#MinnegeddonPartDeux — when all anti-Mozart is unmasked…

There are really only two kinds of people — those who get Mozart and those who don’t.  Many of those who don’t brazenly pretend to be Mozart experts — even taking to performing his music while holding him in contempt, using the music as some sort of victory banner, so to speak.  They arrogantly seem to think that they can do so without consequence.  After all, Mozart is the one who is dead, isn’t he? they think.  Many of those who detest Mozart are, in fact, extremely knowledgeable about his life and music.  They can tell you great detail about both — while missing the point of the unique position Mozart really represented.  

But now, at this time in the history of music, the two camps have separated. Just as the I35W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis in 2007, the bridge of confusion seeming to connect the two groups has been destroyed.  Those who genuinely love Mozart and his music are protected by the glorious sound of die zauberflote; those who do not are camped on the other side — they get to face the cacaphony of the Night Magician and what one called his ‘riding-crop voice’ and try to pretend their lives will not be affected.  They sometimes even seeth with rage and grit their teeth as they try to find someway to escape the fate they are starting to understand that they may have brought upon themselves.  

And so, this is the essence of Minnegeddon, pre-MO lockout and MinnegeddonPartDeux, post lockout.  MinnegeddonPartDeux also includes in its scope the lockout of the Other Mozart by the cadre “Monostatos”, which has grown to include, it appears, those who attempted to turn the bridge tragedy into art, as well as a couple of area musical groups and some schools. Hopefully, by now all of those who are truly anti-Mozart are unmasked, so those around them can see for themselves what they are dealing with.  And perhaps for some there will be a bit of chastening, and a return to the glowing shelter of die zauberflote…

#MinnegeddonPartDeux — an odd coincidence? …:-0

One of the more potentially serious consequences of the torrential rain and flooding of this last week throughout most of the state of Minnesota was a hill that collapsed adjacent to a major hospital that is situated on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River– http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/25825036/mudslide-land-gives-way-near-fairview-riverside-hospital.  

Ironically, one of those who has tried to block die zauberflote, part of the clique of “Monostatos” ran to that hospital to get help after everything in their life seemed to turn upside-down…

#MinnegeddonPartDeux…as of today…

Last week torrential rains tore through most of the state of Minnesota.  Many roads are still closed and countless citizens are waiting with their hearts in their throats to see if sandbags will hold while the rivers and Minnehaha Creek crest this week.  This dire condition is consistent with the events transpiring surrounding me and die zauberflote.

Early in the MO lockout I sent very respectful letters to Michael Henson and Osmo Vanska describing why I consider myself to be a part of the MO family and asked to be heard again on the stage at Orchestra Hall, where I once was regularly encouraged to practice.  I even recently sent a last letter to Gordon Sprenger, asking for his help in bringing me and die zauberflote to the public at the level of the press.  I have not been granted the courtesy of a reply, so have no choice but to move forward on my own.  Still, it seems somewhat ironic that they insist on staying mum about the player one of their own has let slip is the “most exciting musician since Mozart.”  Other players in fact, made similar dazzling statements before running away as fast as they can.  

So no I am starting to prepare a group of concerts that will be, appropriately, called “Locked-Out Concerts.”  They will feature, I hope, the music of some whose suffering makes my experiences look utterly superficial — the women composers who were interned in camps in the Holocaust.  And the program will also include pieces by Mozart, for yes, he was indeed locked-out of his rightful position and financial security by those who deemed him, alive, to be a threat.  

 

Ah yes, reminders of the “Tornado Concert”…

With dual tornadoes flattening a small town in Nebraska yesterday I found myself thinking of a performance I gave under rather challenging conditions some time ago.  The program was, what else? — all Mozart.  The venue was the beautiful Art Room of the Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church in Minneapolis.  Everything went smoothly until around noon the day of the performance.  Tornadoes moved in on the Twin Cities.  Some of my guests who planned to attend the concert found themselves holed up in movie theater in a Mall in St. Paul as a tornado roared by.  Another who lived near Lake of the Isles found a tree had fallen across their driveway.  One tornado zeroed in on my accompanist’s apartment building.  He became terrified and tried to bow out, claiming he had no way to get to the church.  He did, fortunately, manage to arrive, at the last moment.  And yes, everything ended up working beautifully, and all but a handful who had planned to attend made it and seemed to be delighted by the program.  My three little children ran around the back of the room, playing quietly.  As with just about everything connected to Mozart, that which seemed to be almost impossibly challenging evolved into an experience of absolute joy…

Wolfgang Mozart — How many other musicians came with venticelli? How about a vortex?

Wherever Wolfgang Mozart went he seemed to create controversy.  It seemed people either loved him or hated him.  Most tended to fall into the latter category.  As he began to take over the territory previously owned by the ‘older, established composers’ the tumult became even worse.  He could not possibly have composed an opera as a teen-ager, they said.  Surely, Leopold must have composed it for him.  They seemed to forget that in all his days Leopold had never composed an opera attributed to himself.  

The minute Wolf would arrive in a town, the word went out.  Whispers began.  What would he do?  What would he say?  What outrageous piece would he compose today?  How would he, by inference, humiliate his peers who struggled to compose and edit while he tossed off pieces he seemed to pull out of his head?  

And this is how the vortex began.  The whispers of the venticelli turned into a general agreement that something must be done.  This obnoxious overlord had to be stopped.  And so they banded together in agreement over his demise.  They treated him as though he were already dead.  Then they waited for something to happen.  Every time he moved, every time he stumbled, they rejoiced.  And they lay in wait. The vortex of slander grew larger as Wolf became more vulnerable.  He succumbed to the vortex of the evil eye, and they rejoiced.  They stole his music to parade like a banner — they had defeated the great one, the one who could not be imitated because of a unique gift of shalom which caused them to gnash their teeth.  They could perform Wolf’s music using their energy and remain unscathed from its effects.  Or so they believed…

What happened to Mozart? Might it have included an ‘evil eye’…:-0

Every once and a while someone will make reference to an ‘evil eye’.  This, as a concept, seems to have started in the earliest civiizations, where even Egyptians had a stone with an ‘eye’ in it, to ward off the ‘evil eye.’  There is a look connected to the concept, eg ‘he gave me the evil eye’.  But there is also a group context.  It works like this.  

Someone with ill intent will insinuate themself into another person’s life, pretending to be their friend.  They are very chummy, oh-so-helpful, and nearly always ‘good’ people who make sure to let you know just now special they are.  They flatter and move in.  In truth, they are only feigning affection.  They are about to begin treating this person as though they were already dead.  The victim may sense little bits of disrespect or harshness from time to time, but for the most part they are sure they ‘know’ the person and must have misread their word or action. This leader will then assimilate others with ill intent toward this person.  If these are people already in a relationship, such as family or co-worker to the victim, all the better.  A few knowing looks can solidify a connection.  Then all these people are in agreement that this person needs to go.  They form a group, or a vortex of the evil eye.  This will tend to cause the victim to become vulnerable, and perhaps take sick or have some sort of accident.  It all looks ‘natural’ and nobody is to blame.  Some people seem to have been targeted in this way.  One of them is Mozart, others are JFK and Princess Diana.  Just a thought…