- Series
- Bernard Gabriel
- Air Date
- Duration
- 00:30:00
- Episode Description
- Series Description
- Subject(s)
- Creator(s)
- Contributors
- Genre(s)
- Geographic Region(s)
- regions
- Time Period
- 1971-1980
[00:05 - 00:09]
This is Bernard Gabriel. What does it take today for an artist to make the big
[00:09 - 00:14]
time. How important is the element of luck in a career. Must a
[00:14 - 00:20]
gifted musician have a sizeable wad of money to put into his own launching.
[00:20 - 00:25]
With today's opportunities and today's competition is it easier or
[00:25 - 00:30]
is it much harder than it used to be to attract worldwide attention.
[00:30 - 00:34]
Well these are some of the questions that I'd like to put to Robert G Wald
[00:34 - 00:39]
Who's with me at the microphone and he is the manager of Jose Turby
[00:39 - 00:45]
the master virtuosi of New York and a great many other individual
[00:45 - 00:49]
artists and Tina's famous in the musical world. If anyone should know the answers
[00:49 - 00:55]
to some of these questions I think it's he Mr. G will know in a way there
[00:55 - 00:59]
are a multiplicity of opportunities open to a young musician at present which weren't there half a
[00:59 - 01:04]
century ago. Areas TV radio films High Fidelity
[01:04 - 01:09]
recording concerts that sometimes strange times of the day and night and
[01:09 - 01:14]
in all manner of unlikely spots. And as I've had occasion to mention in the past places like the
[01:14 - 01:19]
Fulton Fish Market which has had symphony orchestras I once covered a concert in a
[01:19 - 01:24]
shoe store and I was at I think by now too many times on the air but to all kinds of strange
[01:24 - 01:29]
places and. Well there of course
[01:29 - 01:34]
are the competitions the international competitions which didn't really exist in a
[01:34 - 01:38]
big way 50 years ago. How do these things these
[01:38 - 01:43]
pluses and minuses balance. Do you feel that a gifted newcomer has an easier
[01:43 - 01:46]
or a more difficult time today.
[01:46 - 01:51]
Mr. Gabriel I would say frankly that today it is probably more difficult
[01:51 - 01:55]
for a newcomer to achieve star status as a classical
[01:55 - 02:00]
performing artist. However if he is one of those fortunate
[02:00 - 02:05]
fuel that does the rewards are tremendous.
[02:05 - 02:10]
But again we do have the problem that the vast majority
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tastes in this country and to a marked degree in Europe as well
[02:15 - 02:20]
amongst audiences are toward more popular type attractions in
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spite of everything being done about building new whole beautiful new
[02:24 - 02:30]
performing arts centers we are not keeping pace with developing new audiences.
[02:30 - 02:35]
And so the young artists of the future cannot develop more of them
[02:35 - 02:39]
cannot gain major careers unless we have the
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audiences who are interested enough to come to the concert halls.
[02:44 - 02:49]
Why do you think that it is more difficult today just that one.
[02:49 - 02:52]
I think audiences Yes and also yes we have another problem.
[02:52 - 02:58]
You must remember that classical music should be considered a form of
[02:58 - 03:02]
enjoyment a form of entertainment. But there are also other competitive
[03:02 - 03:06]
influences in our society. Other so-called
[03:06 - 03:12]
competitors of leisure time many people for example today find
[03:12 - 03:16]
greater enjoyment sitting home and listening to many artists on recordings.
[03:16 - 03:21]
Others are interested in different types of entertainment.
[03:21 - 03:26]
Theatre or dance for that matter one of the major areas of the Performing
[03:26 - 03:31]
Arts in terms of development in this country has been the dance modern
[03:31 - 03:36]
dance which is gained a tremendous following in the country compared to
[03:36 - 03:40]
let's say a decade ago and then of course there are the popular
[03:40 - 03:45]
performing arts. Younger people have a tendency to
[03:45 - 03:49]
find as we say to quote them their thing in terms of an
[03:49 - 03:54]
identity with rock music with soul music with folk music.
[03:54 - 03:59]
For example I represent. The beer is family and
[03:59 - 04:04]
they are one of the leading traditional folk groups in this country they play about 80
[04:04 - 04:09]
concerts a year now and they started eight years ago as a regular concert
[04:09 - 04:13]
performers there was no real market for them. Today they play all the major colleges and
[04:13 - 04:18]
universities. So we have the problem that for the young solo artist and I want to confine
[04:18 - 04:23]
that the young solo artist has the difficulty
[04:23 - 04:28]
of not really having as great an audience for his art as
[04:28 - 04:33]
one would imagine so I go back to the premise that we must interest young people in
[04:33 - 04:37]
attending recitals and attending concerts of young artists.
