Now that Steinberg is leaving as the SF Symphony program annotator and
music advisor, his always-brilliant articles are becoming even more
important with his approaching retirement.  From today's program:

   Why We Are Here
   by Michael Steinberg

   SOME TIME AGO I read an article on how the rock generation of the
   sixties and seventies, approaching middle age, was turning into "the
   pop cultural establishment." It discussed such phenomena as Linda
   Ronstadt's "What's New," her recording of pre-rock standards such as
   "Someone to Watch Over Me." I found mention as well of Paul Simon's
   album "Hearts and Bones," "marketed as a pop record, but which in
   its sophistication is more like a collection of art songs." I listened
   to "Hearts and Bones" and found it quite engaging and not a bit like
   "Winterreise."

   As Stravinsky once remarked in another and with no intent of it is
   a different fraternity.  I intend no denigration, either, but I do
   want to make a distinction.  I am, after all, a former or, if you
   prefer, a reformed and I can't get that out of my blood any more than
   I seem able to erase it from the police and discerning and making
   distinctions are central to the critic's work.

   The distinction I wish to make is that the music we are involved with
   in the concert hall, the music we have never managed to agree on a
   name for, neither "classical" nor "serious" serving quite but the
   music responsible for bringing most of us by such diverse paths to
   listen to these artists this evening -- Why We Are Here -- this music
   has aspirations beyond "Hearts and Bones."

For the full article, go to http://www.sfsymphony.org/hframe2000season.htm,
then select Program Notes (lower left) -- Special Features -- "Why We Are
Here"

Janos Gereben/SF
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