It gets better...

From the July 3 issue of
The New Yorker:

FAREWELL SYMPHONY
Daniel Barenboim's final concerts in Chicago.

by Alex Ross

On June 17th, Daniel Barenboim ended his decade-and-a-half run as the music director of the Chicago Symphony with a gritty, impassioned performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony...

The concerts caused considerable excitement in Chicago, even among those who had never loved the conductor. Some listeners resisted his habit of insistently programming the likes of Carter and Boulez; others resented his pro-Palestinian statements, or criticized him for failing to evangelize to younger audiences. Nonetheless, spare tickets were going for five hundred dollars and up. On the last night of the series, a young man was seen out on Michigan Avenue waving a fistful of twenties.

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Yes, that was me! Unfortunately, the article goes on to say that I did not get into the concert, which is false. A letter to the editor is in the works.

Stay tuned...

BRAVO!

From the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, June 18, 2006:

Curtain call for the maestro
Barenboim bows out after 15 years as CSO director


By John von Rhein and Charles Storch
Tribune staff reporters

Daniel Barenboim wanted to go out with the biggest splash possible, and he got his wish.

With a sold-out Orchestra Hall resounding with the lofty paean to universal brotherhood known as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the Barenboim era at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra came to a close at about 10:20 Saturday night.

There were no final speeches, but the 63-year-old Barenboim preceded the performance of the Beethoven's Ninth with brief reflections on his 36-year association with the orchestra. This was his final concert as music director, a post he is leaving after 15 seasons.

"I will always treasure the musical and human trust they gave me through all these years," he said, adding that he felt "deep joy and pride" at the musicians' calling him Honorary Conductor for Life.


At the end, he applauded the orchestra and shook musicians' hands before acknowledging the roar of the crowd. The audience broke into rhythmic applause, calling him back for repeated bows, each louder than the previous...

In fact, many musicians were applauding and cheering as loudly as the audience. The ovations began at the very start of the evening, as Barenboim entered and sat down at the piano to conduct Beethoven's "Choral Fantasy."

All seats had been snapped up by subscribers and patrons by April 2005. But some hopeful fans stood outside the hall seeking a ticket. Among them was Christopher Devine, 23, of Chicago, waving a fan of $20s. "I would go up to $200 for a ticket," he said. "That's all I brought."

The audience included notables from the worlds of music, business and politics, including former World Bank President James Wolfensohn. Entering the hall, actor Ed Harris noted he is in a new film about Beethoven and was "very excited about hearing the music."

For CSO violinist Tom Hall, the Barenboim years were especially laden with emotion because they coincided with his own time in the orchestra. Hall joined the Chicago Symphony in 1970, when Barenboim debuted as a CSO guest conductor, and the violinist is retiring from the ensemble the same weekend the music director is leaving.

"It has been an honor, privilege and pleasure to belong to this wonderful orchestra for 36 years and, during that time, to work with this most remarkable musician," Hall said. "I am in awe of his keyboard virtuosity, extensive knowledge of music history and theory, probing intellect, courageous humanitarianism, and sharp and ready wit."


Caption: Christopher Devine of Chicago waves cash outside Symphony Center in an effort to get a seat for Daniel Barenboim's last performance with the CSO as its musical director. He finally succeeded.

Gathering No Moss

When asked why the Rolling Stones named their 1978 album “Some Girls,” Keith Richards reportedly replied, “Because we couldn’t remember their fucking names.”

WORD FOR WORD: Rethinking "Jihad"

The word “jihad” is one of the most commonly misunderstood Arabic words currently employed in the English language. The OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY--our ultimate lexical authority--defines “jihad” as “a religious war of Muslims against unbelievers in Islam.” This is a definition with which many Americans are (at least vaguely) familiar. The beauty of the OED is the detailed etymology it provides for each and every entry. Note, then, that the word’s original Arabic definition--“struggle, contest, specifically for the propagation of Islam”--doesn’t quite correspond with the current English denotation.

Yes, the difference between the English definition and the Arabic definition is seemingly minute. But a casual approach to language is liable to perpetuate a series of gross misunderstandings, and as learned individuals (equipped with dictionaries), we have the responsibility to examine the intricacies of such a disparity, however insignificant the disparity may seem.

There is a prepositional inversion that occurs between the Arabic definition and its English counterpart. The Arabic definition suggests that Muslims are struggling FOR--in support of--the growth of Islam. The English definition, on the other hand, suggests that Muslims are fighting AGAINST–-in opposition to--non-Muslims.

By employing a positive preposition, the Arabic definition figures Muslims as lionhearts, struggling to spread the word of their profit, Mohammed. Conversely, by employing a negative preposition, the English definition adopts a pejorative tone. It figures Muslims as antagonists and non-Muslims as victims. Furthermore, the Arabic definition utilizes the words “struggle” and “contest,” whereas the English definition replaces these words with the blatantly reductive and ultimately unfavorable word, “war.”

It is no wonder that the word “jihad” has such a negative connotation in our contemporary vernacular! Our Arabic lexicon is decidedly limited, and such limitations render us unable to speak about and, therefore, understand the complexities surrounding, say, “resistance movements” in Iraq. Over the years, the United States has come to view “jihad” as a form of “terrorism.” Well, how do you think Muslims feel about “a political war of Americans against unbelievers in democracy”?

"This Is The Place," Crosswalks: Part II

I am pleased to report that the streets of Salt Lake City, Utah are beautifully decorated with REAL brick crosswalks! And believe it or not, there appear to be no instances of buckling. In fact, the condition of these crosswalks remains superb, the color in tact: such are the wonders of AUTHENTIC clay bricks. (Don't tell the folks at "StreetPrint"!) Crossing the street has never been so enjoyable.

Pedestrian safety is at an all time high in Salt Lake, thanks to the city’s (unapologetically liberal) mayor, Rocky Anderson. Pedestrian climate became a top city priority when Anderson took office in January of 2000. For years, Salt Lake has utilized a series of yellow chirping speakers, strategically placed alongside pedestrian traffic lights, in an effort to accommodate the city’s visually impaired citizens.

More recently, Mayor Anderson has implemented a system of "crosswalk flags" with the hope of reducing pedestrian involved accidents by increasing the visibility of pedestrians. One simply removes a bright orange flag from a receptacle at one end of a crosswalk, walks across the street, and replaces the flag in a matching receptacle before continuing along, merrily, merrily. The city currently maintains 40 flag crossing locations in the downtown area. Failure to yield to a disabled person in a crosswalk results in a $250 fine (raised from $100, prior to Anderson’s tenure).

Additionally, Salt Lake City sports a number of *clearly* marked bicycle lanes, which have served to end local skirmishes in the nation-wide civil war between motorists and cyclists. These bicycle lanes also promote alternative modes of transportation, part of Mayor Anderson's ongoing campaign to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the city.

So how does this add up? Well, in 1999, the Ogden-Salt Lake City Metro Area was rated the 12th most deadly area in the nation for pedestrians. Since Mayor Anderson implemented the Pedestrian Safety Initiative, however, there have been ZERO pedestrian fatalities in Salt Lake City. In the program’s first two years alone, the Salt Lake City Police Department reported a citywide pedestrian accident rate reduction of 16%. Such dramatic improvements in pedestrian ambiance (augmented by stunning, authentic brick crosswalks and scenic mountain vistas) make the sidewalks of Salt Lake City some of the most enticing promenades in the United States.


For more information on Salt Lake City's pedestrian legislation, please click here: Salt Lake City Department of Transportation

Also, please submit your own appraisals of national and international pedestrian thoroughfares to "Shoot The Piano Player." I look forward to hearing from you!