Introduction to the blog

I could have easily called it post-classical for the hipster- meant ironically, of course- but post-hipster sounds more cutting-edge. In fact, it seems to me you can make anything sound more cutting edge by just adding a post in front of it. Try it. It's best when used in conjunction with vaguely art-related terms. Like, "I'm post-aesthetic in my approach," or "this is a blog for the post-media decade," or "we need to dig a hole for this fence post."

Anyway, I find most composer blogs to be incredibly boring. John Adams's is an exception, because his has taken a turn towards being the onion of the classical music world. I guess that's alright, and hey, he can do whatever he wants. But your typical composer blog tends to fall into the realm of "I took this picture out by the pond today. It made me think deeply about stuff (implied or explicitly)."


The other common theme for composer blogs is the "I'm traveling all over and getting my music played all the time" story arc, in which the composer comments on the espresso they had in Latvia, or other jaunting old-world style tales of bourgeois adventure. This has the added advantage of causing all your colleagues to secretly despise you, but yet somehow they'll all be your super best friend in person. These posts are often splattered with a sampling of "I finished the parts for OCTAVI-OR!IUS XI today!" style comments (as though we've all been sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for updates on the part completion status of OCTAVI-OR!IUS XI- "I wonder if 2nd bassoon part is completed yet? I better check my rss feed!")

All that is great, and warmest of wishes to my composer brethren successful or otherwise. Unfortunately, I neither think deep transcendental thoughts nor have successful world travels to report on. Despite these obvious handicaps, I'm hoping to create a blog that will have an interest level stretching at least 3 or 4 people beyond my mother. I have a news section on my website if you want to know about all my thousands of performances world-wide. My plan is to write a blog where I actually talk about music, and share opinions on it, which may get me in trouble. You know, because I have ideas about things. And since music critics around the country keep dying or getting fired, I think that this is more important than ever.

So what's going on in the post-hipster classical music scene in Los Angeles and beyond? I'll keep you posted.