for those of the classical breed

[breakingnews]

This is a great article that appeared in the Wash Post Magazine. Well written, interesting to those who can appreciate it. My only qualm is ... I never expected the WP to stage a stunt like this. It seems really low-end.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...040401721.html

HE EMERGED FROM THE METRO AT THE L'ENFANT PLAZA STATION AND POSITIONED HIMSELF AGAINST A WALL BESIDE A TRASH BASKET. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play.
...
Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he's really bad? What if he's really good? Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?
...
No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made.
...
"Well, who was the musician?"

Joshua Bell.

[Clodfobble]

As a former viola player, had I been there that day I would have definitely recognized the out-of-place skill level if not his actual face (I'm more familar with how he looked when he was younger, but it's possible I'd recognize him anyway.) But the people who walked by regularly see buskers in the area, and I don't think I can fault them for not recognizing that this one was different than all the others.

For the record though, (relatively good) musicians are the only people I have ever given money to on the street.

[breakingnews]

which musicians i tip depends entirely on my mood. it has absolutely nothing to do with the quality, although the more talented ones certainly draw my attention better than others. it's simply a matter of how much entertainment i am provided while going through an often dreadful daily commute.

if that is the case, however, why don't i feel compelled to tip the drunk asshole who pissed himself and is rolling around in a pile of garbage? that is a similar level of entertainment, sometimes even more so. do we as a society underappreciate the ability to be debaucherous?

[glatt]

My wife and I read that same article yesterday. Actually, she was reading it to me, and I kept asking her to skip ahead to the results. I was certain that nobody would stop. It's morning rush hour. People have to be at work on time. It has happened to me many times. You come up the escalator and hear some nice music. You enjoy it as you go by, and you continue on your way.

How many people would stop? "Hey boss. Sorry I'm 45 minutes late. I just heard some pretty music and had to stop to listen." Nobody.

If they did this "test" during the middle of the day when tourists are around, or on the weekend, there would be a huge crowd.

[DanaC]

Oh...Oh! That's just awesome!. I love violins. I always regretted being talked into learning the flute instead of the violin as a kid. I would totally have stuck around to listen. No instrument on earth soars like a violin played well.

[bluecuracao]

We've got an electric violinist who plays in our neighborhood occasionally. He sounds especially cool when you're a block or two away, and the music's bouncing off the buildings, so you can't really figure out where the music is coming from.

[DanaC]

Oh beautiful! I'd love to hear that! I can totally imagine it.

[kerosene]

I got talked into playing the flute, too, Dana. I wanted to play the french horn!

[Beestie]

I'm surprised the Metro Gestapo didn't cuff his ass, pepper spray him in the eyes and chuck him in the back of a squad car.

[bluecuracao]

They don't get paid enough for that...but then again, I can see them being bored enough to do that, just for the hell of it. If any of 'em are around, that is.

[SteveDallas]

Pardon me for being cynical.

The violin CD buying audience prefers its violinists to be young, female, and photogenic. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Bell. He's a fine musician and he's done some very interesting recordings that set him apart from the typical phenomenon du jour who will record Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, and then disappear into obscurity. But the fact is he's not as hot a ticket as he was twenty years ago. So why not indulge in a little publicity stunt?

[breakingnews]

Not a bad idea - try the stunt with a chick, like Midori or Vanessa Mae (or maybe a real youngin', like Caitlin Tully, who I saw last year), and see what happens. Recognition wouldn't be any better, but I'm sure more people would stop to oogle at a hot chick jammin on a fiddle.

I'm surprised Josh Bell agreed to the gig, although not as surprised as the WP staging this sort of thing. From the article, though, it sounds like Bell is a pretty level-headed guy, not your typical hot-headed soloist. Kudos to him for takin the ego shot.

And I love the Chaconne from the Bach partita - probably my favorite piece ever.