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Alex Yates · 08-27-2005, 11:53 AM

This book is causing quite a stir in the "classical" world. I was curious if any of you have read it. I have and I must say, I was not surprised by most of its contents. Even though the author is/was a professional Oboe player (Blair Tindall) who freelanced in NYC and with the NY Philharmonic for over ten years, it can apply to ANY musician. I am not talking about all of the "misbehaving" and "substance" issues, as that is not part of my story in the classical world. I am also not talking about her seemingly ungrateful attitude concerning what she did have at one time (a career that most of us orchestra blowers would dream to have). Where I find resonance in this book is in the description of certain events when one has chosen the musical life. The frustrations, the milemarkers along the way where one considers abandoning what they love to have a normal life like everyone else, the feeling of pursuing life without a "safety net", the feeling of being a part of something seemingly insignificant in today's society, the experience of auditions, the politics involved in funding, the abuse of conductors who rape funding with six and seven figure salararies, etc. The book also has a good deal of facts that spell out the rise and fall of funding for orchestras (and art in general). I found that very interesting. The author does seem to have offended quite a few folks since most of the people she mentions are still alive and well and active in the music world. You can go to Amazon, look up this book and just read the reviews. Yikes! They alone give a good picture of the collective nerve Ms. Tindall seems to have struck. You can agree or disagree, or shake your head in disgust at some of the things she describes, but you cannot escape the fact that there is also truth in her uncovering what is the ugliness that lives in the world of orchestras and classical music.

08-27-2005, 11:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
Alex Yates Forte User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 2,405	Has anyone read "Mozart in the Jungle" ? This book is causing quite a stir in the "classical" world. I was curious if any of you have read it. I have and I must say, I was not surprised by most of its contents. Even though the author is/was a professional Oboe player (Blair Tindall) who freelanced in NYC and with the NY Philharmonic for over ten years, it can apply to ANY musician. I am not talking about all of the "misbehaving" and "substance" issues, as that is not part of my story in the classical world. I am also not talking about her seemingly ungrateful attitude concerning what she did have at one time (a career that most of us orchestra blowers would dream to have). Where I find resonance in this book is in the description of certain events when one has chosen the musical life. The frustrations, the milemarkers along the way where one considers abandoning what they love to have a normal life like everyone else, the feeling of pursuing life without a "safety net", the feeling of being a part of something seemingly insignificant in today's society, the experience of auditions, the politics involved in funding, the abuse of conductors who rape funding with six and seven figure salararies, etc. The book also has a good deal of facts that spell out the rise and fall of funding for orchestras (and art in general). I found that very interesting. The author does seem to have offended quite a few folks since most of the people she mentions are still alive and well and active in the music world. You can go to Amazon, look up this book and just read the reviews. Yikes! They alone give a good picture of the collective nerve Ms. Tindall seems to have struck. You can agree or disagree, or shake your head in disgust at some of the things she describes, but you cannot escape the fact that there is also truth in her uncovering what is the ugliness that lives in the world of orchestras and classical music.