From Tanglewood, Ozawa Hall, July 17: Yuja Wang takes a bow after her solo recital. Hilary Scott photograph
That critic Jeremy Eichler has left the Boston Globe hurts the music community. Eichler’s voice was genuine, erudite without display, actively probing. And influential: that Andris Nelsons was named the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s music director a decade ago probably had a lot to do with Eichler’s support. Equally, he was a genial colleague at all times.
Eichler leaves to take a newly created teaching position at Tufts, in some way a springboard from the successful and thought-provoking Time’s Echo, his recent book investigating music and memory. He’s creating his own future, unlike many journalists whose jobs simply vanished. Cheers to that, and thanks to Jeremy, for his thoughts especially and collegiality.
He mentioned to me that the Globe would fill his position; I need to be convinced. Earlier this year Joshua Kosman left the San Francisco Chronicle after an equally distinguished run as music critic, apparently without replacement.
Hand-wringing after the loss of another arts journalist’s position is futile. All news about the news industry has been depressing for decades. The newspaper business has collapsed, thanks to the internet, but that’s not the root problem for arts journalism.
When I’ve been asked to talk about music journalism in the past, I would pose a question enigmatically: What do you want to know? It was meant partially in jest, to turn the tables, to force audiences to consider what they want.
Now I would ask the question with genuine ignorance: What do people want to know?
The gulf between reader and journalist gets increasingly wider. Where to find news (or, for journalists, where to find work) is just the practical part of the problem. Relevance—the value of someone discussing artistic practice—is vanishing.
No answers here, just questions. Good luck to Jeremy, and keep your eye on the Globe arts section roster.
My month-long Tanglewood excursion began last weekend, but I did not review. Same for this weekend. Plenty to hear and experience, part of some needed recuperation.
From July 12, in the Shed at Tanglewood: Boston Ballet soloist Patrick Yocum, dancing the title role, holds his lyre in the Balanchine/Stravinsky Apollo. ©The George Balanchine Trust, Hilary Scott photograph
A joint performance July 12 of the BSO/Boston Ballet staging of Apollo, the Balanchine/Stravinsky collaboration, was superbly executed. Boston Ballet soloist Patrick Yocum danced a forceful Apollo—a role with room for interpretation. Kaitlyn Casey, Chisako Oga, and Ji Young Chae each had a solo scene, all embracing Balanchine’s bountifully inventive gestural language. The Shed stage has plenty of space, and with only four dancers and no set, this was not a cramped or inhibited realization.
Yuja Wang is at Tanglewood, performing twice. She played Beethoven 4 with Nelsons and the orchestra in the Shed July 13, an engaging program that included works from Carlos Simon and Duke Ellington.
Yuja’s stupendous technique takes getting used to. Flawless execution without any extraordinary effort—it becomes hard to relate to, almost incongruous. It’s an anomalous gift shared by other artists—Kissin perhaps the best example. In a way, it keeps the audience at arm’s length.
But no complaints—just observing that sometimes greatness needs to be accompanied by exertion, or it seems otherworldly. In Ozawa Hall Wednesday evening, Yuja offered a solo program including Shostakovich, Barber and Chopin—and five encores. She breathed fire. Thank goodness for her talent—even if it doesn’t always gently embrace the listener.
William Christie’s superb Les Arts Florissants, with dancers from Mourad Merzouki’s Compagnie Käfig, stage Purcell’s The Fairy Queen Feb. 18 in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood. Hilary Scott photograph
William Christie brought Les Arts Florissants to Ozawa July 18, staging Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, with choreographer Mourad Merzouki’s hip-hop flavored Compagnie Käfig dancers. It was thoughtful, creative and energetic. Quelle troupe.
Still to come this weekend: Conrad Tao soloing in Bernstein’s Age of Anxiety in the Shed; Nelsons conducting Götterdämmerung Saturday evening; Emanuel Ax, Beethoven 3 Sunday afternoon in the Shed. Nice.
Next week: why I hate Tanglewood.