A better night

Re Mark Swed’s “The Art of Dying Beautifully” (Oct. 26): Perhaps if he had attended Hunt Lieberson and the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s magical performance at Carnegie Hall as I did last week, his concern for Hunt Lieberson’s Melisande “being around just a little bit too long,” or the “oddly colorless” playing of the Boston Symphony might have evaporated. The Carnegie Hall performance was sold out, and New Yorkers, along with a few tourists, remained to applaud a profoundly inspired ensemble of artists.

Gary Hearty

Los Angeles