Whats your opinion of performances by a group like the Kronos Quartet?
Well I think they are very, very interesting indeed. Although they don’t tend to sort of focus on very much lyrical music. Would that be fair to say? Hmmm…I’m not fairly familiar. One thing that maybe you could address which is connected with this issue of lyricism is the popularity of classical music. In the last few months The New York Times, in particular, has run a series of articles about crises in classical music. Not only are you a very distinguished player, but I know you are also a teacher. How is classical music to be revived with mainstream music lovers, particularly young people? What are your opinions on this? I think the basic problem is that young people are not exposed to listening to classical music. Even certain, say, rugged individuals will enjoy Beethoven, [but] amongst their peers they are considered weirdos — in the current jargon. When I was a lad I recall — of course, these were the days in the 1930s after the depression and so on — they had the orchestras
