Originally Posted by Manny Laureano

The focus on glitz and moodlighting is what has me despairing about the Boston Pops of today vs. the concerts of old.

I remember a few years ago tuning in to the Pops for old time sake and I was in for quite a shock. It seemed as though the focus was very much more towards getting the right lighting and camera angles rather in the beauty of the music. the performance was fine, it was just the myriad distractions that whomever is directing the programs was creating that got me down.

With us, Doc is pretty straightforward. There is lighting but not colors, so much. It's clearly about Doc playing with the orchestra, the soloists he brings, and lots of contact with the audience. It's rather a shame that after all these years nobody ever decided to invest in putting these shows on TV. The American public on a national level has lost out on seeing an icon of popular culture on a regular basis. He's conducted a great variety of classic repertoire and newer stuff but still in the classical genre.

I think Pops serves several purposes. With me, it inspired me to listen to classical music. For people that listen to classical music a lot, it's just fun to hear your favorites and some lighter stuff to relax with.

ML