Dear George,
The February WestView article on “Johannes Brahms: The Working Musician” compelled me to forward my enclosed graphical commentary on the current, sad state of classical music, especially for the young audience.
Incidentally, Styra Avin’s daughter, Allison Eisenger, was taught piano by my wife, Judy.
As an aside: Paul Hindemith, a prolific 20th century composer, once admitted in an interview that 80 percent of his work was bad. When asked why he composed such material, he replied, “Without the 80 percent, there never would have been the 20 percent.” Although Hindemith seemed content with a 20 percent success rate, in my attempts to create art, I will always strive to elevate that percentage.
Hope all is well.
—Elliott Gilbert
Elliott Gilbert was born in Brooklyn and lived for many years in the West Village. He attended the Parson’s School of Design and the Pratt Institute. Gilbert studied with such prominent artists as Isaac Soyer, Gregorio Prestopino, and Rufino Tamayo. He spent many summers in Provence, painting its villages and landscapes. Over the years, this led to numerous gallery exhibitions and awards.
