Joesph Horowitz Now Blogging At Artsjournal.com

[THEHORN]

Joseph Horowitz , author of such interesting if annoyingly tendentious books as "Understanding Toscanini" and "Classical Music In America" , has a new blog at artsjournal.com called "The Unanswered Question", named after the brief and enigmatic piece by Charles Ives .
He's been covering his usual ground , discussing the programming of American orchestras , the history of classical music in the USA, new trends etc. As I said , it's decidedly tendentious, but certainly interesting . I look forward to politely disagreeing with him in my comments on the blog .

[stenka razin]

I disliked Horowitz' book on my favorite conductor of all time, the great Toscanini. It truly was 'annoying'.

[MarkC]

Don't forget The Ivory Trade, his terrific book on the Cliburn piano competition. (I mean the "real" Cliburn competition, not the one that amateurs like me play in.)

That was a little "tendentious" too, although not particularly more so than many other people have been about music competitions.

[THEHORN]

Stenka, Understanding Toscanini was not really about bashing Toscanini's conducting , but rather an attempt to show what he considered the crass commercialization of all the publicity about him and how Toscanini's conservative programming allegedly had a negative affect on orchestral programming later, an assertion which I reject .
In fact , Horowitz admires some of Toscanini's recordings greatly .

[stenka razin]

Stenka, Understanding Toscanini was not really about bashing Toscanini's conducting , but rather an attempt to show what he considered the crass commercialization of all the publicity about him and how Toscanini's conservative programming allegedly had a negative affect on orchestral programming later, an assertion which I reject .
In fact , Horowitz admires some of Toscanini's recordings greatly .

I was not implying that Horowitz, the revisionist was 'bashing' Mr. T's conducting, I just did not like Horowitz's approach or methods in his mind numbing book.
Mr. Horowitz has an interesting perspective -- that classical music in the U.S. was taken over by commercial interests -- but he contradicts his argument in an attack that misled and miscommunicated information, on the greatest conductor of the first half of the 20th century. Toscanini's crime was that he conducted music as it was written and I loved what I heard and what he accomplished with the fabulous NBC Symphony.
I have every commercial Toscanini recording on CD and lots and lots of 'pirated' CDs. Toscanini was a 'thunderbolt' sent down from the heavens and he will never be replaced. HE is why I am a classical fanatic as most of my fellow CMGers are. Bless him and his GREAT and unforgettable legacy.

[THEHORN]

I agree with you about the book. It's highly tendentious
and filled with innuendo .
In fact, Toscanini's concentration on familiar masterpieces with the NBC symphony did absolutely no
permanent harm to orchestras in America in the long run, as Horowitz maintains, because they have premeried countless new works since his death .
But that's Horowitz for you.He has an annoying tendency to cite irrelevant facts out of context in an attempt to
make sweeping negative claims about our classical music institutions. But these facts prove absolutely nothing but his own biases.

[stenka razin]

I agree with you about the book. It's highly tendentious
and filled with innuendo .
In fact, Toscanini's concentration on familiar masterpieces with the NBC symphony did absolutely no
permanent harm to orchestras in America in the long run, as Horowitz maintains, because they have premeried countless new works since his death .
But that's Horowitz for you.He has an annoying tendency to cite irrelevant facts out of context in an attempt to
make sweeping negative claims about our classical music institutions. But these facts prove absolutely nothing but his own biases.

Well said, mate!

[Chalkperson]

I stay well away from anything/anyone that is called "Horowitz"...

[MarkC]

I stay well away from anything/anyone that is called "Horowitz"...

I don't get it.........

[Chalkperson]

I stay well away from anything/anyone that is called "Horowitz"...

I don't get it.........

Jeez, and there was me thinking you were pretty smart, OK, I don't enjoy Toscanini or Vlad the Man, so I won't be reading a blogger called Horowitz and I certainly won''t be listening to a Pianist named Horowitz...you can imagine a LOL Smiley at the end here, you have so overused them that they are in small supply right now...

[MarkC]

I was kidding

[pizza]

Mr. Horowitz has an interesting perspective -- that classical music in the U.S. was taken over by commercial interests --

It wasn't?