Wonderful article in The Washington Post.

[marcus]

Just thought I would share this article from the Washington Post.
Title: Pearls Before Breakfast :Can one of the nation's great musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour? Let's find out.

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

[NathanJK]

Wow, long article but I read it all! It's positively unbelievable to me, I'd like to think I'd be one of the ones who stopped, but who really knows...

[Saltwater Servitude]

I've always been fascinated classical despite my very limited knowledge of the genre. I've seen the Red Violin 3 or 4 times. It has in it one of Samuel L. Jackson's crowning moments of acting in which he says no words, makes no grand gestures, but rather portrays a man who is confronted by his ultimate beauty and recognizes that moment of delicate perfection. I'd highly recommend the movie to anyone with a taste for such things.

Would I have recognized Bell? No, probably not. Would I have listened? Without a doubt. Heck, I listen to music in restuarants and stores when no one else seems to recognize it as anything but background noise.

I would have listened for the same reason I despised going to work for a few months when all we had on the PA was effing Como/Sinatra-esque rolling NY gangster/Italian music. Same stuff they use on Olive Garden or Johnny Carino's commercials..Hey Mambo, Mambo Italiano...Damn I hated that crap.

Great article. Think I'll pull out my copy of the Red Violin soundtrack and irritate the neighbors tomorrow morning.

[marcus]

Yes I was amazed at the people who did not stop and listen but just kept walking. Like it says we are all consumed with our little gadgets to stop and listen to one of the best in the world. I did enjoy how the kids that passed by were the ones who wanted to stop and listen.

[kenw]

I must say I probably would not have recognized Mr Bell having never seen him in person, nor studied any CD/vinyl jackets long enough to register his face.

However, I would have recognized all the works he performed, if only to the composer level of detail.

I once stood rapt at a street corner in Karlsruhe, Germany listening as a string quartet of teenage musicians performed various works, some classic, some pop. I left all the Euros I had in my pocket that day......it was a great day from then on.

Let's face it, most people do not have any interest in classical music. My wife hates it ("sounds like someone died..."), but my grown kids tolerate it; my youngest even incorporated some Bach as an intro once in one of his concerts (The Clints, punk-emo). (trivia time: In the popular world the song was known as "Lovers Concerto" by the Toys, a girl group from the 60s, with music by Bach)

the new car has a 6 disk changer, there are MP3 disks in there now of: Mozart piano, Bach keyboard, Hank Williams/Wayne Hancock et al, 80s/90s pop, and 2 empty slots remain.....

[Saltwater Servitude]

Funny thing, I thought for years and years that Chaconne was a violin duet. It always sounded to me like two artists having an debate via their violins. To me it sounded like there were such a range of emotions being brought forth that no way could one person switch between them on such a speed and irregularity to maintain such a beautiful piece by one's self. I still remember the amazement I had when I heard it on 88.3 here in San Antonio one night and they said it performed by only one artist. I think I was on 410 near Broadway when they begin to play it that evening.

[jangliss]

I had read this, and somebody pointed me towards this posting on somebody elses' blog.

[engstrom]

I'm saddened by this. Not surprised, but saddened none the less.

[Tapper]

You know, I love music of all kinds, and I'm always likely to stop and listen a bit to anyone playing instruments - they don't have to be virtuosos, they just have to sound halfway good.

But in the morning, my head is filled with concerns for the days tasks, and I usually have very little time to spare before I'm late to work - so I doubt I would stop. And people in subway stations are very focused on time, and making their train - probably the worst possible place to try and get someones attention.