Death of Art Music
Regarding Donna Perlmutter’s pointed commentaries about Jorge Mester’s rendering of Todd Levin’s “Turn extended dance mix” (May 16):
It is not only sad that the Pasadena Symphony employs resources, time and programming space to such fifth-rate junk while bypassing an enormous amount of important contemporary music works, it is also alarming to see that vulgarity, mediocrity and trendy rubbish have now been enthroned and sanctified in stately Pasadena.
Will this be another beginning of the last chapter in the death of art music in Los Angeles? One is amazed as to how eager many seem to be to add to the consuming fire, misnaming taste as elitism and intelligent selectivity as decadent haut monde .
But what is important today is to applaud Perlmutter for her courage in putting things in their proper place.
AURELIO de la VEGA
Northridge
De la Vega is a composer and a member of the faculty of Cal State Northridge.
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