Chamber Music: Rewards Beyond the Regimen

A conductor in a conniption once defined a symphony orchestra as "a menagerie of geniuses." To capture and keep these restless creatures has never been a simple matter, and in recent years they have displayed a growing tendency to burst out of their gilded but confining cages. Wearied by the iron regimen and routine of orchestra life, front-rank instrumentalists have defected by the dozens to the concert circuit and university faculties. Money is not the issue. They are not looking for bigger paychecks; they want a richer musical life. How to satisfy this craving is one of the principal problems...