Janos Gereben:

>The greening of the Philharmonic is amazing in sight and sound.  Where
>once there was a sea of gray hair on stage, the result of Rattle's two
>years is a great makeover: Young musicians!  Even younger! (A miraculous
>teenager on the double bass, and numerous twenty-somethings.) Women!
>Asians!  Latin Americans!

Last Wednesday I attended a rehearsal of the Boston Symphony - Colin
Davis, conducting Haydn (#72) and Elgar (#2) symphonies.  I noticed the
same change observed by Janos- it has become a much younger orchestra
than it was just a year or so ago.  Approaching Symphony Hall and passing
the stage door, I wondered what those kids with musical instruments were
doing going in there.  Well of course what they were doing was showing
up for work.  Later, during the concert, it appeared that the tympanist
was about 15 years old.  A firiend of my says that some of the very
best NE Conservatory students get to play with the orchestra sometimes.
Perhaps that explained some of what I saw. Or perhaps, as I approach 70,
everyone younger than I looks VERY younger.

Bernard Chasan