More on Mediocrity

Patrick J. Kiger’s article on “The Golden Age of Mediocrity” (March 7) was especially thought-provoking for me as a classical musician. Whether we like it or not, the culture of pop music reflects contemporary life, and audiences call their favorite performers “geniuses.” My concern is how to salvage the phenomenon of traditional genius in classical music. It seems that contemporary classical performers are influenced by the super-intense emotions of rock musicians. A return to the mastering of beautiful sound, though, would bring back the meaning of a true genius-performer in the classical style.

Inessa Niks

Via the Internet

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There’s significant art everywhere, so I’ll take Kiger’s test: What recently produced works will be appreciated 50 or 100 years from now? For starters: the novels “Elizabeth Costello,” by J.M. Coetzee, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” by Zora Neale Hurston, and “White Noise,” by Don DeLillo; the films “Mother and Son,” by Alexander Sokurov, and “The Celebration,” by Thomas Vinterberg; the artwork of Jean-Michel Basquiat; and the poem “Bomb,” by Gregory Corso.

Gus Franza

Moriches, N.Y.