I've received a mailer from the Cleveland Orchestra, promoting a new three-concert series called "Musically Speaking."
Music and more! it cries. "Popular, well-known music including engaging dialogue from the stage during the concerts." Well, the Cleveland Orchestra isn't the first orchestra to do this, but it's a nice idea and should attract some fans.
Inside the mailer there's plenty of information about what's in store: full program listings with artists and repertoire and the usual marketing blurbs. There are free prelude concerts (replacing pre-concert lectures, which would otherwise turn the whole affair into an overkill of talk). We 're told that the dialogue from the stage will be informative as well as engaging.
But you know what's interesting? Nowhere do they actually tell you who will be doing the talking. Conductors? Artists? Musicians? Staff? Guest speaker? Moderator with all of the above?
For a series that's being sold to me as "Musically Speaking," I want to know.