Leonard Slatkin, music director of the National Symphony Orchestra, was
asked the same question. What did he think would occur, hypothetically, if
one of the world's great violinists had performed incognito before a
traveling rush-hour audience of 1,000-odd people?
“Let's assume,” Slatkin said, “that he is not recognized and just taken
for granted as a street musician … Still, I don't think that if he's really
good, he's going to go unnoticed. He'd get a larger audience in Europe …
but, okay, out of 1,000 people, my guess is there might be 35 or 40 who
will recognize the quality for what it is. Maybe 75 to 100 will stop and
spend some time listening.”
So, a crowd would gather?
“Oh, yes.”
And how much will he make?
“About $150.”
Thanks, Maestro. As it happens, this is not hypothetical. It really
happened.
“How'd I do?”
We'll tell you in a minute.
“Well, who was the musician?”
Joshua Bell.
Via Steven
Talcott Smith, Pearls
before Breakfast
Joshua
Bell. Playing a $3.6M Stradivarius no
less.
But you'll have to read the article to find out the results.
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