[04:37 - 04:42]
But now you say 50 years back we had the theatre then didn't wake up and there
[04:42 - 04:47]
were some dance groups not as many Not as many you know I would say it's an amazing phenomena
[04:47 - 04:52]
of this country that dance has developed a
[04:52 - 04:57]
popularity. Not only that classical white ballet is the great dance
[04:57 - 05:02]
companies of Europe which have come here but the modern dance companies
[05:02 - 05:07]
Cunningham's group Cameron done him. These these
[05:07 - 05:11]
are the ones who have nurtured an interest in the dance and amongst young people
[05:11 - 05:16]
surprisingly they are interested in this form of expression.
[05:16 - 05:21]
You don't think that 50 years ago people sat home listen to old fifty seventy eight no
[05:21 - 05:23]
matter for a photograph.
[05:23 - 05:28]
I remember the late me Shelmon who I represented at one time who
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was one of the few artists to have gone through the various phases of recording development
[05:33 - 05:35]
he made the ole cylinder disc.
[05:35 - 05:40]
In fact I think yeah that's right I think he recorded his Tchaikovsky
[05:40 - 05:45]
violin concerto in all of the different developments of the recording I mean there's a lot of
[05:45 - 05:47]
cylinders. That's right.
[05:47 - 05:51]
And at that time of course it was an
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expensive novelty to have a phonograph in
[05:56 - 06:00]
your home. And then each record is about two minutes or whatever. That's correct. Naturally many of
[06:00 - 06:05]
the early Caruso records were originally on cylinder then we went of course to
[06:05 - 06:10]
shellacked disc. But again. There was not
[06:10 - 06:15]
this widespread interest in proportion to the total
[06:15 - 06:21]
entertainment field however and I want to point out something else.
[06:21 - 06:26]
The solo artists of yesterday and there are some who are still performing today
[06:26 - 06:30]
such as the Rubenstein's the Horowitz's the Heifetz's. I even have to
[06:30 - 06:35]
say a voice struck and Richter and some of the new generation
[06:35 - 06:40]
have this great ability to communicate their rot. And I'm hoping that the new generation will
[06:40 - 06:44]
bring a second golden age to classical music as a solo performer.
[06:44 - 06:49]
What about competition itself among performers do you think there was as much competition say
[06:49 - 06:54]
50 60 years ago among pianists and violinists as there is today. In other words
[06:54 - 06:57]
just so many good pianists today do you think there were that many.
[06:57 - 07:00]
Actually I would say no. For another reason.
[07:00 - 07:06]
The question of course we must equate the European situation differently from
[07:06 - 07:11]
that of the United States. We have matured since World War 2
[07:11 - 07:16]
as possibly a major musical country in the development of young
[07:16 - 07:21]
artists. Many of the great teachers of Europe were forced to migrate here due to World
[07:21 - 07:25]
War 2 and the previous nazi
[07:25 - 07:31]
occupation of Europe and they developed many students
[07:31 - 07:36]
here in the performing arts whether they were violinists
[07:36 - 07:41]
whether they were pianists whether they were cellists they created some
[07:41 - 07:45]
of the great instrumental musicians they taught either as private students or
[07:45 - 07:50]
at the famous music schools Curtis Institute Juilliard. Manhattan School of
[07:50 - 07:52]
Music and others.
[07:52 - 07:57]
Then they created their disciples who are now the teachers of today so that we
[07:57 - 08:01]
as a country probably are turning out a much higher
[08:01 - 08:06]
percentage and a larger total number of fine musicians that weren't
[08:06 - 08:09]
will say in the world 50 years ago.
[08:09 - 08:14]
And so therefore I would have to say that the competition is much keener Today today
[08:14 - 08:19]
and this is probably one of the difficulties isn't it. I mean if you have a relatively small audience
[08:19 - 08:24]
and you've got just a great many fine artists Well it makes it harder for each one
[08:24 - 08:29]
although when you think back to the early days of operate even more than 50 years
[08:29 - 08:33]
ago I mean in the days of Caruso and Melba and people like that which is now what
[08:33 - 08:38]
perhaps. Well 60 years ago or more there seem to
[08:38 - 08:43]
have been plenty of enthusiasm and plenty of paying customers around
[08:43 - 08:47]
for a great number of celebrities in that field or luminaries. What if you want to
[08:47 - 08:51]
call them because they certainly were a lot of names that you could just
[08:51 - 08:58]
spring off you know and each one was almost a household word you want me to do what I can do it and
[08:58 - 09:02]
keep going for about a good minute for you they're going to try to.
