Dilemma

I look at all these orchestral works on my desk.

And ask ?

Is it a waste of life to write something no one cares about ?

Or is it more of a waste of life  to write things people like,,, and you don't care about ?

What is the answer  ?

Musical Criticism in the Internet Age

Dear Kind Sir,

OK I GET IT !!!

My Venetians Concertos are relentless,rhythmic therefore most likley vile.

And I apologize for being naive enough to believe that art reflects time and culture ?

And since I live in the middle of New York city, not some quant alpine pasture my music reflects that.

And I apologize for being dumb enough to think that a critic can be objective rather than subjective and try to understand what I am doing instead of reducing my work to their own myopic level of understanding. Aesthetic criticism absents itself from the subjective experience and attempts through rigor and training to objectify the experience to quantifiably accepted criteria.  That's why aesthetic criticism is valid and important.  Otherwise, everyone would have a valid opinion!

Perhaps I should write adagio diatonic recorder and lute music for surfing Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Tumbler  and rest of the the new intellectual pursuits of our time. The word is dead and along with that serious music and literary criticisms. As we enter the age of Trump we will finally get the culture we deserve...

I suggest if you are up to stretching a little to listen to my Mice War children's opera.

Best

David Chesky

American Ballet Theater

Interesting program.......
Russian music. Russian ballets. Russian dancers, Russian choreographer..... but wait.... it will be an American audience, so I guess that is why they call it American Ballet Theater. It is sad that these institutions think that we are so inept as New Yorker's that we don't have the talent to create art, or in this case,  re create it. Perhaps they are doing Ailey's "Revelations" right now at the Kirov ?

EGO

EGO is mans downfall and the catalyst to make him soar. When it dominates us, we are natural born Killers. When we tame it, we can create great things. But the EGO monster has to be fed more than our stomachs to give us some power in a powerless situation. Perhaps nature gave us EGO so we did not sit under a coconut tree all day thinking what is the point of doing anything. Perhaps the smartest man of all sits under that tree and see the big picture and is content watching his 70 years go by in peace knowing whatever he does, does not matter.