Music Lovers

[DudiousMax at aol.com]

Yo all,
                An interesting item was forwarded on to me by a moose-like 
music lover that I thought I'd share with y'all.  It's a fairly brief opinion 
on the relative status of the major symphonic orchestras in the US and 
Europe.  I guess the thesis of the piece is: the concept of the Big Five 
American orchestras is really outdated.  That designation has less to do with 
musical excellence than with the five biggest budgets.  Those orchestras that 
enjoy the biggest budgets are from the largest population cities, which have 
the largest corporate donorship list, (also the highest costs of living), and 
can pay the highest salaries.  It is not unusual for a conductor of a Big 
Five band to make a couple of mil/yr.  You needn't be an economist to figure 
that they are New York, Chicago, Los Angeles,  Boston, and San Francisco.  LA 
and SFO have displaced Cleveland and Philadelphia in recent years.  On the 
other hand, anyone with magic ears can hear that the (now ) second five, CLE, 
PHILA, Pittsburgh, Cinncinatti, and Minnesota are damn fine, and are often on 
a musical par with the "Big Five."  In terms of budget, the London Symphony, 
Berlin Phil, and Vienna Phil would be well down on the list.  About at the 
same level as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and its conductor, Yuri 
Temirkanov.  So what zat tellya?  Bigger ain't necessarily better, and 
relatively low-budget orchestras can knock your socks off, if their hall has 
a good acoustic, and their conductor is truly great.  For those of you who 
are interested in music of the classical style, if you want more details, see:

  <www.naxos.com/newDesign/fopinions.files/bopinions.files/opinions24.htm>

The piece is by Norman Lebrecht and it's called "Bucks stop here."  Maybe 
some of you will like it.  But, what do I know?  I'm just...
                
                Max