My 10 Favorite Conductors

The following is a list of conductors who have influenced me or shaped my conducting:
1 Claudio Abbado, James Levine, Mariss Jansons.
These three form the triumvirate of modern conductors who seem to represent my ideal conductors. They lead their respective orchestras with ease. Each is mild mannered in their approach and supportive of the musicians. When [...]

Brahms Requiem

While many musicians offer differing views on the interpretations of Brahms’ works, most seem to advocate performances that passionately and clearly communicate the balance between his backward looking classicism and his forward looking harmonic and structural innovations. Brahms music confounds interpreters with his supreme mastery of all the structural components of music and how he [...]

Listen and Watch

On April 9, 2007, the Classical music world experienced a shock of seismic proportions. Countless critics had been constantly proclaiming the death of classical music. The LA Philharmonic announced that its music director, composer-conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, was stepping down and that Gustavo Dudamel was taking over. Gustavo Dudamel, who has spent less than three decades [...]

Neo-Classical Perfection

In my opinion, the future of music will have more in common with the music of Stravinsky and Debussy than with Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern. Esa-Pekka Salonen, in a DVD, made a similar assertion and after much thought, I agree. While the influence of the Second Viennese School cannot be denied, I do see a [...]

Christians as Sub-Creators

A while back, I posted some thoughts about Bach and his creativity as it related to man being created in the image of God. I stumbled upon a very interesting essay by Jerram Barrs of Covenant Theological Seminary. The essay, entitled Christianity and the Arts, provides a distinctly biblical view of the relation between the [...]

Challenging Audiences: Andras Schiff

Andras Schiff has built an extraordinary career by challenging his audiences rather than catering to their desires. Though remarkable interpreter of Bach, Schumann, and Schubert, he is also known for his remarkable interpretations of Beethoven, Janacek, and Bartok. Currently, Andras is releasing and recording a remarkable set of the complete Beethoven sonatas for the German [...]

Imago Dei

“To me the chaconne is one of the most beautiful, incredible compositions. On one staff, and for a small instrument, this man pours out a world full of the most profound thoughts and powerful emotion.” – Johannes Brahms
I have often been asked who my favorite composer is. I never know how to answer. Bach, Beethoven, [...]