How about the Cello Concerto? Even a horn player can be in awe of Yo-Yo Ma.
I have had the privilege to play in a college band over the last few years (as a "Guest Artist"). Many of the students are not music majors, and of those that are, some are outstanding musicians - a very small handful of them you may even hear about in years to come. Most of them, however, are dreadfully ignorant of the musical literature older than their own teen years (I'll leave it to others to discuss whether what they are familiar with counts as musical literature). This is not their fault - they simply haven't been exposed. I don't think anyone has ever tried to instill in them a love of music beyond whatever is playing on popular radio right now. My own two boys have been going to live concerts of professional Orchestras (Minnesota and SPCO, CSO) for as long as they can remember (and as often as I can afford it), but if I were a gambling man, I would bet money most of their friends (other than the ones we brought with us) have never seen the inside of a concert hall. I wish I could make the NY Phil opening concert required viewing for all beginning musicians. There was more than loud brass playing (and what was there was entirely within the character of the pieces - blame the recording and broadcast technology if you must find fault), there was real music. Timothy A. Johnson _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
