When oboist, journalist, and author Blair Tindall wrote her memoir, Mozart in the Jungle, she tells us, she didn’t necessarily not think it would become a TV show. But she did stop to marvel at the fact that playing the oboe could lead to buying a dress for the Golden Globes. Last night, the Amazon series based on her book won two Golden Globes: One for Best TV Comedy or Musical, and one Best Actor in a TV Comedy or Musical for Gael García Bernal’s performance as conductor Rodrigo de Souza. (The lesson here being that becoming a classical musician will surely lead to fame and fortune.)
Blair Tindall.
In this Classical Classroom, MusicWorks episode, Tindall talks about life as a classical musician, what led her to write Mozart in the Jungle, and the importance of debunking classical music stereotypes and myths. We also discuss Jason Schwartzman’s impressive facial hair, hanging out with Coppolas, and how an oboe rolls when you drop it on the floor.
Music in this episode:
- Symphony No. 1 “Low” (aka, the “Low” Symphony). Philip Glass (based on David Bowie’s album, Low)
- The Planets: Mars, the Bringer of War. Gustav Holst. Played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, James Levine conducting.
- “Lisztomania,” from the album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Phoenix. Arranged for orchestra by Roger Neill and Suzie Katayama.
Audio production by Todd “BB-Todd” Hulslander with fluency in over six million languages by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.