Pearls Before Commuters

The Washington Post's story yesterday on a world-famous violinist playing a Strad in the DC Metro while people walk. on. by. is pretty interesting. I'm not sure I think you can extrapolate that much per se about these people's lack of appreciation for Bach (why should Bach be universally appreciable but not rap?), as suggested, but I do find the uniform behavior of the kids (and parents) fascinating. Also fascinating: whatever you may think of classical music or violins, as Bell said himself, he was loud, and physically taking up a lot of space with a vigorous performance, yet...everyone walked within three feet of him as though he was invisible. Interesting meditation on the meaning of expectations. The single most beautiful voice I ever heard was an operatic tenor singing in the New York subway station at 23rd Street (an otherwise wholly unimpressive station). I will remember it to this day because it changed the entire course of that day for me, just hearing something that beautiful someplace so unexpected. Beats out any opera I've attended anywhere in the world. Sometimes finding something in less-than-optimal conditions is precisely what gives it beauty.