Donald Satz commented:

>Mike Cole provided the list with the Modesto, California Symphony
>Orchestra 5-concert programming.  It looked fairly typical: no early
>music, no baroque music, no modernist music; just your average hum-drum
>we've heard it all before programming aimed to please novices and the
>casual listener.  ...

I have to disagree with Don.  OK, maybe the program is "typical;" maybe
it's "hum-drum;" maybe it's "aimed to please novices and the casual
listener." At the risk of seeming to "kiss up," I consider Don one of the
few on the list consistently worth paying attention to.  Don's good sense
of humor is another strong point.

I don't detect any humor in his comment, however.  I think that Don
forgets that most of us, myself among those in the fore front, do not have
his experience and his grasp of the music.  Although not a casual listener,
I do consider myself a novice.  I don't know how good a symphony the Modesto
is.  Looking at the schedule Mike Cole sent, it would seem that they are at
least competent to tackle some of the works on the program.

Finally, maybe what Classical Music needs is more "casual listeners" who,
hopefully, get past the beginner's stage to see what an incredible world
all of CM is.

All the best,

Ron Chaplin