Musicality

Thank you, Henri.

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Henri Dutilleux has died. His work as a musician and composer is, and like Stravinsky, will remain a pinnacle of accomplishment from our time; and given how long his creativity lasted, it is fair to say his achievements span multiple generations. I had the great fortune of working with both of these great men. In …

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Remembering Janos

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Sometimes we are caught unawares just how much someone meant to us over the years. While I intended to use a recent opportunity to offer tribute to the great Janos Starker after a performance with the Detroit Symphony this last weekend, it was during the 43 minutes of playing the Dvořák concerto that I began …

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Fare thee well dear friend!

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There comes a time in each of our lives when we take stock of our past, present, and future and this is exactly how I’ve spent the past year with one vitally important aspect of my life and career. It is with these thoughts that I have recently decided to part ways with my best …

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In Memory of my friend, James DePreist

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There are very few people and musicians with whom I have worked and developed a friendship in the last 50 years as dear as my friendship with James DePreist. For me, he represented the kind of man, warm, giving, caring and honest person that one simply loved being in the presence of. Those rare and …

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An Open Letter To The Los Angeles Unified School District

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I recently composed and sent the following letter to the Los Angeles Unified School District in response to the proposal that all art and music be eliminated from elementary education. Of course, if you’re here to begin with, you likely know why this is preposterous, regardless of budget demands. But I still felt I should publish my letter here as well and if you live in the LA area, please take a moment to contact your respective board member and encourage them to do the right thing.

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Why Gotterdammerung?

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One of the reasons, I believe, that I was interested in the cello from a very young age is the fact that the cello is an ensemble instrument; we play with others. Later, when I wanted to be a professional musician it was because I loved the music so much; it uplifted my spirit, it inspired my imagination, and it was solace to the heart. I have always thought of this first. The fact that I have enjoyed being one of the select, few solo cellists in the last 40 years is certainly a gift. But, that’s a byproduct and not a goal, whether I became “famous” died out in my mind at about age 11.
So when the opportunity comes around to take part in a section, I’m always happy to take advantage. It doesn’t happen as often and under the right circumstances as much as I would like but one recent occasion came around to participate in the LA Opera’s production of the Ring Cycle. I happened to be free and this would offer the chance to play alongside my wife and so many other wonderful colleagues.

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The composer's intentions

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One thing that has always irked me whenever I give Master classes at different conservatories and Universities while on tour. And it is starting to concern me more deeply than before. What is that you ask? It’s a seemingly deliberate disregard for how a composer has marked his music. For example, directions and hints to the would-be performer on how to play the piece, what speed to take, what balance, goodness; even what notes are correct.
What we’re talking about here is a basic level of respect for the text but what seems to be more and more common these days is just guessing at the meaning of metronome markings and foreign words. The result is an increasing number of would-be performers feeling more and more entitled to change what has been left by the original creator and to feel as though their flimsy, novel approaches are legitimate simply because they are novel.

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