Monday, May 21

NEWS FLASH: Creative Loafing reports that the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Atlanta's daily newspaper, is eliminating its classical music reviewer position. Other AJC arts critics are also losing their slots. For Atlanta-area music lovers, rational responses to this news might include howling like a coyote or tearing out one's hair (or someone else's). Or one could do what Atlanta Symphony music director Robert Spano did and fire off a letter to the editor. In today's paper, Spano writes:

Ours is a city of growth, and this loss would strike a disheartening blow to our ambitious aspirations. If the AJC follows through with this decision, it will distinguish Atlanta as the largest city in the country without a classical music, book or art critic on staff at its major newspaper. ... A newspaper's practice of regularly reviewing fine arts is intrinsic to its civic mission. ... Art matters.
Share your thoughts with me. If, like most GPB listeners, you live outside Atlanta, does your local paper review classical concerts? How do you value that service? If you do read the AJC, how do you feel about the cuts? Is this an inevitable consequence of the shift from a print world to an online world? Please write middaymusic@gpb.org.

And as for today's playlist:

11 AM
  • Guastavino: Guitar Sonata No. 3. Victor Villadangos (Naxos 8.557658)
  • Rachmaninoff: Russian Rhapsody for piano duo. Bakke and Kafarova (Centaur 2822)
  • Mozart: String Quartet in A major, K. 464. Klenke Quartet (Profil 04032)
12 N
  • Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue. Jon Nakamatsu, Rochester Phil, Tyzik (Harmonia Mundi 807441)
  • Dittersdorf: Sinfonia in A major. Lisbon Metropolitan Orch, Cassuto (Naxos 8.570198)
  • Myers: Cavatina. Christopher Parkening (EMI 57591)
  • Grainger: Danish Folk-Music Suite. Melbourne Sym, Simon (Cala 4033)
1 PM
  • Holst: A Fugal Concerto, Op. 40/2. Pyne, Harmer, English Sinfonia, Griffiths (Naxos 8.570339)
  • Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit. Tzimon Barto (Ondine 1095)
  • Glazunov: Overture No. 1 on Three Greek Themes. USSR Sym, Svetlanov (Melodiya 00164)

Posted by Sarah Zaslaw at 10:00 AM