Letters: Jun. 18, 1984

(3 of 3)

Your article "Round and Round They Go" [MUSIC, May 28] notes that conductors are doubling up their positions because there are not enough maestros to go around. At the same time, the executive directors of symphony companies say they want their conductors to be "magicians capable of performing mysterious acts with an orchestra." If that is what they desire, then these directors ought to find a talented younger conductor who has the will and integrity to risk being unpopular with the musicians. Give this leader the authority over all artistic decisions. The Cleveland Orchestra did this with George Szell, and the result was one of the grand epochs in musical history. The prescription is excellence rather than expediency.

David J. Stiller Costa Mesa, Calif.

There are plenty of U.S. conductors who can direct a major orchestra. To think that Beethoven and BartÓk sound better because the maestro is European harks back to 1900, when this country had a cultural inferiority complex. Those who know judge by what they hear, not by the big name who leads the musicians.

Paul B. Schmid Mansfield, Ohio

Victory of Sorts

Your article on Bose Corp. vs. Consumers Union [PRESS, May 14] omitted the fact that although Bose lost the case, it won a moral victory. The Supreme Court said the engineer who disparaged the Bose 901 loudspeaker "had made a mistake and when confronted with it, he refused to admit it and steadfastly attempted to maintain that no mistake had been made—that the inaccurate was accurate."

Charles Hieken Counsel for Bose Corp. Boston

Shiny Pate

Your report on treating baldness [MEDICINE, May 28] reminded me of an old saying: "God only made a few perfect heads. The rest he put hair on." My husband has a perfect head, and I would not want him to change for the world.

Elizabeth F. Ginovsky Rochester

As a dermatologist, I have found that much more than vanity motivates individuals to undergo hair transplants. I commissioned an independent survey of my patients, which showed that those having transplants believe that appearance has an effect on their careers. As a result of hair restoration, people feel more self-confident, more comfortable in social situations and better able to compete with younger business colleagues.

Manuel O. Jaffe, M.D. Minneapolis