Janos Gereben writes:

>If Nemtin sat in Box A of Davies Hall tonight, he would have had a good
>view of the audience, and would have seen a strange scene: people
>squirming, shaking their heads, leaving, and -- the majority -- laughing.
>
>It's difficult to react differently to what sounds like the soundtrack
>to an overproduced Grade B movie about a mass mating of dinosaurs among
>constantly erupting volcanos.  A huge orchestra, four-part mixed chorus, a
>pianist (Alexei Lubimov), amplified soprano (Susan Narucki), and Vladimir
>Ashkenazy towering on the podium -- a great effort by massed forces, but
>whatever for?

Well, I am gratified to read this.  But what a pity that instead of
using such massive forces for, say, Brian's "Gothic", they were squandered
on Nemtin.  I first encountered this character back in 1976/77, when his
(or as the label would have you believe, "Scriabin/Nemtin's") "Universe"
was released with mucho hype - hanging mobiles in the record stores,
comparison's to Holst's "Planets", etc etc.  "Universe" was definitely
on the cutting edge - of air-pudding, "New Age" style sonic mush.

But to read that the audience laughed, ahhhh, to have been there to
see the Emporer's clothes.....

Mark
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