Steve Schwartz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Most top U. S. orchestral musicians don't know American music,
>other than Copland, Bernstein, Gershwin, Adams, and whatever hot
>ticket of the moment, and have no desire to find out.  Same with
>many conductors of such orchestras, who are mostly furriners.  Like
>it or not, the repertoire is defined mainly by Austro-German composers
>from Haydn through Mahler.

A terrible waste.  The American violinist Hillary Hahn is starting her
DG recording contract with Bach.  Yet there are already so many recordings
of this repetoire.  Surely it would be better for her to record the
horribly underrecorded Piston for W Schumann with, say, the Cleveland
or Philhadelphia orchestras?  It seems an ideal opportunity for the
violinist to make a real landmark recording and a long term best-seller.
Instead she and other violinists for the majors are sticking by overcooked
warhorses and watching their CD sales plummet.

In this time of crisis the US orchestras need to pull finger and raise
their profile, as the LSO has successfully done with LSO Live.  Again,
why can the LSO pull off a daring Troyens with top-notch cast whilst US
orchestras' stunning performances of operas (I think of the Cleveland
Siegfried) and concert music are lost to a world wide audience?

Recording and distributing music is not just for the archives - it raises
profiles, awareness and when PRICED and distributed properly can lead
to long term profits.  The US orchestras are the greatest in the world
today but they will leave comparatively little recorded legacy to prove
it.

Regards,

David Harbin
Nottingham, UK