Cocktail Conversation: Anthony Tommasini
Photo credit: Chris Lee, New York Philharmonic
On Wednesday, I was invited to a cocktail party for music journalists on the rooftop of the Empire Hotel prior to that evening's New York Philharmonic season-opening gala. I was speaking with one of Lincoln Center's staffers by the bar when we were approached by Anthony Tommasini, longtime classical music critic of The New York Times. I've seen Tony at all sorts of musical happenings over the past six years, but have never felt comfortable approaching him, given his status as arguably the most influential music critic in New York, if not America. I mean, what would he care what some blogger thinks?
Imagine my surprise, then, when Tony turned out to be completely warm and engaging, enthusiastically holding court on a wide range of topics for more than twenty minutes. Despite his past life as a music professor, Tony is no reserved academic: he speaks with genuine passion for the beat he's covered since 1996. And, while I don't always see eye to eye with him, our chat was a reminder of just how fortunate we are to have his clear, knowledgeable voice. (For the record: Tony drank Coke, while yours truly swilled Chardonnay.)
Below are some highlights:
On Covering the Fall Openings: I've been up until 3:30 a.m. the past two nights, between the Met's opening on Monday and Levine's return in Così fan Tutte last night. I asked my editor to let me send in my story for this tomorrow, since this isn't really as . . . newsworthy.
On the Met's Opening Night Protests: Obviously, this is a deeply personal issue for me (Ed: Tony married his longtime partner, Ben McCommon, last year). But, as I wrote earlier this week, it isn't the Met's place to step in and make a statement here. If they took a stand on this, the next thing you know you'll have people wanting to protest Syria, or the Palestinians, or whatever cause they want to promote. The Met actually has a long history of avoiding political protest: during the first and second World Wars, the Met continued to perform German opera, even as it was boycotted by most other companies around the world.
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