Don, responding to me responding to Don:

>>>I know that "visuals" are increasingly prevalent and desired, but I
>>>personally do not derive any benefit from them when music is being
>>>played.
>
>>None?  Never?  You don't ever want to watch who is playing what?
>
>Well, I wouldn't mind watching an attractive female performing in
>Frederick's Of Hollywood garb.  What should she perform?  Anything she
>wants.

Well, I'd say this is a good time for you to start looking into the
latest visuals, Don!  It seems many performers today are young hotties,
attractively "pacakged" by recording companies (and their Maker).  You've
got the Ahn Trio, Leila Josefowicz, Hilary Hahn, Anne-Sophie Mutter, ...
And yesterday I see in the New York Times a spread on female conductors.
Check out Anu Tali, dude!

   http://www.teldec.com/artistbiography.php?artist=3150

(Be sure to move the mouse over various images - let me know if one of
the garbs is from Frederick's Of Hollywood.)

Don, wouldn't you sacrifice your own images of Scheherazade to see her
conduct it?

In all (or at least some) seriousness, what do we think of the new
packaging of these stars?  Is it a healthy sign of things to come in
classical music?  Surely, there are young ladies out there who could be
drawn to the power of a sexy conductor as they might be to Britney Spears.

Are these performers as good as they look?  Or is it only their looks
that get them the big gigs?

Will this trend inspire the next generation?  Or is it just a sign of
the crass depths to which we have to sink to make classical music seem
palatable to the masses?

(My initial thinking is that we should be open-minded and give this
movement a trial period of at least a few decades before decrying it.)

Rick Mabry
Shreveport, LA