I was in Chicago the last weekend of September and splurged by hearing
their subscription series opener...twice (Barenboim conducted Bruch's
Kol Nidre with YoYo Ma in memory of Isaac Stern, the world premier of
the Carter Cello Concerto, and the three big orchestral excerpts from
Goetterdaemmerung).  Quite a thrill to hear the extended CSO live in
Symphony Center after all these years of listening to recordings and
broadcasts.

Since I'd read just John von Rhein's mention in the Tribune of the radio
broadcast termination, I asked one of the CSO Archives staff members
whether cancellation of the broadcasts--nationally syndicated for the
past 25 years--also meant that the concerts would no longer be taped
for archival.  He said that that was indeed the case, since there is no
contractual provision for taping other than for radio broadcasts...their
archival is a side benefit.  The CSO was the last US orchestra to be heard
on radio 52 weeks a year.  They had received a $1.2 million challenge
grant, but were unable to come up with the remaining funds needed to
continue the broadcasts, which will now broadcast CSO commercial recordings
through the end of the year.

What a loss!

Mike Smith
Boulder  CO