[09:02 - 09:07]
Well I know you don't like many of the great names of 60 years ago but again
[09:07 - 09:12]
remember we had primarily one method in which we could see
[09:12 - 09:17]
and hear these performers and that was a live presentation. And
[09:17 - 09:22]
so for example if a great artist like John McCormick came to a Midwestern
[09:22 - 09:27]
city it would appear they once lived. It's true you could buy his recordings but there
[09:27 - 09:31]
was this great element of the artist live performing before you. We
[09:31 - 09:36]
take for example I represented Laurence Tippett In his last years as a performing
[09:36 - 09:41]
artists and as a radio commentator by the way but not in the way he did a very fine
[09:41 - 09:46]
classical music show. The mutual network. And Larry
[09:46 - 09:50]
Tippit was the first great American born singer. And it's an
[09:50 - 09:55]
interesting stocks yes don't you going to pass by rows upon sell. Well Larry
[09:55 - 10:00]
to buy I don't know how to do you know it was the first to gain immense
[10:00 - 10:05]
popularity as a so-called American trained American
[10:05 - 10:09]
born singer. And it's interesting to note that some famous people such as the
[10:09 - 10:15]
Thomas Watson Sr. contributed to his career to help him
[10:15 - 10:20]
in terms of his musical education. And Larry Tippett was the
[10:20 - 10:25]
first classical singer when he appeared in concert to
[10:25 - 10:30]
incorporate within his regular program what we call popular music Glory
[10:30 - 10:34]
Road and things of that nature without a song. He would he created it in
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formality of presentation which until that time if an opera singer did
[10:39 - 10:44]
go out on tour and many of them regrettably still do today in these live presentations
[10:44 - 10:49]
would only sing Arias. So he mixed so programming becomes an element too of how to
[10:49 - 10:52]
interest and captivate an audience.
[10:52 - 10:57]
You know I'm still amazed whenever I think back to the reading that I've done about people
[10:57 - 11:02]
like Adelina Patti around the turn of the century that she she could sing as you well
[11:02 - 11:07]
know as often as she chose and never for less than $6000 when the dollar was what it was
[11:07 - 11:08]
at that time.
[11:08 - 11:13]
And then you think back to Cardozo who with no benefit of TV or radio or
[11:13 - 11:17]
films could amass a fortune of something like 10 million dollars.
[11:17 - 11:22]
And through personal appearances entirely I did pretty
[11:22 - 11:26]
well to fill armories around the country and was
[11:26 - 11:32]
you know a household word. And I'm just wondering today how many performers could equal
[11:32 - 11:36]
such a feat with all the commercialization and the advertising in the
[11:36 - 11:38]
media that we have.
[11:38 - 11:43]
I regret today that I can probably count them on my 10. Jones other one
[11:43 - 11:49]
possibly not insert iron in a positive way. Yes probably still
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great. National figure in terms
[11:54 - 11:59]
of developing an audience interest in probably all of this concert
[11:59 - 12:03]
still remains sold out the Grand Master of the mall ATA Rubenstein Peace
[12:03 - 12:08]
Corps. It's an incredible thing I was in London recently and Wilfred van
[12:08 - 12:13]
why Cool is the English manager for Mr. Rubenstein said
[12:13 - 12:18]
he had one little announcement in the London papers. Mr. Rubenstein would give two concerts in
[12:18 - 12:23]
London they were sold out the next day he sold
[12:23 - 12:24]
out the same day.
[12:24 - 12:29]
This was for Britain of course this is considered unusual but that has always been my pattern.
[12:29 - 12:34]
But if you think about adding a patty say in one thousand five or ten singing for no less ever and
[12:34 - 12:39]
often more than $6000 a performance now by today's standards that would certainly be around twenty
[12:39 - 12:41]
five thousand dollars a performance wouldn't it.
[12:41 - 12:45]
I would think so well when the dollar is depreciating value yes.
