Well, I\u2019ve never attempted to start a meme or launch a blog poll, mostly because I fear I\u2019m not actually popular enough to get anyone to take up the challenge\u2026..<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, with my beloved Packers possibly only a few days away from earning the privilege of serving as cannon fodder for the New England Patriots, I\u2019ve been thinking about the recent comparisons of the 2007 Patriots and the 72 Dolphins. (For the “real” classical musicians out there, the Patriots and Dolphins are American football teams from Boston and Miami respectively. Both share the distinction of being the only professional football teams to finish a season undefeated, although the Patriots have not yet won this year\u2019s championship).<\/p>\n
Far be it from me to settle the burning question of Fish vs Pats, although the 72-zers had much cooler uniforms.<\/p>\n
Instead, I thought it might be an interesting exercise in assessing the relative health of the classical music world to try our own version of fantasy football.<\/p>\n
So- here\u2019s your challenge (all two of you who are going to take this on- come on, at least let me get two\u2026.). Pick the most dominant possible team of musicians or music personalities in 1972 and the most dominant possible team of musicians in 2007. Each team should be either 11 strong (one team gets offense and one defense) or 22 (each team has one offensive lineup and one defensive\u00a0 lineup).<\/p>\n
You can put your top 11 composers of each year on offense and your top 11 conductors on defense (although it is usually the poor composers who have to defend themselves from the offenses of conductors), or you can mix in instrumentalists, singers. Perhaps you feel your wide receivers ought to be tenors and your safeties violists\u2026. You can certainly include musicologists, critics and even bloggers. If Bernstein\u00a0is your starting QB for the 72 fish, who’s your Tom Brady maestro in 07? \u00a0Maybe Messiaen is your head coach in 72 and now Rautavaara is the Bill Belichick of classical music?<\/p>\n
The only rule is that your participants must be\/have-been alive and working in either 72 or 07.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve assembled your fantasy classical team, explain who kicks who\u2019s butt and why.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t have your own blog, be bold and post in the comments below.Let’s hope at least some Boston-based bloggers like Matthew<\/a> and Michael<\/a> will weigh in. Bassists tend to be more aware of sports and popular culture than other strings players, so maybe Jason<\/a> (who must be busy with two blogs) will take it up? Speaking of bassists, Matt Heller<\/a> also plays the bass and worked in Miami. Of course, Lisa Hirsch<\/a> is in the Bay area- they used to have a football team there in the ’80’s, didn’t they? Crack- you can’t resist a good 49ers dig, can you \u00a0<\/p>\n
\nKW<\/p>\n