1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the 2 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: Thing from iHeart Radio for my guest today. Music runs deep. 3 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:26,159 Speaker 1: His parents played together in the Hollywood String Quartet and 4 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:29,639 Speaker 1: helped create some of the great film scores of early Hollywood. 5 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: He grew up with the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, 6 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,840 Speaker 1: and Nat King Cole swinging by the house playing music 7 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 1: with his family and friends. He would go on to 8 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 1: become the internationally renowned conductor and composer that we know 9 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: him as today, Leonard Slatkin. This is Slatkin conducting the 10 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra performing Leonard Bernstein's Candide Overture. He has, 11 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: at one time or another conducted virtually all of the 12 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:29,120 Speaker 1: leading orchestras in the world. As music director, he led 13 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:33,320 Speaker 1: the New Orleans, Saint Louis, Detroit, and National Symphony Orchestras. 14 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 1: He has served as principal guest conductor in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Cleveland, 15 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: and Los Angeles. A six time Grammy winner, Leonard Slatkin 16 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: also hosted a weekly radio show and has written several books. 17 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: I wanted to begin by learning more about his pedigree 18 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: Slatkin's mother, Eleanor Aller, was a first chair cellist at 19 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: Warner Brothers Studios, and his father, Felix Slatkin, was a 20 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: via eldinist, conductor and concertmaster at twentieth Century Fox. 21 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 2: Concertmaster is, after the conductor, the most important person to 22 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,919 Speaker 2: an orchestra. Yes, they get the a from the ebo 23 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 2: and the orchestra tunes, but they're responsible for setting up 24 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 2: all the boeings, those up and downs, for the kind 25 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 2: of things that are played off the string. When the 26 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 2: conductor has a comment, it goes to the concert master, 27 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:29,799 Speaker 2: who then passes the information on to the rest of 28 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 2: the orchestra. The concert master is usually selected by the conductor. 29 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 2: It's changed because the business has changed. Now the orchestras 30 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 2: themselves try to pick the person they think will be leader. 31 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 2: So remember a conductor, as a music director is only 32 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 2: there maybe twelve fourteen weeks of the year, but the 33 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 2: concertmaster is there all years. That person becomes the real 34 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:54,360 Speaker 2: confidant to the music director and the conductor. They're the 35 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 2: ones responsible for the overall sound of the orchestra. When 36 00:02:57,800 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 2: the music director is not. 37 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: There, call any of the films that he performed the 38 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: scores to. 39 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 2: The ones that people might have seen or heard. But 40 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,359 Speaker 2: you're going back now to the late thirties right through 41 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 2: the fifties. So my father was the violin soloist in 42 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 2: a film called How Green was My Valley? Course, great film, 43 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 2: and in a funny way, the one that was the 44 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 2: most intriguing was the old nineteen fifty three, The Day 45 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 2: the Earth Stood Still, And the reason for that was 46 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,079 Speaker 2: it was the first use ever of an electric violin. 47 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 2: The score was done by the legendary Bernard Herman, who 48 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 2: did all those scores for Hitchcock. But the electric violin 49 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 2: was new, hadn't existed yet. And as my father told it, 50 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 2: and there's a photograph of it when you go into 51 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 2: the Fox offices, my father is standing there playing what 52 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 2: looks like a piece of wood with strings on it. 53 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 2: It does not look like a violin. And in order 54 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 2: to get the right sound and balance, the loud speaker 55 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 2: was in another studio, so my father really couldn't hear 56 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 2: himself while he was playing this with a bow, with 57 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 2: a bow with a bow. Marvelous score and all that's 58 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 2: like d it's all the electric violin and something called 59 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 2: the Ferryman, which exactly very good. They are that way, 60 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 2: and this was like the first really important electronics score 61 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 2: for any films. So those two films, but there's another 62 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 2: one that I think is even more interesting because you 63 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 2: can see my father. You remember How to Marry a Millionaire? 64 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 2: Of course nineteen fifty one or three, you forget if 65 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,240 Speaker 2: you watch that before the film starts. They tried to 66 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 2: replicate what happened at a Hollywood premiere. In those days, 67 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,920 Speaker 2: the studios owned the movie theaters in La so there 68 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 2: ere eleven studios. There was a Fox Theater, there was 69 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 2: a Warners Theater, there was a Paramount Theater, et cetera. 70 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 2: The red carpet was there, the search lights were on 71 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 2: when you went into the theater for premieres those days. 72 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 2: The orchestra from the studio was playing Wow. The new 73 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 2: concept I think it was CinemaScope that was introduced with 74 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 2: this film. Instead of having the orchestra there, they filmed 75 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 2: the orchestra. So the conductor, Alfred Newman, who is that 76 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:06,919 Speaker 2: of Fox, comes out, takes about, turns around, and he 77 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,520 Speaker 2: leads the orchestra in the overture Newman Street scene, and 78 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 2: you see my dad, and you see the entire twentieth 79 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 2: century Fox Orchestra playing and It's Just Marvelous on film 80 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,279 Speaker 2: as an overture to the film itself. 81 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: Now, you were born in Los Angeles? Was and your 82 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: dad had he been born there as well? 83 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 2: No, my dad was from Saint Louis. He was born 84 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:32,359 Speaker 2: in nineteen fifteen. He was a child prodigy. He played 85 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,119 Speaker 2: a recital full recital when he was twelve years old. 86 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:39,039 Speaker 2: He was heard by the leading pedagogue for violin in 87 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 2: the country, man named e From Zimbalis, the father of. 88 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: Junior Stephanie Zimbolis is a friend of mine. Well I 89 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:47,800 Speaker 1: knew their father was a talented He was. 90 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,840 Speaker 2: An incredible violin teacher. All the great Roland studied with 91 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 2: him at the Curtis School. My father, at the age 92 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 2: of twelve went to Philadelphia, youngest student ever to be 93 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:59,159 Speaker 2: taken to the school, stayed there for three years. Then 94 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 2: announce has got in the way. He came back to 95 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,039 Speaker 2: Saint Louis, played for three years in the orchestra there 96 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 2: and then moved the family out to La Why because 97 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 2: he went to the music director of the Saint Louis 98 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 2: Symphony was a man named Vladimir Goldshman asked for a 99 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:18,280 Speaker 2: five dollars raise and didn't get it, and he said, 100 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 2: that's it. I'm done. Went out to La. There he 101 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 2: was heard by several people, including Alfred Newman, who at 102 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 2: that time was at Warners. Newman invited to play in 103 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 2: the Orchard. The composer absolutely, and the Newman family, of course, 104 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,719 Speaker 2: is astonishing. When you go from Alfred to Randy to 105 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:41,000 Speaker 2: Tommy to David, all the Newman's are in music. And 106 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 2: there's something very cool coming up for me in June 107 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 2: because I'm going to go out to LA to do 108 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:50,160 Speaker 2: a project. You know the name Robert. 109 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: Peake, I know, but you're doing Live to picture, yes. 110 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 2: And no, Okay. The first half of the concert is 111 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 2: a representation of this guy who made the posters for 112 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 2: iconic films Superman, Apocalypse, now Silverado. All those posters we 113 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 2: all know this guy drew them. So the first half 114 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 2: we're going to play the music that goes with that film. 115 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 2: But he also did original art one for the World's 116 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 2: Fair here, other things like that. So we have ten 117 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 2: current film composers including Marco Beltrami, Jeff Beio, so many others, 118 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 2: and they've created original pieces with these new pictures. The 119 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:30,800 Speaker 2: cool part is that before we do the show at 120 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 2: Disney Hall we record this where do we record it 121 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 2: on the Fox sound stage where my dad played? And 122 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 2: another composer who's involved in this is Maria Newman, the 123 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 2: youngest daughter of Alfred. So this unbelievable connection is going 124 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 2: to come to fruition. And my son Daniel, who's a 125 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 2: composer for film and television, who will be with me. 126 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 2: Three representations of Slack on site. And the twentieth sound 127 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 2: stage is the same as it was back then. It's 128 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 2: the one sound stage they changed. All the equipment is new, 129 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 2: but everybody thought this is the ideal set. Named after anybody, 130 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 2: it's Alfred Newman, sounds Dame. 131 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: They all named after something. Now you pick up an 132 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: instrument for the first time. I've read at the age 133 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:16,680 Speaker 1: of three, and what I want to answer, I want 134 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 1: to ask two questions about your memory, which is that 135 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 1: I could can't remember a single thing from my life 136 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 1: when I was three. Maybe four or five kicked in, 137 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: but three would be a stretch from me. And I'm wondering, 138 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: do you recall in any way what it was like 139 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:31,480 Speaker 1: for them to hand this thing to you and you 140 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: to explore that. 141 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:36,560 Speaker 2: I remember that I wanted to do it. Why because 142 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,960 Speaker 2: I wanted to be like my father. Of course, I 143 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,720 Speaker 2: remember the first few lessons on the violin, and I 144 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:48,439 Speaker 2: played on I think when I was four at Sears 145 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:53,199 Speaker 2: Roebuck downtown. The teacher that I had a little recital 146 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 2: for all of his students, and I sort of remember 147 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 2: that because in those days I was frightened of elevators 148 00:08:57,679 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 2: and we had to go up to like the fifth 149 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 2: floor or something, and they didn't want to go in 150 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,080 Speaker 2: the elevator. I don't know why I can manage all 151 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 2: you've overcome. I do know that my father tried to 152 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 2: teach me a little bit, and that didn't work. It 153 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:15,080 Speaker 2: never does. Parents should not teach their kids an instrument. 154 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:18,720 Speaker 2: My mother tried it with my brother. Dad didn't work, 155 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 2: so for and so on. So anyway, I did that 156 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 2: for maybe four or five years, playing violin, and I 157 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 2: realized I just was not going to be as good 158 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 2: as my father. I knew it early on, started at 159 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:31,679 Speaker 2: three and wanted to stop. Win. 160 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:34,520 Speaker 1: How OLDE seven? So how does a seven year old say? 161 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:35,000 Speaker 2: I quit? 162 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: I remember you like I quit the but this now, 163 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: how do you do? You walked right up to him 164 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 1: and said I can't do this anyay. 165 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 2: Well, it wasn't really a problem because my parents saw 166 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:46,320 Speaker 2: that I was much more interested in going out and 167 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:50,080 Speaker 2: playing baseball with my friends. I just didn't have the 168 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 2: desire for it. And yet right after I stopped playing violin, 169 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 2: I knew I wanted to take up piano, and piano 170 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 2: I studied with my uncle better idea than my father. 171 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 2: My uncle was also connected with the studios. He was 172 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 2: one of the staff pianists at Warners and if you 173 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:12,320 Speaker 2: can imagine, my mother was the first cellist at Warners. 174 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 2: We'll get into that in a second. You have to 175 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 2: imagine la if you don't know those who are listening here. 176 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 2: We lived in the Wilshire Librea district, and that was 177 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 2: about three miles from the twentieth century Fox studio where 178 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:30,839 Speaker 2: my dad was, and three miles as you went into 179 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 2: the valley where Warners was, so the house was equidistant. 180 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 2: We could get to that. My uncle, you know him. 181 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 2: If you've seen more or less the Warners films from 182 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 2: the late thirties through the mid sixties, particularly, there was 183 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:48,800 Speaker 2: a wonderful old horror film called The Beasts with Five Fingers. 184 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:52,840 Speaker 2: Robert Alda and Peter Lourie going either was the hand, 185 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:53,439 Speaker 2: I tell. 186 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:54,319 Speaker 1: You it was the hand. 187 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:58,319 Speaker 2: There's a great film. It's my uncle's hand in the film, 188 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,079 Speaker 2: really fantastic. He told us wonderful stories about how they 189 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:03,440 Speaker 2: did it back then, how they made it look like 190 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 2: it really was a dismembered hand playing the piano. My 191 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:09,360 Speaker 2: uncle had to be under the piano, under it and 192 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,199 Speaker 2: reach his left hand up to play in that direction. 193 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 2: It was by George. He did it, I judge you did. 194 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:15,400 Speaker 1: Yes. 195 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 2: So he was there and I studied with him, and 196 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 2: I was headed off to somebody else. I kind of 197 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 2: kept at the piano. But at one point, maybe when 198 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 2: I was fifteen or sixteen, I just knew that I 199 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 2: wasn't good enough. Not so much competition with my uncle, 200 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 2: but I heard too many great pianists. I just knew 201 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 2: I wasn't gonna be good for that. So I stopped 202 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:42,000 Speaker 2: and I picked up the viola. Nobody else in the 203 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 2: family played it. The viola is kind of like the 204 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,440 Speaker 2: violin with a thyroid condition. It's a little bit larger, 205 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:52,560 Speaker 2: diabetic diabetic violin. I love the viola because the viola 206 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:55,720 Speaker 2: in an orchestra sort of usually sits in the middle 207 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,959 Speaker 2: of everything. It's playing lines that often the audience doesn't hear. 208 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:03,200 Speaker 2: And I loved being part of this texture, playing the 209 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:07,080 Speaker 2: stuff that was interesting for the harmony, sometimes the melodies. 210 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 2: So I enjoyed the viola. And then I moved into 211 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:14,520 Speaker 2: composition after that. And here I had the opportunity to 212 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 2: study with an incredible teacher, the same guy who taught 213 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 2: all of the great film composers, whether it was John Williams, 214 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 2: Jerry Goldsmith, Olmer Bernstein. This man was named Mario Castnuovo Tedesco, 215 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:28,000 Speaker 2: and like so many people who came to LA, he 216 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:32,000 Speaker 2: was escaping the war and came and settled in LA 217 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,520 Speaker 2: and became a composer for films using various surnames. He 218 00:12:35,559 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 2: didn't use his own name for these a lot of 219 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,600 Speaker 2: B films. But he was a fantastic teacher. Really was good, 220 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 2: and I thought I was going to be a composed. 221 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 3: He was based aware eventually that people would find him well. Well, 222 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 3: he had a house in Beverly Hills, but he was 223 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:50,680 Speaker 3: not in a studio. No, no, they were. By the 224 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 3: time I was studying with him, the studio system had collapsed. 225 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 3: This was due to the McCarthy hearings in fifty six 226 00:12:59,679 --> 00:13:04,240 Speaker 3: when all eleven studios were under heavy fire because nobody 227 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:07,040 Speaker 3: else could get jobs at those studios, although they employed 228 00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 3: five hundred musicians between them, and the eventual decision came 229 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:13,839 Speaker 3: down that no, we need to just make it all 230 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,200 Speaker 3: open for everybody. Now two hundred musicians worked playing at 231 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 3: all the studios. 232 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:20,280 Speaker 2: It was horrible. It was terrible. I ever thought about it. 233 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 2: I remember the anti trust. Yeah, we had at our house. 234 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:26,840 Speaker 2: There was an opposition group called the Musicians Guild which 235 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 2: opposed the union in this particular matter, and they would 236 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 2: have meetings at our house. My brother and I were 237 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 2: told if anybody ever asks you, just say. People came 238 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 2: over to play cards. The union was headed by a 239 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 2: guy named James Petrollo, name you might know. 240 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 1: And he was like a union head o Patrollo. 241 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:46,720 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, this man came to negotiation sessions and would 242 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:48,640 Speaker 2: pull a gun out of his pocket and put it 243 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 2: on the desk, say okay, where do we start. That's 244 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 2: how tough it was. 245 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 1: Conductor Leonard Slatkin. If you enjoy conversations about the elemental 246 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:03,559 Speaker 1: skills of inducting, check out my episode with Raphael Pire. 247 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 4: When I go into an orchestra, especially for the first time. 248 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:08,040 Speaker 1: It's all about. 249 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 4: Let's see how the sound of the orchestra reacts to 250 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:13,160 Speaker 4: my beat, and let's see what we can do together. 251 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 4: Every orchestra has a specificity and there's something that is 252 00:14:16,679 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 4: different and with everybody, and yet it will see how 253 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 4: with the chemistry that would happen on the stage, how 254 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:26,200 Speaker 4: much it could be ben It's like a dancer party. 255 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:28,320 Speaker 4: You know how fast you can do and how you 256 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 4: can go from one place to the other, makea twirl. 257 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,440 Speaker 4: But it's just all about that kind of trust. 258 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: Happening to hear more of my conversation with Raphael Pire, 259 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,360 Speaker 1: go to Here's the Thing dot Org. After the break, 260 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:49,040 Speaker 1: Leonard Slatkin shares what it was like growing up around 261 00:14:49,080 --> 00:15:10,840 Speaker 1: Frank Sinatra. I'm Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's 262 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 1: the Thing. This is Leonard Slatkin conducting the Saint Louis 263 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: Symphony Orchestra performing Leroy Anderson's The Typewriter. Leonard Slatkin's musical 264 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: family were performing at the height. 265 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:45,280 Speaker 2: Of old Hollywood. 266 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:48,160 Speaker 1: I wanted to know if his parents group, the Hollywood 267 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: String Quartet, were named for their work on film scores. 268 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 2: It started just after they were playing in the studios, 269 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,160 Speaker 2: and that's the reason they had their name. The other 270 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 2: two musicians in the quartet also came from the studios. 271 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 2: They were advised not to use that as a name 272 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 2: because back then Hollywood was simply movies. That was it, 273 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 2: and they felt you can't be taken seriously if you 274 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:14,600 Speaker 2: used that name. But they said, we would not have 275 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 2: a way to earn a living and be a quartet 276 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 2: if it wasn't for the city proud of it, so 277 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 2: they stuck with that. They existed from about nineteen thirty nine, 278 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:28,960 Speaker 2: I think had to stop because of the war, and 279 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 2: then they reassembled in the late forties and went through 280 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:38,880 Speaker 2: to about nineteen fifty nine. Their career was primarily on records. 281 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 1: Before the Hollywood Drikure. They didn't meet at the Hollywood drinkquet. 282 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 2: No, no, no, no. 283 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:42,440 Speaker 1: They were already a couple when they sort of played well. 284 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 2: My parents met actually in a very strange way. There 285 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:48,239 Speaker 2: was a competition at the Hollywood Bowl for young musicians 286 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 2: and my father won, and my mother was convinced this 287 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 2: was a fixed competition. So her father, who was also 288 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 2: a cellist teaching my mom said maybe we should go 289 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 2: to the concert and here so they went and my 290 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:04,040 Speaker 2: mother said, yeah, okay, he plays well. I still think 291 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 2: this was fixed for him. They went backstage. My mother 292 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:12,560 Speaker 2: was like really aggressive, strong person, and she just confronted 293 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:14,800 Speaker 2: my father, and my father asked her out for coffee, 294 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 2: and two years later they got married. That's funny. That's funny. 295 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 1: Well, what I love about the story when you discuss 296 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 1: your family, I can tell how integral it is to 297 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 1: you and how proud you are of them. What it 298 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:27,480 Speaker 1: leads me to think is and then eventually you became 299 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: a conductor, the job where you tell all those people 300 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 1: what to do. Here is my chance to go back 301 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:36,679 Speaker 1: in an edible way and pick a guy who reminds 302 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:39,760 Speaker 1: me of my father and tell him a little quieter please. 303 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 2: Yes, Well, I like to equate the conductor's role to 304 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:47,679 Speaker 2: more or less the coach or manager of a sports team. 305 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 2: You have your musicians, let's just say one hundred for 306 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:53,800 Speaker 2: sake of saying it, somebody has to say how it's 307 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 2: going to go right? You can say quiet. But in music, 308 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:59,880 Speaker 2: of course, there are degrees of quiet. We have ultra 309 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:02,679 Speaker 2: of pianisimo, or we raise it up a little bit 310 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 2: to piano then we go to metzo piano, then metso forte, 311 00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:09,160 Speaker 2: then forte fortisimo. The whole range of things comes up. 312 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:12,159 Speaker 2: Our job as a conductor is to look at the 313 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,000 Speaker 2: music and say, Okay, what is the composer trying to 314 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:18,399 Speaker 2: tell us? But as opposed to the people who are playing, 315 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 2: we only have our hands and a stick. We don't 316 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 2: make a sound. Most of what we do, to me, 317 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:26,480 Speaker 2: not to everybody, but to me, is to show with 318 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 2: our hands, with our faces, with our bodies, what the 319 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:32,919 Speaker 2: music is trying to convey. Some conductors just like to 320 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:35,840 Speaker 2: talk a lot. Orchestras hate that they do, do not 321 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 2: like it. 322 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:37,560 Speaker 1: What do they talk about? 323 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 2: Just the things I'm saying to you. My teacher in 324 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 2: New York, Man named Jean Morel, had a wonderful way 325 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:46,680 Speaker 2: of describing it. He said, when you watch a concert 326 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:50,399 Speaker 2: and there's a conductor on it, turn the sound off 327 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:52,720 Speaker 2: and see if you can tell what piece they're conducting 328 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:55,200 Speaker 2: from their gestures. That's right. 329 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 1: Well, I'm not anywhere near you know your level of 330 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,879 Speaker 1: knowledge and so forth. But like for me, when I 331 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: started collecting, there was a recording where Burns Team plays, 332 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:07,840 Speaker 1: and literally I looked at all my other Tchaikowsky six. 333 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:12,040 Speaker 1: I always have multiple versions in my phone, and I 334 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 1: watched this and I go, I mean, I couldn't believe it, 335 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:16,000 Speaker 1: not with applause. 336 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:17,400 Speaker 2: I don't think like he does. 337 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:20,840 Speaker 1: The final movement, it's ten minutes longer than the one 338 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: I have before. Ten minutes. 339 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:28,439 Speaker 2: Yeah, how is that possible? Well, it's very interesting sometimes 340 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:32,600 Speaker 2: what we do with an audience there is timeless and 341 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:34,960 Speaker 2: we don't think about how long or short it is. 342 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 2: It just works for the people who building, and then 343 00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:41,960 Speaker 2: it gets put on a disc and it's horrible. That's 344 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,200 Speaker 2: happened to me constantly. I'll finish something and I go, 345 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:46,920 Speaker 2: you know, it's really good. I can't wait to hear 346 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:50,040 Speaker 2: it back, and then somebody gets me a copy of it. 347 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 2: In the old days of pirated versions, I go, well, 348 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:55,360 Speaker 2: that was terrible, wasn't it, But not on that night 349 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:57,439 Speaker 2: in that time. It's kind of like when you do 350 00:19:57,480 --> 00:19:59,600 Speaker 2: a play. You'll come out and say that I did this, 351 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:01,399 Speaker 2: so nailed this, and other people are going, oh, it 352 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:04,119 Speaker 2: wasn't that good, but you felt something on stage. 353 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:06,399 Speaker 1: I love this idea that you in the room and 354 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,399 Speaker 1: doing it live in the in the symphony hall doesn't 355 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:11,040 Speaker 1: translate to the recording. That's amazing. 356 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 2: So I gave a real good example and involves Burnside. 357 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 2: So I was here in New York the week he died. 358 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:18,480 Speaker 2: I was here for a two weeks stay. He died 359 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:20,960 Speaker 2: on a Sunday. I was off doing something. I came 360 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:22,320 Speaker 2: back to the hotel two in the morning. It was 361 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:25,480 Speaker 2: a stack of messages. I didn't know what it was about. 362 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:29,080 Speaker 2: And finally somebody says, oh, you didn't hear. So with 363 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 2: the Philharmonic, we had to change all the programming. We 364 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:33,920 Speaker 2: did all this stuff, put together all Bernstein program and 365 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:36,440 Speaker 2: a Mona Stones, I got a chorus together, got soloists together. 366 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:40,040 Speaker 2: I don't know how they did it. The concert concluded 367 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:45,160 Speaker 2: with the Chichester Psalms. Beautiful piece those ah, yeah, it's 368 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:49,280 Speaker 2: a wonderful, beautiful piece. And I remember when we finished 369 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 2: there was no applause, but people were crying. You could 370 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:56,080 Speaker 2: hear it. And I thought, you know, I never want 371 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,480 Speaker 2: to hear a broadcast or perform. I've got it at home, 372 00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:01,679 Speaker 2: but I've never listened to it because I just know 373 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:04,399 Speaker 2: that the feeling of the performance is going to be 374 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 2: maybe not so good. But at that moment, something happened 375 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 2: of course it did. And these are the moments that 376 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 2: you sort of live for as an artist, as actor 377 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 2: or whatever, just those things that are so special. When 378 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:20,120 Speaker 2: I was in London with the BBC and we had 379 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,119 Speaker 2: nine to eleven three days before and I had to 380 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:24,400 Speaker 2: do the last night of the Problems, big big deal 381 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,879 Speaker 2: I cast worldwide, and we had to change the program. 382 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 2: It was a traditional last night where people come dressed 383 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:33,159 Speaker 2: in silly costumes, they have air horns. It's very light 384 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 2: well and jinguoistic too. It's very rule Britannia and stuff 385 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,680 Speaker 2: that just wasn't appropriate. Three days later and I put 386 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,520 Speaker 2: on the one piece that we always play in this 387 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:47,159 Speaker 2: country for that kind of occasion, the barber Adagio for strings. 388 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,919 Speaker 2: I told the audience that this is our piece in 389 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,199 Speaker 2: a time of morning, it's what we play. It's not 390 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:56,600 Speaker 2: intended originally for that. It was just a movement of 391 00:21:56,640 --> 00:22:00,679 Speaker 2: a string quartet, but somehow the music has always transcended. 392 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:04,439 Speaker 2: That was played at Roosevelt's funeral and we do it 393 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 2: all the time. The interesting thing was that performance is 394 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,800 Speaker 2: at least two minutes longer than any performance I ever gave. 395 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:15,159 Speaker 2: But it was the most moving and it wasn't about 396 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:16,400 Speaker 2: how long it took. 397 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:18,440 Speaker 1: Something happened. 398 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:21,160 Speaker 2: I came off stage. I collapsed in the dressing room. 399 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 2: I was I didn't know if I could go out 400 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 2: and finish the concert. I was so overwhelmed. Just it happens. Now. 401 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:28,960 Speaker 1: What I want to ask you, is am I wrong? 402 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:31,919 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm assuming you have some tracking of this 403 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:35,000 Speaker 1: because you've been teaching off and on for years. They 404 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:36,720 Speaker 1: seem to have let go of all this kind of 405 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:38,199 Speaker 1: music instructing in the public schools. 406 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:42,200 Speaker 2: Yell, no kidding. When I was in public school in La, 407 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:46,080 Speaker 2: my high school public high school in the early sixties, 408 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 2: three choruses, two bands, and orchestra. It was called La 409 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:54,560 Speaker 2: High the Romans. I played Glockenspiel in the band, and 410 00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 2: my job was at the football games to march down 411 00:22:57,480 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 2: the forty five make a left for five yards. I 412 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,399 Speaker 2: was the tip of the l in La. It was 413 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:05,160 Speaker 2: really nice. This is how important the arts were back then. 414 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:07,760 Speaker 2: When you played in the band, you didn't have to 415 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:11,439 Speaker 2: go to Pe to fyzed, and they didn't realize that 416 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:13,960 Speaker 2: when football season is over, we became a concert band. 417 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 2: We weren't doing any marching anymore, and we still didn't 418 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:18,359 Speaker 2: have to go to pe, which I didn't have to 419 00:23:18,359 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 2: climb those ropes do any of that stuff. Dodgeball very 420 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:23,959 Speaker 2: happy to do that anyway. But that's how education was. 421 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:27,320 Speaker 2: Everybody had these things. Even when I was in the 422 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:31,119 Speaker 2: fourth grade. You had mister Stole, I had Missus Auto. 423 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 2: Missus Auto would come twice a week with her auto harp. 424 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,640 Speaker 2: You remember the auto harp. You press a something down, 425 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,280 Speaker 2: I play a chord, you sang. She would bring instruments in. 426 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 2: Whenever I go back to la if I do a concert, 427 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 2: often somebody will come back and say, you know, I 428 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:48,920 Speaker 2: was in Wilshrecrest Elementary with you. Do you remember Missus Auto? 429 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,120 Speaker 2: And I said, she had that kind of impression. Say 430 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:54,480 Speaker 2: this is gone. Now we don't have this anymore, and 431 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 2: it's tragic. I remember testifying to Congress a couple times 432 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:04,920 Speaker 2: for money for NEA, for various arts things. We had 433 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:09,280 Speaker 2: real proponents, We had people who cared about it in 434 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:10,440 Speaker 2: the Senate and in the House. 435 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:13,280 Speaker 1: What upsets me is that my situation was a late 436 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:15,560 Speaker 1: and learning thing. You dropped those seeds in the ground 437 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 1: and they might grow years later, and you don't really 438 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:20,639 Speaker 1: know they need to be exposed to the. 439 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,399 Speaker 2: People think, okay, we're going to teach music with the 440 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:25,520 Speaker 2: idea that the kids are all going to become musicians. 441 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:29,920 Speaker 2: Of course not. It's part of something that nurtures the soul. 442 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:34,479 Speaker 2: You need this and these days. To me, when you 443 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:37,320 Speaker 2: talk about music, you're talking about it the same way 444 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:41,040 Speaker 2: you're talking about physical paintings, art, sculpture, anything like that. 445 00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 2: It's part of our lives. It's all there. If you're 446 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 2: driving down the street you see a billboard, nobody thinks 447 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:49,679 Speaker 2: about probably somewhere as a youngster. The person who created 448 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:52,800 Speaker 2: that billboard had something as a kid that inspired them 449 00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:54,800 Speaker 2: to become an artist. That may have gone that direction, 450 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,240 Speaker 2: but that's perfectly fine. I was very lucky because having 451 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:02,199 Speaker 2: this background of the studios and chairman of music at home, 452 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 2: and the third part the popular music industry that my 453 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:07,399 Speaker 2: parents were involved in. We were really close with Frank Sinatra. 454 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:10,400 Speaker 2: He was very close family friend, but not King Cole 455 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 2: George Sharing. All those people came to your house. They 456 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 2: came to the house, they played on the piano. But 457 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:17,560 Speaker 2: I still have and I was a jazz guy back then. 458 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 2: I was more interested in jazz, so I'd go down 459 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:22,520 Speaker 2: to Kowega There was a club called Shelley's manhole a 460 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 2: great drummer, Shelley Man who had the best line ever. 461 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 2: He was asked, tell us what jazz is and he said, yeah, 462 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 2: we only play things the same way once. Nobody knows 463 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 2: what it means, but it's great anyway. So I had 464 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 2: hang out at the clubs, and I grew up with 465 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,119 Speaker 2: this idea that it wasn't just one kind of music. 466 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:43,840 Speaker 2: There's like Duke Ellington said, there's only two kinds of music, 467 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 2: good music and the rest, and we get to determine. 468 00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:50,239 Speaker 2: We get to determine what the rest is. So I 469 00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:53,880 Speaker 2: think if I was gonna be involved in moving music 470 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 2: education these days, I would find people who understand that 471 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:01,359 Speaker 2: it's not limited to this period of music, that is 472 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:04,720 Speaker 2: not ephemeral, that it can be other things. How do 473 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 2: they all relate? Everything grows from that classical era. We 474 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,879 Speaker 2: only had this music for three centuries, so let's just 475 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 2: say and from that, that's where the popular music evolved. 476 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:18,240 Speaker 2: You can trace any form of popular music back to Baroque, 477 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:20,919 Speaker 2: back to classic whatever it all moves from that. 478 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:28,240 Speaker 1: Conductor Leonard Slatkin, If you're enjoying this episode, don't keep 479 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:31,159 Speaker 1: it to yourself. Tell a friend, and be sure to 480 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:35,880 Speaker 1: follow us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 481 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:40,200 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts. When we come back, Leonard Slatkin 482 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,800 Speaker 1: shares how a former president of the United States helped 483 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:47,240 Speaker 1: sway him to accept the job offer in our nation's capital. 484 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:08,159 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and this is here's the thing. In 485 00:27:08,359 --> 00:27:11,520 Speaker 1: addition to conducting most of the leading orchestras of the world, 486 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:16,200 Speaker 1: Leonard Slatkin is also a composer, type of the antique 487 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:21,920 Speaker 1: rome rich reliquary of lofty contemplation left at time by 488 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:26,760 Speaker 1: buried centuries of pomp and power. I was honored to 489 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:30,000 Speaker 1: perform the narration for one of Edgar Allen Poe's the 490 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:34,399 Speaker 1: famous Poems, set to Slackkin's own composition. Here he is 491 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:38,359 Speaker 1: conducting the Manhattan School of Music Symphony performing the Raven 492 00:27:38,480 --> 00:28:07,440 Speaker 1: four the Colisseum. I wanted to know about Leonard Slatkin's 493 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,400 Speaker 1: very first opportunity leading an orchestra. 494 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 2: I was a student at the Julliard School, which back 495 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:17,000 Speaker 2: then is where the Manhattan School is now. So it 496 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 2: was one hundred and twenty second and Claremont. 497 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,359 Speaker 1: The old Juilliard the original Were you hired to play 498 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:24,960 Speaker 1: was a conducting student student. 499 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,440 Speaker 2: There were only four of us, and that was nice, 500 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:30,640 Speaker 2: and word kind of got out that there was this 501 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:35,679 Speaker 2: kid who was sort of okay. And I was hired 502 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:38,720 Speaker 2: by a man named David Epstein, who was the music 503 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:41,640 Speaker 2: director in New York Symphony, to be his assistant. So 504 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:43,760 Speaker 2: I mostly went to rehearsals and he let me conduct 505 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:48,360 Speaker 2: one piece on a program one time, and he left 506 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:50,000 Speaker 2: and they asked me if I were to become the 507 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:52,360 Speaker 2: music director of the youth Orchestra. So I gave concerts 508 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:55,000 Speaker 2: at Lincoln Center and at Carnegie but it was all 509 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:57,000 Speaker 2: why I was still a student here in New York. 510 00:28:57,560 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 2: But the interesting story is how did I get to 511 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:04,240 Speaker 2: Saint Louis UIs From there? The music director in Saint Louis, 512 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:08,480 Speaker 2: Walter Siskin, was also the music director at the Aspen 513 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:12,160 Speaker 2: Music Festival. In school back in the sixties. It was 514 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:14,200 Speaker 2: a small It's not like Aspen today where there's six 515 00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:16,400 Speaker 2: seven hundred students and faculty. Back then it was one 516 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:19,080 Speaker 2: hundred and twenty five students. We stayed there nine weeks. 517 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:26,720 Speaker 2: Siskin really was very encouraging to me, and he's in 518 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:28,520 Speaker 2: the third year of the four that I was there. 519 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:31,719 Speaker 2: He invited the executive director of the Saint Louis Symphony, 520 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:34,240 Speaker 2: where he was going to start in sixty eight, to 521 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:36,840 Speaker 2: come and see me. They liked what they saw, and 522 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:41,280 Speaker 2: they asked me to come and be the assistant conductor there. 523 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:44,840 Speaker 2: This route is a little different. It doesn't happen that 524 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:47,600 Speaker 2: way anymore. There are very few real assistant conductors. My 525 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:51,720 Speaker 2: job was to sit there, listen to every rehearsal, and 526 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:56,480 Speaker 2: be prepared if something happened. Today. The assistants, maybe they're 527 00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 2: there with the music director. Maybe they just cover one 528 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:02,720 Speaker 2: week of concerts. But this indoctrination, having to know so 529 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 2: much music every year, imagine look at any brochure. Now 530 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:10,480 Speaker 2: add to that the children's concerts, the pops concerts, all 531 00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:13,400 Speaker 2: those things. In my first year in Saint Louis Is assistant, 532 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:17,360 Speaker 2: I did eighty three children's concerts, eighty three of them, 533 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:20,480 Speaker 2: and I remember this feel like that. The first one 534 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:23,920 Speaker 2: was on a tour at Kennett, Missouri. So I did 535 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:26,720 Speaker 2: this concert and had the Sources Apprentice on the program. 536 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:30,440 Speaker 2: The traditional piece you all play for young people, it's Infantasia. 537 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:33,160 Speaker 2: And the famous part about Sources Apprentice is that there's 538 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:38,040 Speaker 2: a solo for this unwieldy instrument called the contrabassoon. It's 539 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,760 Speaker 2: just a gigantic instrument that sounds like gas being passed 540 00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:47,840 Speaker 2: sometimes and the music goes yea ba yah bah and 541 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:51,720 Speaker 2: then the bason goes bah like that. Well the bassoon 542 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 2: is came in wrong. And it was his first concerts, 543 00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:56,320 Speaker 2: just like it was my first concert. So yeah, and 544 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,640 Speaker 2: he comes in and before I give the next time 545 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:05,560 Speaker 2: and he goes shit, shit, and you know, there's like 546 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:09,280 Speaker 2: two thousand kids. It's things good, My god. It was 547 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:11,200 Speaker 2: a wonderful first concert. Memorable. 548 00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:14,360 Speaker 1: So is it safe to say you can fill this 549 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:16,240 Speaker 1: in for us the New York youths of it? Is 550 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:18,040 Speaker 1: that your first conducting gig. 551 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:20,880 Speaker 2: First gig, yep, absolutely, I did some conducting before. Then. 552 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:22,120 Speaker 1: What was the big takeaway for you? 553 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 2: From the takeaway was that I felt comfortable both as 554 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,880 Speaker 2: an educator and as a conductor. Now, what I mean 555 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:32,800 Speaker 2: by that is when you have young people who've never 556 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:35,240 Speaker 2: played any of this music they're about to play, you 557 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:38,200 Speaker 2: have to teach the music. If you go to a 558 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:41,120 Speaker 2: New York filt mona, I could say Lois, Minnesota, whatever 559 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:44,440 Speaker 2: it is. If you're playing standard rep like your Chaikowsky six, 560 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:47,480 Speaker 2: even Maller nine. These days, the orchestrati knows the music 561 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:53,600 Speaker 2: you're going to give mostly interpretive matters, wild sow, short, long. 562 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:56,400 Speaker 2: But when it's kids, you have to be able to say, 563 00:31:56,880 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 2: I'm going to try to teach you the music, but 564 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:01,720 Speaker 2: I'm also going to teach you the details of the piece, 565 00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 2: the structure of the piece. So I learned that. I 566 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:08,760 Speaker 2: learned how to communicate to these young people in the 567 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:11,440 Speaker 2: most basic possible way, but without talking down to them. 568 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:13,320 Speaker 2: Because I came from a family of musicians, I would 569 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:16,880 Speaker 2: never do that. It was later that I would learn 570 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:19,640 Speaker 2: the balance. When you stand in front of a professional orchestra, 571 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:23,160 Speaker 2: what do you say? Don't repeat things that they already know. 572 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:27,520 Speaker 2: Be very careful about the words you choose to tell 573 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 2: them something. It's very different. So the youth orchestra was good, 574 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,600 Speaker 2: and I was a product of youth orchestras. In La 575 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:36,600 Speaker 2: I played viola in one and that's where I started conducting. 576 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 2: When the conductor was called away at a rehearsal, he said, 577 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:44,120 Speaker 2: it's lucky and you would like to conduct, And I said, 578 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:46,520 Speaker 2: well sure, and he threw down the score of the 579 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:49,400 Speaker 2: marriage figure overture, and I got up and conducted. Apparently 580 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:50,640 Speaker 2: it was good enough that you let me do it 581 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 2: at the concert. Wow. 582 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:54,800 Speaker 1: Now, someone at your level and with your experience in 583 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:58,120 Speaker 1: this industry and this art form, when you move from 584 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:00,400 Speaker 1: one place to another, when you eventually want up a 585 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:03,040 Speaker 1: good example, I guess it is like, well, obviously, the 586 00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 1: three big ones you correct me if I'm wrong in 587 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:08,000 Speaker 1: terms of a real music director's position are Saint Louis 588 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:09,600 Speaker 1: and DC and. 589 00:33:09,600 --> 00:33:10,760 Speaker 2: Detroit in the States. Yeah. 590 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:13,160 Speaker 1: Right, And then what position did you hold as a 591 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:14,360 Speaker 1: music director overseas? 592 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:17,720 Speaker 2: I was the principal conductor of the BBC Symphony in 593 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:21,480 Speaker 2: London for six years. I loved that. Oh so much fun. Yeah. 594 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:25,080 Speaker 1: Now, let's look at Saint Louis on the DC on 595 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,080 Speaker 1: the Detroit. So you've obviously, or correct me if I'm wrong. 596 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:31,000 Speaker 1: You've played with them and conducted them before you take 597 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:31,640 Speaker 1: on the position. 598 00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:33,959 Speaker 2: Yes, you test drive well. But in Saint Louis had 599 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:36,920 Speaker 2: already been the assistant and assistant to the principal and 600 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,120 Speaker 2: principal guests for ten years, so I'd worked with they 601 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:44,000 Speaker 2: knew me. Washington, I hadn't been there very often. You 602 00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:46,120 Speaker 2: had played with them, I played with them quite a 603 00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:50,160 Speaker 2: while before, but they needed to arrange a concert to 604 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,560 Speaker 2: see if that would work. I knew that Andre Preven 605 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:54,560 Speaker 2: had already been asked and turned the job down. This 606 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:58,719 Speaker 2: is to succeed Missislav Rostropovitch, who was bigger than life, 607 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:02,520 Speaker 2: a tough job to do. So they arranged the concert 608 00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:04,200 Speaker 2: in the summer for me to come in and just 609 00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:07,240 Speaker 2: see if it was going to work. At intermission of 610 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:09,560 Speaker 2: the concert, the then head of the Kennedy Center, who 611 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:13,520 Speaker 2: was named James Wolfinson go on to head the World Bank, says, Oh, 612 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:15,319 Speaker 2: there's somebody here who'd like to meet you, if you 613 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:17,520 Speaker 2: don't mind, if we're not bothering you an intermission and 614 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:21,320 Speaker 2: he brings in the Clintons and I can't do his voice, 615 00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:25,080 Speaker 2: but he asks I, certainly, I hope you'd be able 616 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:26,720 Speaker 2: to come here and be all music director. 617 00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:32,160 Speaker 1: So the president am I going to Leonard, I'd really 618 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:33,160 Speaker 1: love it if you come and. 619 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:36,279 Speaker 2: Play with us. Something like that. So I did that 620 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:38,280 Speaker 2: for twelve years. Two set of terms. 621 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:43,280 Speaker 1: When you go to a place and you're there, like DC, 622 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:46,400 Speaker 1: is it a tough decision? Like did you say to yourself? 623 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:47,759 Speaker 1: I got to be in love with this thing. I 624 00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:49,799 Speaker 1: gotta be in love. You're gonna sign a contract for 625 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:51,040 Speaker 1: multiple years. 626 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:53,919 Speaker 2: Excellent question. I knew it was time to leave. Saint 627 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:56,560 Speaker 2: Louis been there for ten is the secondary conductor, in 628 00:34:56,640 --> 00:34:59,040 Speaker 2: seventeen is music director, so twenty seven that's a long 629 00:34:59,080 --> 00:35:01,240 Speaker 2: time there in one place. And I knew I couldn't 630 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:03,279 Speaker 2: do any more there to make them grow. They needed 631 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:05,440 Speaker 2: to go another way. I didn't know what I wanted 632 00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:08,279 Speaker 2: to do next, and then this Washington thing came up, 633 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:13,319 Speaker 2: and I thought, I've really tried to do something which 634 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:15,840 Speaker 2: is really tough, and that's to be an American conductor, 635 00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:20,520 Speaker 2: raised in America, trained in America, leading an American orchestra. 636 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:24,520 Speaker 2: There weren't very many of us doing that. Bernstein obviously 637 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,960 Speaker 2: set the example, but after that, not so many. And 638 00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:31,840 Speaker 2: I thought the challenge of really bringing an American agenda 639 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:35,400 Speaker 2: not for any patriotic or nationalistic reason. It's just the 640 00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:38,760 Speaker 2: love of the culture here and bringing the Kennedy Center 641 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:42,640 Speaker 2: into that, and it's what James Wolfin's also wanted. And 642 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:44,920 Speaker 2: after a few years, even though I would say the 643 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:48,040 Speaker 2: relationship with the orchestra was okay, it wasn't like Saint Louis. 644 00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:51,160 Speaker 2: I never felt as connected to them, even it was 645 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:54,239 Speaker 2: twelve years long. I loved the time there because I 646 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:56,040 Speaker 2: got to meet people who changed the way the world 647 00:35:56,080 --> 00:36:00,440 Speaker 2: would be the next day, wouldn't like that, and the 648 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:04,319 Speaker 2: stimulation of the conversations, all these things. It made it 649 00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:09,439 Speaker 2: really exciting for me. But ultimately I think the board said, 650 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:12,360 Speaker 2: you know, we want a little more traditional base for 651 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:15,520 Speaker 2: our orchestra. So twelve years left. Now I was pretty 652 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:19,480 Speaker 2: sure I didn't want to take another orchestra, and I 653 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:21,439 Speaker 2: was asked to guest conduct the Detroit, where I hadn't 654 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:25,440 Speaker 2: been like twenty five years, and I didn't realize there 655 00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:27,640 Speaker 2: was a vacancy there. I didn't think about it, so 656 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:30,080 Speaker 2: I was there. His name was Neme Yarve. I know 657 00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:33,040 Speaker 2: it was there a long time that Pacho's Paula's father, 658 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:36,759 Speaker 2: and I fell in love with the hall. To me 659 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:42,280 Speaker 2: an orchestra hall, it's the same as the strata Varius 660 00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:45,040 Speaker 2: is to the violinist, if you can get a good haul, 661 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:48,160 Speaker 2: and there aren't that many good hauls, not really where 662 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:50,960 Speaker 2: the sound is both intimate and open and warm. At 663 00:36:50,960 --> 00:36:53,719 Speaker 2: the same time, I thought I could do something with 664 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:56,239 Speaker 2: this orchestra in that specific hall, and that's why I 665 00:36:56,239 --> 00:36:59,640 Speaker 2: took that job. It also became a little bit problematic 666 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:03,080 Speaker 2: because my first year I only had time to do 667 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,760 Speaker 2: five weeks because I was still guest conducting. The second 668 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:09,000 Speaker 2: year I had a heart attack versut of two and 669 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:11,000 Speaker 2: that put me out for three months. And then the 670 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:12,719 Speaker 2: third year, well there wasn't a third year because the 671 00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:16,200 Speaker 2: orchestra went on strike for six months. So my job 672 00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:20,640 Speaker 2: became rebuilding, which is not exactly what I wanted to do. 673 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:24,160 Speaker 2: And even though we did a lot of good things together, 674 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:27,360 Speaker 2: I realized that this isn't what I wanted to do. 675 00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:29,440 Speaker 2: So after ten years, I said that's it and I'm 676 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:32,120 Speaker 2: done and I will not take another music directorship anywhere. 677 00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:33,759 Speaker 2: I don't want it. I don't want to be an 678 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:38,040 Speaker 2: administrator anymore. And it's changed. The profession is so different now. 679 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:42,600 Speaker 2: It's dictated by marketing. It's dictated a lot by economics. 680 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:44,240 Speaker 2: Of course understandable. 681 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:46,360 Speaker 1: It's an expensive industry. 682 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:49,120 Speaker 2: It's a very expensive industry and getting more expensive. And 683 00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:50,719 Speaker 2: is there a demand for it? 684 00:37:51,239 --> 00:37:51,359 Speaker 3: Not? 685 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:54,840 Speaker 2: Really, it's all different now. I couldn't do what I 686 00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:58,880 Speaker 2: did in Saint Louis today. I just couldn't do it. It 687 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:02,239 Speaker 2: wouldn't be allowed. Nobody would like that kind of not authoritarian. 688 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:05,440 Speaker 2: I'm not like that. But I had my ideas and 689 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,000 Speaker 2: I needed a partnership, which I had in Saint Louis 690 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:11,280 Speaker 2: with the executive director and artistic administrator. We would set goals, 691 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:12,960 Speaker 2: here's what we want to do in five years, this 692 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:14,600 Speaker 2: is where we want to be. And the minute we 693 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:17,440 Speaker 2: achieved one of the little goals within that framework, we 694 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:21,120 Speaker 2: would just add another goal and we did it. You 695 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:22,600 Speaker 2: can't do it that way anymore. 696 00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:26,799 Speaker 1: You know, every great city has its belt, it has 697 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:30,800 Speaker 1: its perimeter of wealth. Every guy's eighty and every woman's 698 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:32,719 Speaker 1: seventy five, and they all own the paper mill, and 699 00:38:32,760 --> 00:38:35,000 Speaker 1: they own the railroad, and they were all rich people 700 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:36,879 Speaker 1: who are funding this propt this thing. 701 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:39,640 Speaker 2: There are the big difference. What is between those days 702 00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:44,440 Speaker 2: and now? It's really easy to define. Back sixty seventies, 703 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:46,800 Speaker 2: even into the eighties, the people who were the civic 704 00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:50,640 Speaker 2: leaders and who had vested financial interest in the arts 705 00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:54,640 Speaker 2: loved the arts. They knew the arts. Not only did 706 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:58,160 Speaker 2: they support it financially, they were patrons. They came, they 707 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:00,800 Speaker 2: loved it. The chairman of the board in Saint Louis 708 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:03,520 Speaker 2: was an amateur violinist. He went on the stage and 709 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:06,879 Speaker 2: played the Bach double with Isaac Stern. You go ahead 710 00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:09,560 Speaker 2: and find any other person like that now, and I'll 711 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:12,600 Speaker 2: give you another example. I say, Louis is easy. I 712 00:39:12,680 --> 00:39:16,359 Speaker 2: live there now. We had in the last twenty five 713 00:39:16,440 --> 00:39:20,200 Speaker 2: years a man and his wife who are incredible philanthropists 714 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:22,720 Speaker 2: and patrons of the arts. They supported the symphony, the opera, 715 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:25,400 Speaker 2: all these things. The manforded a company. He had a 716 00:39:25,440 --> 00:39:28,719 Speaker 2: company called Sentine. It was a health management among the 717 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:33,280 Speaker 2: fortune twenty five and they gave money to the arts 718 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:37,520 Speaker 2: like crazy. He dies. His name is Michael Nidorff. Two 719 00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:42,000 Speaker 2: weeks later, the new administration in the company ceased all 720 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:44,839 Speaker 2: funding for the arts in the city. And that is 721 00:39:44,880 --> 00:39:48,000 Speaker 2: the problem with corporate America and it's lack of interest 722 00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:49,799 Speaker 2: in the arts. I don't know what we could do 723 00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:54,240 Speaker 2: about it. I've often thought maybe this is where podcasting, radio, 724 00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:57,560 Speaker 2: other things have a chance, maybe to get things back 725 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:03,200 Speaker 2: to a basic level. There should be education for people 726 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:08,239 Speaker 2: who are middle aged to say, here's classic one oh one, 727 00:40:08,880 --> 00:40:13,120 Speaker 2: let's learn about this music. Have people who can host shows, 728 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:15,880 Speaker 2: describe it, do it video, do whatever you want. We 729 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:18,479 Speaker 2: need to get back to an education method for people 730 00:40:18,520 --> 00:40:20,359 Speaker 2: who didn't have it when they were in school and 731 00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:23,279 Speaker 2: can't bring that to the table with their corporations. 732 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:24,759 Speaker 1: Well, the question I have though, is that when you 733 00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:28,120 Speaker 1: go from Saint Louis to Washington, then on Detroit. I 734 00:40:28,120 --> 00:40:30,840 Speaker 1: would imagine in some cities, regardless of they're ups and 735 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:33,399 Speaker 1: downs economically, there's still plenty of wealth and money there. 736 00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:35,960 Speaker 1: What was Detroit Like Detroit is a city in a 737 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:38,880 Speaker 1: desperate city at time, What was happening when you got it. 738 00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:41,960 Speaker 2: In two thousand and nine? When I got there, it 739 00:40:41,960 --> 00:40:45,600 Speaker 2: had already been suffering from the big decline that we 740 00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:48,480 Speaker 2: had economically, which is of course why this strike would happen, 741 00:40:49,480 --> 00:40:52,200 Speaker 2: and everybody saw it coming. People lost up to seventy 742 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:56,719 Speaker 2: five percent of their portfolios. It was amazing, actually, And 743 00:40:57,520 --> 00:41:00,000 Speaker 2: it's easy for people to say, Okay, we got enough 744 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:02,960 Speaker 2: people who are wealthy to support all this, but it's, 745 00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:05,000 Speaker 2: like you put it out, it's old money. And the 746 00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:08,120 Speaker 2: thing is, the new money wasn't there yet. These days, 747 00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:11,719 Speaker 2: they've done a pretty good job of reaching into the 748 00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:13,880 Speaker 2: community to be again, it's just a handful of people 749 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:16,360 Speaker 2: can't do it has to be more across the board. 750 00:41:16,719 --> 00:41:18,360 Speaker 2: You've got to reach these people. The way to do 751 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:21,239 Speaker 2: it is through education. You put education initiatives out there. 752 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:23,480 Speaker 2: It's the one area in Detroit they have no trouble 753 00:41:23,560 --> 00:41:26,080 Speaker 2: raising money if it's targeted towards education. 754 00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:28,879 Speaker 1: Well, one thing I think is interesting because I've seen 755 00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:30,640 Speaker 1: this in New York now a couple of cycles where 756 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:32,000 Speaker 1: they went from I don't think. 757 00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:32,719 Speaker 2: Mozelle was there. 758 00:41:32,719 --> 00:41:34,839 Speaker 1: It was Allan of course, and then Yap and now 759 00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:38,279 Speaker 1: is this the hunt for a music director and the 760 00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:40,680 Speaker 1: weight they put on that and the importance they put 761 00:41:40,719 --> 00:41:42,799 Speaker 1: on that, and like in New York, you feel, I'm 762 00:41:42,840 --> 00:41:45,120 Speaker 1: not criticizing the mom on the board, but you can 763 00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:47,600 Speaker 1: see there's a little wisp of they all want the 764 00:41:47,640 --> 00:41:48,240 Speaker 1: next Lenny. 765 00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:50,520 Speaker 2: They want a superstar. There's never going to be a 766 00:41:50,520 --> 00:41:54,440 Speaker 2: next Lenny, right. We all know that I was always 767 00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:59,319 Speaker 2: the other Lenny. I was called that for years. Oh oh, 768 00:41:59,360 --> 00:42:01,840 Speaker 2: it's perfect either he was the son of Felix, the 769 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:04,200 Speaker 2: son of Eleanor and the other Lenny. That was my 770 00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:08,320 Speaker 2: mantra for a while. This is going to sound radical, 771 00:42:08,719 --> 00:42:11,520 Speaker 2: and it's something I've been thinking about. Within the changes 772 00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:15,000 Speaker 2: of the so called classical music industry. I'm not sure 773 00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:19,239 Speaker 2: that we really need a music director, as the role 774 00:42:19,320 --> 00:42:23,920 Speaker 2: has usually been defined in the past, a music director 775 00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:26,880 Speaker 2: would spend at least half the season with the orchestra. 776 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:30,040 Speaker 2: When you're looking at your Ormidies, your Zell's, your sholdies whatever. 777 00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:32,440 Speaker 2: The reason those orchestras sounded like that was because they 778 00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:36,080 Speaker 2: were there all the time, and they covered within their 779 00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:41,760 Speaker 2: strengths the basic repertoire so Ormedes, Slavic and whatever Zeala 780 00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:45,960 Speaker 2: is the classic repertoire shulties, the big romantic, large gestures, 781 00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:47,799 Speaker 2: and they got known for that. They were associated with 782 00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:52,440 Speaker 2: that repertoire. I wonder if we shouldn't do more something 783 00:42:52,520 --> 00:42:55,400 Speaker 2: like what the Europeans do. They have a principal conductor, 784 00:42:55,800 --> 00:42:59,680 Speaker 2: somebody who still does more concerts than anybody else. They 785 00:42:59,719 --> 00:43:02,720 Speaker 2: define find their roles that way. They tour with the orchestra. 786 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:06,520 Speaker 2: But one person now cannot put a whole season together 787 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:09,439 Speaker 2: with all the guests, all the repertoire. Even if you're 788 00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:13,279 Speaker 2: as incredibly talented as Gustavo is. He can't do this 789 00:43:13,360 --> 00:43:15,360 Speaker 2: alone anywhere. I could in the old days, because I 790 00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:17,839 Speaker 2: would spend twenty weeks in Saint Louis. There's more than 791 00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:21,160 Speaker 2: half the season, and I knew all this stuff. I 792 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:24,359 Speaker 2: think having a principal conductor focusing on the repertoire, they 793 00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:27,239 Speaker 2: do well. I think another prediction, I mean that was 794 00:43:27,440 --> 00:43:29,880 Speaker 2: one prediction in a way. The second one is I 795 00:43:29,920 --> 00:43:33,239 Speaker 2: think orchestras themselves are beginning. We're seeing it ready to 796 00:43:33,239 --> 00:43:35,759 Speaker 2: take more control about the membership of the people who 797 00:43:35,800 --> 00:43:39,960 Speaker 2: constitute the orchestra. You know about the blind audition, Yes, 798 00:43:40,440 --> 00:43:43,360 Speaker 2: so the idea here was screens would go up. You 799 00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:46,480 Speaker 2: would never be able to see the person playing at 800 00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:49,279 Speaker 2: an audition to get an orchestra job, so therefore there 801 00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:52,520 Speaker 2: would be no discrimination. But you also didn't know where 802 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:55,279 Speaker 2: they studied, where have they played before, what kind of 803 00:43:55,280 --> 00:43:58,960 Speaker 2: experience do they have to me? I understood it when 804 00:43:58,960 --> 00:44:01,959 Speaker 2: it went up, and it did help to create more 805 00:44:02,200 --> 00:44:05,480 Speaker 2: women in the orchestral workforce, but certainly did nothing for 806 00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:08,239 Speaker 2: diverse populations. Couldn't you couldn't see them, you couldn't know 807 00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:10,520 Speaker 2: anything about them. I think the day of the screen 808 00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:12,840 Speaker 2: needs to end, at least in the final round of auditions, 809 00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:16,120 Speaker 2: so it can be open about it. But I also 810 00:44:16,160 --> 00:44:19,760 Speaker 2: think that decision now, because the report was so vast, 811 00:44:20,880 --> 00:44:23,200 Speaker 2: now should lay in the hands of the orchestra itself. 812 00:44:23,320 --> 00:44:25,600 Speaker 2: Let them decide what they want their orchestra to be. 813 00:44:26,480 --> 00:44:30,640 Speaker 2: Most music directors today don't have this kind of gravitas 814 00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:33,560 Speaker 2: of the older conductors. They don't come from the same 815 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:35,799 Speaker 2: kind of generation, they don't come from the same kind 816 00:44:35,840 --> 00:44:38,560 Speaker 2: of training. Let them do what they do well, bring 817 00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:41,000 Speaker 2: in some guests to do it. Let the orchestra choose 818 00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:44,160 Speaker 2: its own membership. So if you have that, then you're 819 00:44:44,160 --> 00:44:47,839 Speaker 2: in a whole different world. You have you're not out 820 00:44:47,880 --> 00:44:50,600 Speaker 2: searching like crazy like these orchestras are. It's going to 821 00:44:50,640 --> 00:44:53,960 Speaker 2: take two three years to find somebody. The orchestra goes leaderless, 822 00:44:54,320 --> 00:44:57,640 Speaker 2: So who's choosing the members of the orchestra? The orchestra itself? Anyway? 823 00:44:57,800 --> 00:44:58,759 Speaker 2: Why not just keep that? 824 00:45:00,080 --> 00:45:03,000 Speaker 1: Think that One of the things I'm concerned about lately, 825 00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:05,680 Speaker 1: of course, isn't in the sexual assault scandal at the Philharmonic. 826 00:45:05,760 --> 00:45:10,280 Speaker 1: And I think Gary Ginstling, our executive director, he's beautifully beautiful, 827 00:45:10,280 --> 00:45:12,520 Speaker 1: because this thingn't gets dumped on very well. Somebody does 828 00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:14,759 Speaker 1: something to somebody and you really you have no idea, 829 00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:16,720 Speaker 1: and then it gets dumped on you to solve this problem. 830 00:45:16,719 --> 00:45:19,160 Speaker 1: It's really really tough, and you know, as you said, 831 00:45:19,160 --> 00:45:21,640 Speaker 1: they're going to pick their own members. That's a very 832 00:45:21,680 --> 00:45:24,239 Speaker 1: tough thing for the organization to process now about what 833 00:45:24,280 --> 00:45:27,480 Speaker 1: our responsibilities and what our obligations are in terms of 834 00:45:27,520 --> 00:45:31,240 Speaker 1: managing like and of course people that commit those crimes, 835 00:45:31,280 --> 00:45:33,560 Speaker 1: if you will, and the exhibit that behavior, you want 836 00:45:33,560 --> 00:45:35,520 Speaker 1: the matter there as soon as possible and getting rid 837 00:45:35,520 --> 00:45:37,880 Speaker 1: of them as impossible, get possible. 838 00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:41,560 Speaker 2: Somebody fired in an orchestra is a minimum two year process, 839 00:45:41,719 --> 00:45:44,680 Speaker 2: and it usually doesn't succeed. So, yes, there are only 840 00:45:44,719 --> 00:45:47,440 Speaker 2: three ways you can usually get somebody out. One is 841 00:45:47,920 --> 00:45:51,960 Speaker 2: for harassment, like we're talking about here. Two is for ineviation, 842 00:45:52,120 --> 00:45:54,080 Speaker 2: hard to prove because you're gonna get drug testing after 843 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:58,520 Speaker 2: a concert. And the third is when you insult somebody disparagement. 844 00:45:58,760 --> 00:46:01,560 Speaker 2: Yes there was in New Jersey they used to have 845 00:46:01,600 --> 00:46:04,000 Speaker 2: a clause. Maybe they still do. The conductor's not allowed 846 00:46:04,040 --> 00:46:06,360 Speaker 2: to scowl at the orchestra because they had a music 847 00:46:06,360 --> 00:46:09,560 Speaker 2: director who scowled. I can see that court case trying 848 00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:10,320 Speaker 2: to define scowl. 849 00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:13,880 Speaker 1: Another thing I would assume is grounds for dismissal is 850 00:46:13,880 --> 00:46:15,640 Speaker 1: in subordinate, and that's the way I was looking for it. 851 00:46:15,760 --> 00:46:16,560 Speaker 2: I'm sorry, that's how. 852 00:46:16,480 --> 00:46:18,880 Speaker 1: We got there. You go, how many times have you tried. 853 00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:21,040 Speaker 1: I'm assuming almost never have you tried to get somebody 854 00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:22,680 Speaker 1: to play something the way you want and they wouldn't. 855 00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:26,840 Speaker 2: Hey, it's happened. And I can tell you. When I 856 00:46:26,840 --> 00:46:29,120 Speaker 2: made my debut with the Neark Philharmonic, they used to 857 00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:31,759 Speaker 2: have this thing where they would test the young conductors 858 00:46:31,800 --> 00:46:34,360 Speaker 2: who come in and I was doing for coffee of 859 00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:38,840 Speaker 2: five and at one point I stopped and the first 860 00:46:38,880 --> 00:46:41,760 Speaker 2: clarinet Stanley Drucker, said, excuse me. You know in this place, 861 00:46:42,239 --> 00:46:44,440 Speaker 2: I'm playing this on an A clarinet instead of a 862 00:46:44,480 --> 00:46:46,400 Speaker 2: B flat clarinet, but I know your scores in't ce 863 00:46:47,200 --> 00:46:49,359 Speaker 2: what note do I have? And that just looks at 864 00:46:49,719 --> 00:46:52,440 Speaker 2: I said, well, you have a concert, be natural? Why 865 00:46:52,440 --> 00:46:54,440 Speaker 2: are you playing on an a clarinet? So I shot 866 00:46:54,440 --> 00:46:56,440 Speaker 2: it back to him. I know that's a little difficult. 867 00:46:56,600 --> 00:46:58,759 Speaker 2: But the hard one was what the viola's There's a 868 00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:02,480 Speaker 2: place in the last one that goes YadA YadA da, 869 00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:04,200 Speaker 2: And I looked at the viola's the verse it's not 870 00:47:04,239 --> 00:47:07,600 Speaker 2: together and the first viella says, yes it is. I said, no, 871 00:47:07,760 --> 00:47:10,080 Speaker 2: it's not. He says, don't worry, it'll be fine at 872 00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:11,719 Speaker 2: the concert. And I said, do you think we could 873 00:47:11,719 --> 00:47:14,239 Speaker 2: get this be fine now. So all you can do 874 00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:17,200 Speaker 2: is try to find a way. Probably today that would 875 00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:19,520 Speaker 2: be in subordination. You can't do a lot of things. 876 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:22,840 Speaker 2: If you're teaching conductors, you have to ask permission to 877 00:47:22,960 --> 00:47:27,399 Speaker 2: change the hand position. You can't just go I can't 878 00:47:27,440 --> 00:47:30,680 Speaker 2: imagine my piano teacher having to go with what piano 879 00:47:30,680 --> 00:47:32,959 Speaker 2: teachers do today. You have to have the door open. 880 00:47:33,000 --> 00:47:35,200 Speaker 2: People have to see it. There are teachers who now 881 00:47:35,239 --> 00:47:38,640 Speaker 2: record the lessons to make sure there's nothing like that happening. 882 00:47:38,719 --> 00:47:41,319 Speaker 2: But that was how discipline was, and that's how we 883 00:47:41,360 --> 00:47:44,200 Speaker 2: had all these great artists. So I don't know if 884 00:47:44,239 --> 00:47:46,920 Speaker 2: that will ever change. And yes, we need to be, 885 00:47:47,239 --> 00:47:50,160 Speaker 2: of course, very careful. We have to choose our words carefully, 886 00:47:50,239 --> 00:47:51,879 Speaker 2: we have to choose what we do. But maybe it's 887 00:47:51,880 --> 00:47:52,799 Speaker 2: gone a little too far. 888 00:47:53,880 --> 00:47:57,239 Speaker 1: You just released a book, eight Symphonic master Works of 889 00:47:57,280 --> 00:47:58,160 Speaker 1: the twentieth Century. 890 00:47:58,520 --> 00:48:01,719 Speaker 2: What's that book about. This is the fourth book I've 891 00:48:01,719 --> 00:48:05,040 Speaker 2: had published. The first two were kind of memoir autobiography, 892 00:48:05,080 --> 00:48:08,239 Speaker 2: stories that the third one was about the industry some 893 00:48:08,280 --> 00:48:10,640 Speaker 2: of the things we've been talking about, and this one 894 00:48:10,760 --> 00:48:15,919 Speaker 2: is more dedicated for musicians, particularly conductors, but not exclusively. 895 00:48:16,520 --> 00:48:19,520 Speaker 2: I took eight pieces of music, very familiar works write 896 00:48:19,520 --> 00:48:22,320 Speaker 2: a Spring, La, Maia, Young Person's Got It, the Orchestra, 897 00:48:22,400 --> 00:48:25,680 Speaker 2: Barbara Daggio, Sover and so on, and I literally analyze 898 00:48:25,719 --> 00:48:29,600 Speaker 2: them bar by bar saying this is what the conductor 899 00:48:29,640 --> 00:48:32,719 Speaker 2: needs to know before you ever step foot on the podium. 900 00:48:33,239 --> 00:48:36,480 Speaker 2: This is my way of saying to you technically, how 901 00:48:36,520 --> 00:48:40,000 Speaker 2: you do it, emotionally, how you get into it. And 902 00:48:40,120 --> 00:48:42,560 Speaker 2: in many cases, when there are three, four or five 903 00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:44,920 Speaker 2: different ways to do a passage, I'll say, these are 904 00:48:44,960 --> 00:48:48,399 Speaker 2: the things you can do here. There really hasn't been 905 00:48:48,440 --> 00:48:50,799 Speaker 2: a book quite like this before, and I believe it 906 00:48:50,840 --> 00:48:52,400 Speaker 2: will be the start of a series. I know the 907 00:48:52,440 --> 00:48:55,600 Speaker 2: second volume will come out in October, and I'm hoping 908 00:48:55,640 --> 00:48:58,279 Speaker 2: that every eight or nine months will have It's been 909 00:48:58,320 --> 00:49:02,200 Speaker 2: fabulous for me. It's imagine if somebody said, Okay, here's 910 00:49:02,239 --> 00:49:04,680 Speaker 2: something you did when you started in your career, a play. 911 00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:07,000 Speaker 2: Whatever it is. Now, we want you to go back 912 00:49:07,280 --> 00:49:09,719 Speaker 2: and look at it again. But with all this experience 913 00:49:09,760 --> 00:49:12,280 Speaker 2: you have for what you bring to it, you learn I'm. 914 00:49:12,160 --> 00:49:14,120 Speaker 1: Coach writing a play now with a friend of mine, 915 00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:16,799 Speaker 1: my own former acting teacher. I'm just assistant, but. 916 00:49:16,760 --> 00:49:17,560 Speaker 2: Aren't you learning? 917 00:49:18,040 --> 00:49:20,279 Speaker 1: So I'm going back to it. That's what I said 918 00:49:20,320 --> 00:49:22,800 Speaker 1: to myself. I said, this is my opportunity to understand. 919 00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:25,360 Speaker 2: I understand the exactly, and that's this book is like 920 00:49:25,400 --> 00:49:27,440 Speaker 2: therapy for me in my work. 921 00:49:27,560 --> 00:49:31,440 Speaker 1: I've joked with people before when I was watching popular 922 00:49:31,520 --> 00:49:33,759 Speaker 1: music with some friends of mine at an event of 923 00:49:33,800 --> 00:49:36,080 Speaker 1: some type, and then of course always in the symphony. 924 00:49:36,560 --> 00:49:38,799 Speaker 1: I turned to my friend at one concert and I'd 925 00:49:38,800 --> 00:49:41,600 Speaker 1: said this before, and I said to this friend of mine, 926 00:49:41,600 --> 00:49:43,480 Speaker 1: for the first time I shared with him. I said, 927 00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:45,400 Speaker 1: look at these people. Do you see what they're doing? 928 00:49:45,920 --> 00:49:47,520 Speaker 1: And he leaned into me. I whispered, and he said 929 00:49:47,520 --> 00:49:50,560 Speaker 1: what And I said, they're all doing the same thing 930 00:49:50,640 --> 00:49:53,840 Speaker 1: at the same time, led by this man to me, 931 00:49:53,960 --> 00:49:58,200 Speaker 1: I just crave that. I crave watching those ensembles and 932 00:49:58,239 --> 00:49:59,880 Speaker 1: watching them do this thing together. 933 00:50:00,680 --> 00:50:03,680 Speaker 2: It's like when we renovated the Kennedy Center. I asked 934 00:50:03,719 --> 00:50:06,200 Speaker 2: President Clinton to come and conduct the Stars and Stripes 935 00:50:06,480 --> 00:50:08,840 Speaker 2: at the end, and he didn't have a chance to rehearse. 936 00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:10,160 Speaker 2: He had me go to the White House to give 937 00:50:10,239 --> 00:50:12,080 Speaker 2: him a lesson, but he already knew. He was saying, 938 00:50:12,120 --> 00:50:13,560 Speaker 2: what do I do about that place where the brass 939 00:50:13,560 --> 00:50:16,600 Speaker 2: slowed out. Well actually know what to do, so he comes. 940 00:50:17,120 --> 00:50:20,160 Speaker 2: I introduce him, ladies and gentlemen. I'm really sick of 941 00:50:20,160 --> 00:50:22,440 Speaker 2: doing stars and stripes with his orchestra, so I'm going 942 00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:25,240 Speaker 2: to turn over to our new assistant conductor, the President 943 00:50:25,280 --> 00:50:28,760 Speaker 2: of the United States. He does it. It goes just fine, 944 00:50:29,080 --> 00:50:32,360 Speaker 2: and in his book he wrote how this was really 945 00:50:32,560 --> 00:50:35,440 Speaker 2: the best thing during his presidency because he got one 946 00:50:35,520 --> 00:50:37,480 Speaker 2: hundred people to do what he wanted. 947 00:50:44,719 --> 00:50:48,200 Speaker 1: My thanks to Leonard Slatkin, I'm now like Baldwin. Here's 948 00:50:48,239 --> 00:50:51,080 Speaker 1: the thing has brought to you by iHeartRadio. I'll leave 949 00:50:51,120 --> 00:50:54,840 Speaker 1: you with Prairie Knight from Aaron Copeland's Billy the Kid 950 00:50:54,880 --> 00:51:00,360 Speaker 1: Ballet Suite. Leonard Slatkin conducts the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. 951 00:51:03,520 --> 00:52:04,600 Speaker 5: Yea no camag