Brian Sacawa | Sounds Like Now

Headline sound a little strange? Well, it seems almost impossible to comprehend that the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has never programmed a work by Philip Glass. One really wonders about that hole in the BSO’s rep list especially because of the way Baltimore (and one very esteemed institution in Baltimore) habitually boasts the fact that Mr. Glass is homegrown. That’s all about to change this weekend, however, as Maestra Alsop devotes an entire program to the Septigenarian. The big showpiece of the program will be a multimedia realization of photographer Frans Lanting’s LIFE: A Journey Through Time. And for the edification of the classical saxophone, the Capitol Saxophone Quartet will perform Glass’s Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra.

Tim Smith has a great feature and preview of next weekend’s events in today’s Sun. In a revealing comment, Mr. Glass weighs in on why he believes contemporary music is a scarcity on orchestra programs:

“Let’s put everything on the table: The problem is not with the audiences, but with the people who do the programming,” Glass says. “That audiences stand and applaud my music is not a big surprise. It’s been going on for years. They are ready for and appreciative of new music, and my music. The programmers have been lagging behind the public.”

No need to point fingers! But at least for now, he’s got an ally in Baltimore in Marin Alsop. (Although maybe that alliance will shatter since he’ll have to miss the performances because of a prior engagement at the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, where his soundtrack for Notes on a Scandal is up for Best Original Score.)

The 21st century musician: “The model player is not just a technical whiz but also a musician who can converse with the public, meld into an ensemble, generate interesting programming ideas, schmooze with donors and teach.”

From Daniel J. Wakin’s feature on the New World Symphony in today’s Times.

Nostalgia reigns recently on SLN. Look for the American Voices CD release on Innova in about 2 months. Glass. Hyla. Gordon. Theofanidis. Spangler. Hurst. Makan.

Seth Williamson of The Roanoke Times had some nice things to say in his review of Monday’s concert with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.

One of my favorite shows on Saturday NPR is Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, the weekly humorous NPR news quiz. In a portion of the show called “Not My Job,” host Peter Sagal invites prominent guests on to answer questions about esoteric topics they mostly likely have no knowledge of whatsoever. Back in December, Peter’s guest was none other than jazz saxophonist and perennial whipping boy for sullen classical saxophonists, Branford Marsalis. Bantering about before the quiz portion of Branford’s interview, Peter tried to get to the heart of an important issue, which is fitting for a Valentine’s Day post:
 

Peter Sagal: We heard a rumor, and I want to see if you can confirm it, that the ladies like the saxophone for some reason.

Branford Marsalis: Oh, man, that’s not a rumor. What makes you think that’s a rumor? I mean look at all the movies. As soon as the guy gets near the girl, what do you hear? Saxophone. There’s a reson for that. But at the age of 14 or 15 when I really wasn’t getting any girls and wasn’t hip to that, I’ve often said, in jest, you know I had to switch to the saxophone, because you can get women with the saxophone. And I will concede that you stand a much better chance playing the saxophone than you do playing an electric piano.

Charlie Pierce: Just the lack of hernias alone would be . . .

BM: There you go.

Roxanne Roberts: Well, wait, wait. Let me ask then: what makes the saxophone so sexy?

BM: I have no idea. It’s not that I made the decision. It’s just that you play it and women go, “Ooh, I like the saxophone.” I don’t know why. I’ve just never heard a movie, or a show, or in real life a person come and say, “You know what really turns me on? Fender Rhodes. I just love this guy. Electric keyboards? Oh, the DX-7 is just so sexy.” It doesn’t happen. I cannot tell you why, but I’m glad it’s the way it is.

CP: Apropros of nothing, is it true that all oboe players are virgins?

BM: You know that might be true. I don’t know if it’s true but I would understand why if it were.

CP: It is as someone once said: an ill wind that nobody blows good.

BM: There you go.

PS: I was just thinking about the accordian player watching you with a woman swooning around. The accordian player’s thinking, “I’ve wasted my life.”

(N.B. Download the complete audio here.)

For nine straight years, the Music at the Anthology Festival has been an important catalyst for emerging contemporary composers from around the world—it’s like the Whitney biennial, but for new music, and every year. I’ll be playing a piece by one of those composers at this year’s festival—Alexandra Gardner’s Tourmaline for soprano saxophone and computer sound. Concerts are at the Brooklyn Lyceum. Full schedule here.

I’m in Roanoke, VA this weekend performing with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. In honor of Valentine’s Day, our program is titled Dance and Romance and features its fair share of saxophone. (Because what instrument’s more romantic than saxophone? Really?) Truth be told, it’s the most playing I’ve ever done on a single orchestra gig. Two by Bernstein—perennial favorite Symphonic Dances from West Side Story coupled with hidden gem On the Town—along with the amorous Bolero by Ravel, in which I play both the tenor and soprano parts. I normally don’t have a problem with nerves on any concert I play, but having only 5 beats rest to put down the tenor and pick up the soprano and play both lines equally beautifully is seriously challenging my nervousness-free performance record. Not to mention having to have the perfect reed for three horns at the same time—actually, check that, because I need to have all four horns (add baritone) ready to go because of an upcoming concert in NYC. More on that later. I need to deflate.

Last night, David Simon, the creator and executive producer of the HBO drama The Wire (among other things), was the guest speaker at Loyola College in Maryland’s 2007 Humanities Symposium. Titled Urban Spaces, Urban Voices, the symposium uses Jane Jacobs’ seminal text The Death and Life of Great American Cities as its point of departure. And who better to talk about the death of the American city than David Simon? He started by outlining his world view, which you know if you’ve read any of his books, seen any of his tv shows, or heard him interviewed, is not all that rosy. In fact, it’s downright pessimistic. Simon’s central thesis is this: in today’s world, human beings are worth less than they used to be, are not as important, have become less and less necessary, and are expendable—useless to the institutions they serve.

I wanted to ask a question, but wanted to phrase it just right. By the time I had carefully composed my query, the line at the microphone had been disbanded. But here’s what I was going to say:

I want to start by saying that I’m a great admirer of your work. There’s a wonderful, well-founded pessimism underlying all that you do. Specifically related to the war on drugs, you make the point that all of the tactics meant to remedy the problem are actually attempts by those who design them to mislead us into believing that progress is being made, when in fact, there is no progress whatsoever. When I read The Corner or watch The Wire I say, “Wow, David Simon is calling my attention to a lot of problems with society here.” But I never get a sense of what you think will make it better, besides Bunny Colvin taking it upon himself to decriminalize drugs, something that was actually suggested in Baltimore not long ago. So what do you see as a solution?

Luckily, the last person in line—an acquaintance of Simon’s from the Criminal Justice Department at the University of Maryland—asked pretty much the same thing, although phrased much more eloquently. This was his answer (paraphrased): Things will begin to get better when our leaders begin to plant olive trees rather than annuals. In other words, taking the long view instead of looking for instant gratification.

oligarchy: n. Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families.