Date: Fri 24-Jan-1997

By Previous Employees

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A12

Quick Words:

WSO-Discovery-Bjaland-concert

Full Text:

(rev WSO Discovery Concert, final of 1996-97 season, 1/24/97)

Concert Review-

Mahler's Magical Music, Re-Discovered

(with photo)

BY SHANNON HICKS

WATERBURY - When Maestro Leif Bjaland wrote his welcome message for the

Waterbury Symphony Orchestra's 1996-97 program, he concluded with the words

"It is my pleasure to welcome you to this season of discovery and community in

great music."

The maestro has been leading the WSO as conductor and music director for three

years. Part of the "discovery" Bjaland has always offered is the Discovery

Concert Series, a number of programs held on occasional Sunday afternoons when

the WSO welcomes classic music lovers of all ages to pass an hour during an

informal, educational and entertaining program.

Maestro Bjaland's idea, the Discovery concerts were an immediate success due

largely in part to the music director's easy rapport with the audience, and

his charismatic way of explaining any piece of music so the most

musically-uneducated would understand it, while the educated appreciates even

more so what they hear.

Last Sunday, Maestro Bjaland and the WSO welcomed an audience to the Fine Arts

Center at Naugatuck Valley Community-Technical College for the final Discovery

concert of the 1996-97 season.

The January 19 concert, "The Magic World of Mahler," had the WSO and its

conductor illustrating the different sounds of nature - animals, fountains,

storms, wind - composers such as Vivaldi and Beethoven were able to capture in

their compositions. The orchestra performed snippets of music, while Maestro

Bjaland would explain what was being heard.

The discussion led to the composer of the afternoon, Gustav Mahler, who

Maestro Bjaland described as a "great intellect, a brilliant man" and "a man

divided in half" - Mahler was both composer and conductor, a rarity in his day

- which explains a lot about the composer's music.

As Maestro Bjaland also explained, with Mahler's music, listeners were never

treated to subjects just happy or sad.

"It's either very, very happy, or inconsolably sad," he said. Mahler himself

has been described as being either childlike and happy or tragically sad in

person, sort of a your musical manic-depressive, although the Maestro did not

go that far.

To demonstrate each of his statements, the conductor had members of the WSO

perform from Mahler's Resurrection Symphony .

The Way We Were

Silver Alert For Blue McGrath Ended

Top Of The Mountain

Cargo Van Driver Taken To Hospital Following Collision With Gas Tanker

Knotweed Initiative Program Planned

Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 24-Jan-1997

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