Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Breaking the deafening silence (II)

With reference to my earlier published title (posted on 17 April), I need to make a slight correction, perhaps to clarify the title a bit more. Therefore a kind of "part two". Slightly after I have posted the first blog-entry, I was informed by Peter Breiner, a Slovak composer, conductor, pianist and publicist, living currently in New York, that the clear and critical statement on the Symphony Orchestra of the Slovak Radio (SOSR) by Maestro Peter Feranec was not the only and first critical voice statement.

Dear Peter Breiner, you are absolutely right, and I owe you an apology for that omission. The reason why I (on purpose) labelled my entry as I did, was not so much that apparently nobody has ever published abou it, rather than every time I inquire on SOSR matters, there's suddenly no response, as if my questions regarding the orchestra are being absorbed by a mysterious black hole.

True is, that your articles, as published in the Slovak classical music periodical Hudobný život [Music Life] or any other media, I have not been able to get hold to. (Some articles you find even after 8 years on the web, some other vanish very fast... ). yes, I have read a few references to your articles, yet nobody could provide me copies. Until.... I coincidentally found an old issue of Hudobný život, and lo and behold: an article "From the other world", where you state the same concerns regarding the SOSR.

In order not to forget, I decided to immediately write a correction and explanation to you. Since I jumped into these problematics a bit later than the publication date of yoru article, it somehow missed me. Unfortunately, to find out, that both we hold the same (alarming) view on the orchestra. But when thinking of it, comes to me another question: why the secrecy around us, why does hardly anyone sincerely wants to listen and to act adequately? Perhaps, I have a clue though, which I don't want to say aloud. To quote a famous conductor: it's not good to be superstitious,because it brings bad luck. Your statement (sub-title) that "even Rome lost from the barbarians", is a gloomy prospect. But what you wrote then, and what I see now, almost seems to confirm this expectation. Time will tell, how much the Slovak nation values and perhaps even deserves its culture.

regards
MS

No comments: