No images? Click here December 3, 2023 If you send a ‘grievance’ to this Florida newspaper, they’ll print it on Festivus, the made-up Seinfeld holiday. +++ In this week’s email:
CLASSICAL CHARTZ Weekly selections are based on sales numbers and albums we simply love and think you NEED to hear! For the complete top 20, tune into Classical Chartz with the New Classical FM’s Mark Wigmore every Saturday from 3-5 pm EST! THE BIG IDEA Wishful Thinking: Debunking the Mozart EffectListen to Mozart while you study, and suddenly, you'll be getting all A’s. That's the "Mozart Effect '' — or so the media spun it. Back in 1993, psychologist Francis Rauscher's study showed students briefly performing better at spatial tasks after listening to Mozart. The catch? The effect was a mere blip on the cognitive radar – about 10-15 minutes of improved spatial reasoning, no grand IQ boost. The Study Breakdown
Brain hack du jourWhen the findings hit the press, they were amplified beyond recognition. Headlines crooned "Mozart makes you smart," and suddenly everyone was tuning in. Rauscher's phone rang off the hook, journalists camped at her door, and Mozart CDs flew off the shelves. Then things got really strange… …As the hype increased, the original point of research became grossly distorted. Rauscher's narrow findings morphed into a sweeping movement that promised smarter babies and brighter futures, all from a dash of classical music. In a bizarre twist, the misquoted research even led to Rauscher facing the music of public outrage — including death threats. The myth crescendoed to policy when Georgia and Tennessee, swayed by the melody of potential genius, began gifting Mozart CDs to newborns. A symphony of good intentions, perhaps, but one based on a misunderstood tune. The truth is, Rauscher's study was never the opening act to a smarter society through Mozart. The actual takeaway? Any engaging music can jazz up the mind temporarily. It's not the composer that conducts cognitive sparks – it's the pleasure of the music itself. The moral of the storyIn an age of quick fixes and silver bullets, the "Mozart Effect" struck a chord with a hopeful public. It’s a modern-day lesson in critical thinking and the importance of appreciating the nuances behind the headlines. But hey, if you’re jamming to Mozart while reading this – don’t stop. Just remember, you’re feeding your soul, not necessarily your IQ. Keep the tunes flowing and the facts in check. BonusThree other notable myths created by misrepresented research: 1. K2-18 b and the Misrepresentation of Alien Life: The planet K2-18 b was subject to sensational headlines that misrepresented scientific findings, suggesting that there was evidence of life. This was a distortion of the actual cautious conclusions drawn by researchers. 2. Vaccines and Autism: A now-retracted study published in 1998 falsely linked the MMR vaccine to autism, which was widely reported in the media. Despite numerous studies disproving this link, the media coverage contributed to a persistent myth that vaccines cause autism. 3. The 10% Brain Myth: The claim that humans only use 10% of their brains is another myth perpetuated by misinterpretations of neurological research and popularized by the media. Scientific evidence shows that we use much more than 10% of our brains. — MV TOUR DE HEADLINES Classical music critic Anthony Tommasini (Photo Tony Cenicola//The New York Times) What a Classical-Music Critic Reads — Anthony Tommasini, the former chief classical-music critic for The New York Times, recommends books and music. | The Atlantic Welsh National Opera Has Announced the Appointment of Interim General Director — The WNO has announced Christopher Barron as the new Interim General Director, beginning in January 2024. He succeeds Aidan Lang, retiring after four years and a 40-year opera career. | Welsh National Opera Missing: Violin, Bows and Musical Equipment in Portland, Oregon — Musicians Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas reported a significant theft in Portland, Oregon, losing instruments and equipment from their rental car while on tour. The stolen items, valued in tens of thousands of pounds, included Fraser's Jay Haide violin and four prestigious violin bows, along with other musical accessories. Haas's cello, also taken, was fortunately recovered shortly after the incident. | The Strad TURBULENT TIMES Tannhäuser, Met Opera. (Photo courtesy of the MET Opera) Climate Protesters Disrupt Christian Gerharher’s Metropolitan Opera DebutClimate protesters from the group Extinction Rebellion interrupted the Metropolitan Opera’s opening performance of Tannhaüser on November 30th. What happened? On November 30, climate protesters from the group Extinction Rebellion interrupted Act II of Wagner’s Tannhaüser at the Metropolitan Opera. The group interrupted Wolfram’s description of love as a miraculous spring, shouting from the audience, “The spring is tainted.” Others held a banner reading “No Opera On A Dead Planet.” The Met’s curtain was quickly lowered before security arrived. Met General Manager Peter Gelb apologized for the disturbance before the performance restarted, only to be quickly re-interrupted. Refresher: The climate protests came in the middle of baritone Christian
Gerharher’s Metropolitan Opera debut as Wolfram. Gerharher has been described as “one of our finest living lieder singers” (NYTimes), who brings the subtlety of art song to his operatic depictions. The performance was conducted by Donald Runnicles in a 1970s production by Otto Schenck. POWER MOVES Valery Gergiev (Photo: Mil.ru) Vladimir Putin’s Longtime Ally Valery Gergiev Appointed Head of Bolshoi TheatreConductor Valery Gergiev was announced on Friday as the new head of Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre. What’s Up: On Friday, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow announced that the conductor Valery Gergiev will become the institution’s new general director. Gergiev already leads the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, giving him control over the two main bastions of Russian classical music culture. Refresher: Valery Gergiev, 67, has been an ally of Vladimir Putin’s since the 1990s. He has appeared in television campaigns supporting Putin and publicly expressed his support of Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Gergiev has refused to denounce the war in Ukraine, leading to his blacklisting from the many international orchestras and opera houses where he once conducted. He replaces conductor
Vladimir Urin, who has led the Bolshoi since 2013. QUIZ AROUND THE WEB 📅 On this day: Benjamin Britten died in 1976. ⚕️Art: Hospital Rooms is an arts and mental health charity that transforms mental health hospitals with extraordinary creative programmes and artworks. Check out the virtual exhibit here. 🎨Cure boredom: Can you guess the artwork? 🍱 That’s interesting: Explore a bento box of mouth-watering facts about Japan's iconic cuisine. RARE INSTRUMENT OF THE WEEK One of the few pyrophones constructed by Kastner, as seen in 2013 in the Musée historique de Strasbourg. The PyrophoneA pyrophone is a unique musical instrument that creates sounds through rapid combustion or explosions, like using burners in glass tubes. This creates both light and sound. It was invented in the 1870s by Georges Kastner, a physicist and musician, who was the son of composer Jean-Georges Kastner. How did you like today's email? |