<<  -- 2 --  Ted Kendall    VIVACIOUS ENERGY

Nuzzo turned the car heat up to full blast and my fingers slowly began to thaw as I reached for my pen and notebook.

'Hey, when was the last time you heard the William Tell Overture in-concert?' the conductor asked me pointedly.

Hmm, a random question indeed. It's been a while, I replied.

'Yea, I know. Shame, isn't it? A well-performed, well thought-through performance of the William Tell Overture can be simply unbelievable. You know, Beethoven's 3rd and 5th Symphonies are also left off programs all the time these days, because conductors feel they need to make "a profound statement" with their programming. But what ever happened to pure, wonderful music for the sake of pure entertainment? People just want to enjoy music and be entertained. That's the reason they come out in the first place.'

Papa Nuzzo definitely had a good point. The latest trend in classical music over recent years has emerged in the form of attempting to set precedents via 'groundbreaking' and 'cutting-edge' programming. Consequently, there are many time-old staples in the standard orchestral repertoire, which have faded from the horizon in order to make room for the new. Maybe it's time someone dared to put the 'originality' back into the 'original'. Perhaps Nuzzo's classic ideology regarding the MCO's programming is exactly what has put the ensemble on the map in New York City, transforming it into more than just a blip on the radar and much more than just 'another NYC orchestra.'

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