[12:45 - 12:49]
I think even Rubenstein and even Joan Sutherland might have a pretty tough time
[12:49 - 12:53]
getting that kind of money for a public appearance.
[12:53 - 12:57]
Again it goes back to the fact that we did not have that many competitive
[12:57 - 13:02]
outlets of leisure time activity. We did not have really leisure
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time most people were working not a 48 hour week but a
[13:07 - 13:12]
fifty or fifty two hour a week and the excitement though of a great artist to come to
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hear them to be part of them for their communication of their art in person to
[13:17 - 13:22]
be there that evening is something that was you know there
[13:22 - 13:23]
was there was music in the elevator.
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That's exactly it. You know there wasn't so much that you just couldn't stand when you walked into a park you
[13:28 - 13:33]
couldn't get such a thing as silence in the summertime as today.
[13:33 - 13:40]
However I'm also struck by the fact that there is apparently a great and enormous
[13:40 - 13:45]
silent paying audience if imaginations can be stirred sufficiently.
[13:45 - 13:50]
And I think they're back a few years to the Bolshoi when it came here and for well over a
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month I was able to fill to capacity at high prices the old Metropolitan
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Opera House. That's about 5000 or close to that wasn't it seats.
[14:00 - 14:05]
And then after a month or five weeks so there you couldn't get a seat.
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Then they took over nothing less than the old Madison Square Garden with its 14 to
[14:09 - 14:14]
18000 seats and that went on for a number of weeks now. This
[14:14 - 14:19]
meant that a couple of hundred thousand people were paying high prices and cheering and
[14:19 - 14:22]
getting all excited about a Russian ballet.
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Now where are all these people at other times when so many artists have trouble filling even
[14:27 - 14:29]
Town Hall or small.
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Well again it goes back to several factories. This of course was the
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first appearance of probably the world's greatest ballet company the
[14:38 - 14:43]
legendary Bolshoi. That's number one. So many people.
[14:43 - 14:47]
Number two as I said we have developed a dance a ballet audience. And this of course
[14:47 - 14:53]
was their first opportunity then of course in New York City in the metropolitan area.
[14:53 - 14:57]
We have a great many people of Russian extraction.
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Most of whom had migrated to this country first generation. And also the
[15:02 - 15:06]
second generation that they had told about this wonderful company that some of them had
[15:06 - 15:08]
seen or heard about in Russia.
[15:08 - 15:13]
And they poured out so many of them were in essence a one time
[15:13 - 15:18]
audience though I don't think they do a quest go to
[15:18 - 15:22]
other attractions but getting back with my own experience with the master virtual scene in New York
[15:22 - 15:28]
we have developed a new audience approximately 18
[15:28 - 15:33]
percent of our first subscription season at film on a call. Were people who had
[15:33 - 15:38]
never gone to a concert or had bought tickets
[15:38 - 15:42]
for a concert series. Why did they come. Well we offered other
[15:42 - 15:47]
opportunities we offered them a free party. We used as we say the gimmicks of the
[15:47 - 15:52]
day as you aptly put Bernard the Madison Avenue approach. We also
[15:52 - 15:57]
gave them music evenings which were informal get togethers where they meet socially where they would
[15:57 - 16:01]
hear a famous authority on music talk about the music and also
[16:01 - 16:06]
demonstrate elements. People want to learn and also above all of our
[16:06 - 16:11]
programming was entertaining. It included new things that
[16:11 - 16:16]
included repertoire for example. It's a strange thing in New York City with all the music
[16:16 - 16:21]
that we do present here. We presented for example two years ago in the master virtual SI
[16:21 - 16:26]
series. All of the Paris Haydn symphonies in one season. Now this hadn't been done in
[16:26 - 16:30]
New York in over 20 years. Yet in London or in Berlin or in Paris every
[16:30 - 16:35]
few years there is a so-called cycle of these symphonies so that we
[16:35 - 16:40]
presented music that had not been heard regularly a great deal of the
[16:40 - 16:45]
musical literature we don't hear it might not be the greatest thing written by a
[16:45 - 16:50]
famous composer. Well we're hearing it but well worth hearing.
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I'd like now to get to that first big question.
[16:54 - 16:59]
What does it take to make the big time for a newcomer
[16:59 - 17:00]
today.
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I would have to say he should have an exceptional ability. This would be a
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prerequisite though there is some tendency to
[17:10 - 17:16]
have what we would call mediocre standards accepted in certain artists.
