And by the way…

On this auspicious day I am adding a new blog — the Other Mozart… http://theothermozart.wordpress.com/  On this blog I will be focusing on looking at the life of Wolfgang Mozart from a different perspective…well, mine.  I will be exploring the nebulous topic of Wolfgang Mozart as a Christian; something that is rarely tackled.  I will be including posts with a Bible slant, and label them so (MFB– Mozart for Believers)…and hopefully I will make some inroads in defining my unique position, which seems, in many instances, to be akin from living inside an opera…well, ahem…yes…

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#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…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.  

 

#MinnegeddonPartDeux — Being Monostatos…

Imagine what it must feel like for “Monostatos” to go to sleep one night convinced they have succeeded in “locking out Mozart”, only to wake up the next morning to find that they are a minor character in Wolf’s last major opera…hmmm…