Watch: A female violist dares to walk in New York

Watch: A female violist dares to walk in New York

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norman lebrecht

November 09, 2015

It’s rough out there. (Does this happen to cellists?)

walking in NY

Brilliant tribute video by Submediant.

Comments

  • Neil Thompson Shade says:

    I do not know whether to laugh or cry at this video. Totally shocking at the response of these random people. Such nastiness and ignorance. What surprises me is people were able to differentiate a viola from a violin from the case size!

    As an amateur violist I always call out to my fellow spirits whenever I see them with ‘the best instrument ever – sure beats the ugly sister!’

    FWIW, my wife and I were in London 2 weeks ago and after we left the RAM I chatted with a viola student for about one mile (about 15 minutes) walking along along Marleybone Road with no comments from Londoners, and this was during evening rush hour. I can only think what this says about USA cultural values.

    • Emil says:

      You do get that it is satire, right?

      If you are not convinced, their other video is titled “Will One Of Joshua Bell’s Greatest Headshots Be Noticed By NYC Rush Hour Commuters?”.

    • Emil says:

      The fact that she is not carrying a viola should have been a giveaway as well…

    • Christy says:

      What does it say about your education, humor and comprehension that you can’t understand this is a comedy bit?

      Does it have a larger point? Most likely. But I’ll let you try really hard to figure it out.

  • William Safford says:

    For those who may not be aware of it, that video is a satire of a video made of a woman who got catcalled over 100 times just while walking around NYC:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11195164/Video-of-woman-catcalled-in-New-York-Men-who-shout-sexual-abuse-at-women-wont-read-this-article-but-they-should.html

    The video:

    https://youtu.be/b1XGPvbWn0A

  • John Borstlap says:

    Well, that’s nothing compared to what my fat auntie Gladys had to endure when she walked back from her rehearsel with her tuba case.

  • Orchestral Musician says:

    Viola shaming is real, and it is very serious issue. Yesterday during a rehearsal break, I saw a trumpet player mischievously twist one of the tuning pegs of a viola, that was innocently left on a chair. When the violist returned from the break, her viola was badly out of tune, and the trumpet player refused to tell her which peg he had turned.

  • Alvaro says:

    So, all the retards commenting here about the video were supposedly infused with all the advantages of music education and a career in the arts, right? “It makes you more intelligent”, “improves memory”, “cures the common cold”, etc.

    This video perfectly reflects the state of the industry: a desperate cry for relevance in a world that simply does not give a crap.

    Even your latest shrine now bears the name of a ROCK and RAP music producer, D. Geffen!!!!

    Your industry is that oblivious…

    • John Borstlap says:

      Don’t forget it’s NY, not Berlin, Munich, Paris, Vienna, Warsaw, Montpellier, Toulouse, Madrid, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Dresden, Freiburg, etc. where classical music is part of the fabric of the community. In the USA it is dependent upon private donations – just another form of community relationship – and it does not make any difference whether the money comes from oil, banking, shares or rap crap. For instance, it’s still in America where conductors are paid more generously than in Europe, expressing a value judgement.

    • William Safford says:

      It’s always nice to have another “retard” join the conversation….

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