Jeff Dunn:

>I seriously wonder if some orchestra members would balk if one of the
>Listers here magically became a music director and began foisting tons
>of new music on them.

Well, I would like to try, just for a season:-)

>Even if all musicians loved new music, additional rehearsal time would
>have to be paid for.

That's that main reason why it's essential to strike a balance between
traditional and newer works!  I don't say that we should not play Brahm's
Fourth anymore...  I love this work, but I would also like to attend to
live performances of Bruch's Second, Berwald's Third, Raff's Fifth, Roth's
or Martucci's First (just to name a few interesting symphonies composed
during the second half of the 19th century).

>Furthermore, when commissions are by the minute, it's cheaper to pay for
>a 10-minute piece than go all out for a gut- wrencher like the Petterson
>7th; then you fill the rest of the program with public domain.

But you have great works in the public domain that are *never* played!
And orchestras *have* to create new works, or they will become mere
museums!  Actually, that's what more orchestras are becoming nowdays...

>As for the fine list of works worth investigating, I would remind readers
>that a few of the works on it have been receiving live performances.
>The Blacher Paganini Variations have been programmed throughout the U.S.
>in the past three years. Floyd's "Susanna" is one of the most popular
>American 20th-century operas. They're doing it here in the Bay Area in
>the next few weeks.

Susanna is a pure gem, and I'm happy to learn that this work gets a lot
of exposure in the US.  Concerning the Paganini Variations: this colorful
masterpiece should integrate the "standard symphonic repertoire" NOW.
Blacher is one of the most underrated German composers of the 20th
century...

Daniel Beland
Calgary, Alberta