Delos Diary

Talk about being put in your place! Time Magazine, the issue dated April 18, 2005, features the magazine's choice of the world's 100 most influential people as of spring 2005.
A careful scan of the list reveals that not one individual in the classical music field is even so much as mentioned. Not one conductor, composer, vocalist, instrumentalist, producer, or critic! Popular music gets some recognition under the subheading of Artists and Entertainers, with the inclusion of Alicia Keys, Juanes, Kanye West, Melissa Etheridge and Jay-Z, all estimable artists in their own fields, but hardly classical celebrities. So whether your name happens to Placido Domingo, James Levine, Renée Fleming, John Adams, Simon Rattle, Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman or any of the other musicians we prize so highly, you can consider yourself relegated to the also-rans.
What is there to do about it? We can simply sit back and recognize that ours is a specialized field not really relevant in today's world, or become much more aggressive in promoting the art we cherish. Here at Delos we will continue to practice the latter option by bringing out new records of quality and integrity.

p.s.: How about getting Dmitri Hvorostovsky to do an Arnold Schwarzenegger and run for some political office in Russia? He's got the looks and a much better voice. He might be our best bet to break into next year's 100 best list.