Comments

Laurie, thanks for yet another fascinating interview.

The concept of the house concert is intriguing.  If only I were a virtuoso and wealthy....

I like the current trend of combining classical music with other genres and other cultures' music.  It's probably due to current cultural and financial issues.  People who would never think of going to a concert of classical music might be enticed by the inclusion of something different that they are more comfortable with.  I hope this is more than a passing fad because I love it.

I'm familiar with a few of the artists on this recording, and I thoroughly enjoy and admire them.  I still have my old vinyl album "East Meets West" by Yehudi Menuhin and Ravi Shankar.  I'm so glad that the tradition is being carried on by Anoushka Shankar and Joshua Bell.  I heard Ravi Shankar play live in concert once at a free concert sponsored by my college.  He not only played but also taught us about Indian classical music.  I heard him in concert with Anoushkar Sitar a few years.  He is in his 80s, in frail health, and played slow passages of songs.  The pyrotechnics came fron his daughter Anoushka, who was fabulous.  Chris Thile is a star in his own genre of music, and I'm glad that he is experimenting with others now.  I love Sting.  He has such a wide variety of styles, and he plays them all so well.  I especially like his Mo Ghile Moar, a Scottish traditional song, on one of the Chieftains' albums and his Dowland album, in which he played a very complex lute which he designed himself and sang early music beautifully.

I am looking forward to hearing the new music played by a combination of stars from different musical backgrounds.  There are so many possibilities.  Thanks for telling us about some of them.

Thanks!

Anne-Marie

 The Rachmaninov idea is really neat!  Today's technology is remarkable.

Man, this is always happening to me.  At first, I had a huge crush on Johnny Depp, but then I found he was over 40! And then I had this huge crush on Bae Yong Joon, a Korean actor.  OMG, so cute!!!!!!!!! And then I found out he's close to 40!  And then I had this awesome crush on a guy named Joshua Bell, and well, you know the rest.  Man, why can't all the good looking guys be younger?!

Not that 40 isn't young... 

Great interview, btw...