Anybody that dismisses Philip Glass’ music has probably never tried to play one of his pieces.
I say this not as a reaction to David’s review of the Anechoic Chamber Ensemble’s concert of early Glass works last night—which certainly isn’t dismissive—but rather in response to my own preparation of Mr. Glass’ Piece in the Shape of […]
A few musical aphorisms by E. M. Cioran (1911-1995):
What music appeals to in us it is difficult to know; what we do know is that music reaches a zone so deep that madness itself cannot penetrate there.
A passion for music is in itself an avowal. We know more about a stranger who yields himself up […]
There was bad news for Eric Owen Moss on Wednesday. The Los Angeles architect, who in 2001 won a competition to redesign the Queens Museum of Art, found out that he was out of a job. While we may never know exactly why the museum chose to cancel Mr. Moss’ project–already three years in […]
I mentioned in a previous post that I’ll be presenting American Voices, a New York debut recital on February 16 at Columbia University’s Miller Theater. As the date nears, I thought I’d give periodic updates on my progress and also provide some insights on the planning and thought process that went into the show.
First, why […]
This quote from an article by Anne Midgette in Sunday’s New York Times raised my eyebrows:
Kathryn Gould, a venture capitalist who lives in the Menlo Park area in California, had a different motivation: having heard a lot of new music that she didn’t like, she wanted to help create a repertory that she could enjoy. […]
Today I returned from Miami and the warm 70 degree tempertures to the bitter freezing cold of Ann Arbor. It could be worse though—I could be stranded at the Fort Lauderdale airport like so many unfortunate travelers trying to get home to New York, Boston, or anyplace around New England. In addition to leaving behind […]
The following is a typical exchange that occurs when a stranger gets curious about what I’m carrying around in the case strapped to my back:
Curious Stranger: Is that a violin (or trumpet, or trombone)?
Brian Sacawa: No, it’s a saxophone.
CS: Oh, you must play jazz.
BS: No, I play classical music.
CS: Oh, you mean like Mozart and […]
Jerry’s post about the violinist Nicola Benedetti, who might sell more albums based on sex appeal rather than her talent as a musician, raises an important question: What is our goal as musicians? To sell albums or to make art?
The answer to this question would probably vary depending on who was asked. Posed to the […]
I flew from Detroit to Miami today for a week of rehearsals and a Saturday concert with the New World Symphony. H.K. Gruber is conducting a program that includes his own work Aerial, which is the piece I play on. I’ll be sure to post my impressions as the week goes on.
The time before my […]