[17:16 - 17:20]
But basically he should be an outstanding talent and that talent should be one
[17:20 - 17:25]
whereby he is able to communicate his art to the public because the final
[17:25 - 17:30]
arbiter is the public and not the critic so technique and tone and all such matters are
[17:30 - 17:32]
not primary.
[17:32 - 17:36]
No the communicative quality that I had trouble as it is yes is the big thing.
[17:36 - 17:41]
Yes and some of the younger people do have this. In fact
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as I said before I hope that we will have a golden age because I'm noticing amongst them younger men
[17:46 - 17:49]
and women. And by the way this is an amazing factor.
[17:49 - 17:54]
Many of the younger women have this Communicate of skill but not many with a great deal of
[17:54 - 17:59]
what you'd call magnetism though. No but I want to get out on a stage they like better ask you to hold
[17:59 - 18:04]
your spellbound. Ah but then there are those who I've heard who are studying now. The ones in the
[18:04 - 18:09]
20 learning that. That have the ability to communicate I've sat and listened
[18:09 - 18:13]
Yes their skill is not polished their technique still needs development. It was a
[18:13 - 18:18]
well-known concert pianist understand this but they have a little something and
[18:18 - 18:22]
I'm. I haven't heard it I'm going to be Liza was that or somebody now they're what we've called in
[18:22 - 18:28]
there in preparation they have not been brought out to the public as yet. That's an important factor
[18:28 - 18:32]
to artists should not be presented until he has
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developed all of his skills and is prepared to enter the
[18:37 - 18:40]
musical arena as a proficient artist.
[18:40 - 18:45]
All right he's got to have great talent and be communicative. How about money. Do
[18:45 - 18:50]
you think he has to have a or I should say do you think but must he have a lot of money either by
[18:50 - 18:53]
from his own coffers or from an angel to launch a career.
[18:53 - 18:57]
I would think that he would need a certain amount of financial
[18:57 - 19:02]
assistance so that he can continue his art without the financial
[19:02 - 19:04]
pressures upon him.
[19:04 - 19:08]
There are certain materials he requires There are certain.
[19:08 - 19:14]
Publicity aides which he would need and there's another factor I bought from you that
[19:14 - 19:19]
for you the manager and also a manager must feel
[19:19 - 19:23]
that there is an opportunity that this artist is going to develop and he
[19:23 - 19:28]
places his time and his efforts into it. But again I
[19:28 - 19:33]
think most people who my colleagues in the field feel that part of it is our
[19:33 - 19:37]
obligation to develop an interest in young artists. How much money does he need.
[19:37 - 19:43]
I would say that it depends upon the type of program that
[19:43 - 19:47]
has been laid out for him by the professional management in the thousands.
[19:47 - 19:52]
I would have to say all right what about the element of luck. How important is that in the launching of
[19:52 - 19:54]
a new career.
[19:54 - 19:59]
I would think it has a certain effect but for example let's say that
[19:59 - 20:04]
there is a young pianist very vibrant well valued. All right now let me go to
[20:04 - 20:09]
Van Cliburn right Van Cliburn was a fine artist before he
[20:09 - 20:14]
won the famous Russian competition. However his
[20:14 - 20:18]
career was in a somewhat hazy areas very
[20:18 - 20:23]
precarious. I think that this season before he won the competition the number
[20:23 - 20:28]
of performing dates was less than a dozen for him. It is as though he had
[20:28 - 20:33]
gained recognition as being a fine artist but suddenly the first American to win this
[20:33 - 20:37]
great competition. And that Texan an
[20:37 - 20:42]
interesting personality. Yes luck did have something to do with it and he became a
[20:42 - 20:44]
household word in the right.
[20:44 - 20:49]
And we watch Eugene list. Yes again Andrei Watts is a fine young artist
[20:49 - 20:54]
one of the great artists I think of the future the interest and here I come to another point the
[20:54 - 20:58]
interest of a great conductor such as Leonard Bernstein interest in
[20:58 - 21:01]
Mr. Watts.
[21:01 - 21:05]
He presented him with the New York Philharmonic he gave him that major exposure.
[21:05 - 21:10]
In other words I think a great way for an artist to gain
[21:10 - 21:15]
popularity and exposure is where a famous conductor presents him with his
[21:15 - 21:20]
orchestra mentions him to another conductors as I've had. Mr. Watts he's wonderful
[21:20 - 21:24]
why don't you and other words get a good conductor like mentor. They like you and that brings me to the next
[21:24 - 21:25]
question.
