Leslie leads opening night at the Met Opera 1989 Season

Leslie leads opening night at the Met Opera 1989 Season

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Fw: What do thieves do with the 'H' and 'C' studs from handbasin taps? (Dec.18)

This bit of nonsense appeared in The Guardian Weekly, Jan.8, 2010 in response to a reader's nonsensical query:
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 18, 2009 9:41 AM
Subject: What do thieves do with the 'H' and 'C' studs from handbasin taps? (Dec.18)

There is a vast difference between thieves and souvenir collectors. When the old Metropolitan Opera House was about to be demolished, everone, even wealthy patrons in the Grand Tier, snipped off swatches from the velvet seats and the stage curtain as nostalgic momentos, while the washrooms were relieved of screws, doorknobs, and even an entire toilet seat. Similarly, it is quite understandable why a guest enjoying a stay at a luxury hotel, or a memorable dinner in a four-star restaurant, might be tempted to abscond with the elegant porcelain studs that traditionally adorn the handbasin taps in such places, in order to cherish them as souvenirs of the occasion. 
     Yet I cannot imagine why anyone would steal a tap stud from a public washroom, cheap restaurant, or fleabag hotel. For their poor taste, I would indeed call those unfortunate creatures thieves and vandals, and whatever they do with their ill-begotten junk is not worthy of our slightest consideration.
 
Les Dreyer, New York City, US
Les Dreyer
(Retired violinist of the Met Opera Orchestra)
 
180 West End Ave.
NYC 10023  USA

Friday, January 1, 2010

Fw: letter in Economist Jan.2-8th, 2010

-
From:
To:
Sent:
Subject:

Letters

String symphony

SIR – Italian violin-makers were not the sole master craftsmen of the art during the 18th century ("Older and richer", December 19th). Around 1715 Daniel Parker, an English violin-maker working in London, visited Stradivari's Cremona workshop, where he acquired an abundance of the master's secrets, such as the ingredients used to varnish the instrument, wood-ageing and carving techniques, which were unknown to the outside world.

Upon returning to London, Parker produced instruments with so gorgeous a tone that when Fritz Kreisler performed on his Daniel Parker violin two centuries later, no one in the audience, not even violin-makers or music critics, could believe that he was not playing his own Strad.

Les Dreyer
Retired violinist of the Metropolitan Opera orchestra
New York