This guy doesn’t sound like a “serious classical musician” to me!

The Swedish clarinetist — a serious classical musician with plenty of high-brow credentials — often glides on in-line skates during performances, dances or dons elaborate costumes and stage make-up, in an effort to bring elements of modern dance and theater to classical performances.

RTWT

Here’s the thing: classical musicians can be quite fun and extremely funny.

Now I’m guessing the author meant “serious” as in being earnest and diligent in one’s craft, but I always get a kick out of people who assume we are pretty darn staid and boring folk.

In Other News … I finally took a music “test” to see if I could distinguish between male and female performers. It’s called the Music Gender Identification Survey, brought to my attention by Peter Kaye. Check it out.

I went in a skeptic, and I remain so. Aside from hearing some breaths being taken by a few wind players (and even then I wasn’t certain of the gender) I haven’t a clue what gender the players are. Nor do I care; music simply about gender to me. BUT … you knew there’s be a “but” didn’t you? … it did make me think about what gender I “randomly” (not believing much of anything is truly random) decided to choose. Was it about the instrument? Is cello more male than flute? Does the instrument’s range make me choose a certain way? Is a trumpet so masculine I can’t choose female for that? The style of the work? Would slow and romantic make me choose a woman and were the works that were more angular sounding masculine? The answers to these questions won’t be answered here; I don’t want to sway any of you. Well, except even asking them can sway you, can’t it? (Sorry!) I sure wish they would have provided the answers at the end. Will I be left forever guessing?

So that test did make me think a bit.

Seriously.