[21:25 - 21:30]
I believe it was Maurice who once said that he felt the most important attribute that a public performer could
[21:30 - 21:35]
have was the ability to make an audience like him on stage. And he differentiated this
[21:35 - 21:40]
quality from sheer personality or stage magnetism. He
[21:40 - 21:45]
felt for instance that if an audience felt kindly towards an artist that he'd excuse him all
[21:45 - 21:49]
kinds of sin. Do you agree with that. That's a little different from just sheer personality because you can
[21:49 - 21:55]
have a very imposing person come out in the stage and Rivet your attention at the same time. You might not like him you
[21:55 - 21:59]
may not feel kindly disposed toward him. On the other hand somebody else might come out and disarm you with a
[21:59 - 22:04]
smile and you don't care of EU has a lot of clinkers you know you just got to like even clap for him and root
[22:04 - 22:05]
for him anyway.
[22:05 - 22:10]
Well I think I have to go back in essence when I was very young
[22:10 - 22:16]
Mr. De sicking came out on the stage and I think his audience
[22:16 - 22:18]
liked him to begin with.
[22:18 - 22:24]
You know he's back. They basically like all around others Yeah very recently about
[22:24 - 22:28]
why they felt that he was a great artist and that he gave them
[22:28 - 22:34]
an evening of wonderful music again we go back to his ability to communicate
[22:34 - 22:39]
his art to them I would have to say that when the late great dame
[22:39 - 22:45]
Myra Hess walked onto a stage the audience liked her she could do no wrong.
[22:45 - 22:49]
And you feel that this is also very I think this has a factor with the artifice you know it without
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mentioning names you mentioned a violinist well known today let's not mention names here.
[22:53 - 22:58]
No of course not but you felt that his personality while fairly arresting.
[22:58 - 23:00]
It was a detriment to him on stage.
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I think that walkout and his physical appearance tends to take away
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from this man's great art. The audience doesn't immediately know
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he has to win their affection to a degree. Of course he's a great artist and he's able to by the
[23:15 - 23:16]
time the evening is over.
[23:16 - 23:21]
Let me ask you Do you feel that gimmicks in a serious artist or are good or bad
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coarse gimmicks are not really new department.
[23:25 - 23:29]
Well there's some question as to whether he was just plain loony or whether he was very smart. You know talking to the
[23:29 - 23:34]
audience and putting Chopin's quotes socks on the piano and all this kind of thing
[23:34 - 23:39]
and then rescue again to mention that name played with a darkened stage and I think shot and used to
[23:39 - 23:44]
talk intimately to his audience there been all kinds of gimmicks in the past. But in general do you
[23:44 - 23:49]
think when an artist does something extra musical that you feel is kind of for sensation
[23:49 - 23:54]
or for effect is this good does it help him or do people look on a serious artist doing
[23:54 - 23:56]
this kind of thing with a certain suspicion.
[23:56 - 24:02]
Well first of all I am not a purist but one thing that I do demand
[24:02 - 24:07]
of any artist would be that in the presentation of
[24:07 - 24:12]
his music that he does not dilute any of that standard
[24:12 - 24:16]
of performance. I don't care whether he adjusts his seat. I
[24:16 - 24:21]
don't care whether he talks to the audience because many of the people are
[24:21 - 24:26]
interested in him I think one of the problems we have in developing an interest in
[24:26 - 24:31]
solo recitals is that certain people who would come to hear these artists find a
[24:31 - 24:35]
coldness in the report they would like someone to say the next
[24:35 - 24:40]
work I'm going to play was written by him.
[24:40 - 24:45]
And also I think lighting affects remember we are in a
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competitive situation I go back to this question that other media we
[24:50 - 24:53]
have become refined in terms of the techniques of television
[24:53 - 24:59]
live theater for that matter so that lighting effect is important sustaining a
[24:59 - 25:04]
mood. So you're not against all no I'm not against it no no as long
[25:04 - 25:07]
as it does not take away from the musical performance itself.
[25:07 - 25:12]
I certainly agree with you there. I do want to get to your own career as a manager Robert G Wald.
[25:12 - 25:15]
What's in the offing with some of your artists.
[25:15 - 25:19]
Well my management is rather diversified I have represented artists
[25:19 - 25:24]
from Woody Herman and his concert band
[25:24 - 25:28]
through to Jose to be one of the great pianists of our time.
