Thanks, Tim, for this astonishing story

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

Joshua Bell, one of the world's greatest violinists, plays the Bach Chaconne at an underground station and nobody stops to listen! He earns in an hour about £16.

The Bach Chaconne itself is worth being late to work for. It is music to die to (no hushed rooms for me - put on the Bach Magnificat, flute sonatas and violin partitas - oh, and the cello suites. And Brandenburg no. 5. And we'll have some cantatas while we're at it. And the motet Fürchte dich nicht, ich bin bei dir..)

But the film is astonishing. Just astonishing.

Comments

Jon said…
It reminds me of the PR stunt that Badly Drawn Boy did promoting his new single - he busked outside Euston Station for 3 hours and earned himself £1.47 - less than half of the cost of the single he was promoting.
12:40 pm
Alan said…
and did they get their money's worth?

Having said that, I know a singer and clarinettist (student) who used to finance her summertime beach missions by busking in Cardiff playing choruses on the piano accordion.

Perhaps it's what you play, not how you play it?
8:37 am
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