
On artistic weirdness: Part three
I didn’t intend to do a part three on “artistic weirdness,” but sometimes weirdness just hits one in the face (not unlike that goose that once smashed Fabio in the schnoz at a Bush Gardens, but with less outrageous, bloody irony) when it comes to the arts. And so it happened this time: a former — and delightfully philosophical — student of mine started a Facebook discussion about a “Today Show” spot entitled: “Violin prodigy is ‘Viagra’ to classical music.” (Hat tip: Nick Tomasello).
First, I would like to make a sassy point: Beethoven’s music don’t need no stinking Viagra. If this is all about some clichéd perspective that classical music is wimpy, somebody needs to listen to Holst, Richard Strauss, Respighi, Dukas . . . need I go on? (Ever hear the Prelude of La Péri, for heaven’s sake? Viagra, my elbow.) [Read more →]