[25:28 - 25:32]
I have had the exciting challenge of developing artists
[25:32 - 25:37]
such as Gary Carr the young
[25:37 - 25:42]
virtuoso the double bass who everyone said you cannot make
[25:42 - 25:47]
or develop an interest in the double bass as a solo instrument but yet if the artist is great
[25:47 - 25:52]
enough he started That's right because of it's he never attained
[25:52 - 25:58]
fame that way he became of course a famous conductor and actually we've only had three great
[25:58 - 26:02]
double bass virtuosi in that if you want to I ever heard dragon had a dragon and he made a
[26:02 - 26:08]
major career by the way in the early part of the 19th century.
[26:08 - 26:12]
I have for example I'm presenting a very fine pianist look we go Sean skeet.
[26:12 - 26:18]
Who has been by the way compared to Richter by the Cisco examiner who will be
[26:18 - 26:23]
presenting a concert under my auspices at Carnegie Hall on
[26:23 - 26:27]
February 25th to try and catch that and then I also would bring him back for his
[26:27 - 26:32]
second Carnegie Hall appearance in two years of air and Roseanne. The violin a violinist
[26:32 - 26:37]
and Aaron of course who is an American born in Chicago has received
[26:37 - 26:42]
tremendous acclaim outside of this country as yet we haven't discovered one of our own.
[26:42 - 26:48]
I know that many concert managers are concerned if not alarmed at the persistence and almost
[26:48 - 26:53]
complete takeover of the musical interest of college students by rock n roll
[26:53 - 26:58]
and hence they're worried about the audiences of the future now do you feel that this is even though it's been around for
[26:58 - 27:03]
quite a while. Rock n Roll that is a passing fancy or are you honestly very
[27:03 - 27:04]
concerned about it.
[27:04 - 27:09]
Do well. I book a great deal of artists and attractions I say
[27:09 - 27:13]
of different types at colleges and universities. The predominant
[27:13 - 27:18]
presentations on what we call concert series are more popular type
[27:18 - 27:23]
attractions. There is for example a swing toward films to a great
[27:23 - 27:27]
degree. I have a very wonderful one man show The Canterbury
[27:27 - 27:32]
Tales which is. Performed by Rob Inglis the Australian
[27:32 - 27:37]
actor. Now this program's been sold out in the three touring years in which I
[27:37 - 27:41]
presented at colleges at colleges and universities. The young people love it. Now this is
[27:41 - 27:46]
Chaucer supposedly not saleable but the
[27:46 - 27:51]
problem is that many of the auspices many of the college advisors tend to
[27:51 - 27:56]
follow what the students want and it's regrettable that a great deal of the
[27:56 - 28:00]
popular performing acts and I don't say only rock music or soul music
[28:00 - 28:06]
or even the comedy people are not top in quality. We seem to
[28:06 - 28:11]
be devoted to a great deal of mediocrity. However there is
[28:11 - 28:15]
one thing that a great deal of
[28:15 - 28:21]
the artists that do perform at the colleges though they are of a mediocre nature you
[28:21 - 28:26]
still find some very fine ones in the field of rock and soul music and
[28:26 - 28:30]
I feel that these tastes of the students will continue but at the same time
[28:30 - 28:35]
let's develop a new taste for the most serious type of music musician and musical
[28:35 - 28:36]
literature.
[28:36 - 28:41]
Tell me in closing that you will that you feel that there will always be an audience
[28:41 - 28:44]
for good music what we call beauty.
[28:44 - 28:49]
I would say over the next terrible because I like rock too but I want
[28:49 - 28:54]
serious music. I would think that until the year 2000 it would all
[28:54 - 28:59]
still around. There will still be audiences that will go to opera and go to concerts after that I will
[28:59 - 29:01]
not venture any prediction I feel better.
[29:01 - 29:06]
Robert G Well my thanks for joining me and for the opportunity of hearing your
[29:06 - 29:11]
views regarding the fast changing kaleidoscope that makes up the music scene
[29:11 - 29:15]
today. This is been Bernard Gabriel repeating once more the words of Rachmaninoff when
[29:15 - 29:19]
he said that one life was hardly enough to give for music.
[29:19 - 29:23]
But that music was quite enough to feel a life.
[29:23 - 29:29]
This program was acquired with funds provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
[29:29 - 29:32]
This is the national educational radio network.
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