WQXR Great Artists Series, September 30, 1978, before the premiere of Barber's Third Essay for Orchestra, op. 47, by the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta.

Robert Sherman (1932–) was born in New York City and is a widely known radio presenter. He has hosted the McGraw-Hill Companies’ Young Artists Showcase on WQXR for over thirty years, and Woody's Children, which reflects his interest in folk music, reached its forty-first anniversary in 2010. He has taught the Business of Music course at Juilliard since 1992. His mother was the pianist Nadia Reisenberg and his aunt, Clara Rockmore, was the pioneering virtuoso on the theremin.

Interview

By Permission of WQXR

RS It's been a long time between your Second Essay and your Third.

SB There were a couple of operas that sort of slipped in there!

RS We’ve talked with a number of composers here, and one of the issues that comes up again and again is the question of performance. It's on the premiere that a work is judged. Have you been short-changed with some performances?

SB I think I have been very, very lucky in general and especially for symphonic or concert pieces. I’ve had perfectly marvelous conductors, pianists, and singers. I think that my operas have had ups and downs.

RS Have you any theories about why contemporary opera is not more successful?

SB I have no theories about contemporary opera at all, but I know that an opera consists of many, many things from stagehands on to the designer of the sets to the possibilities of the prima donna being able to act—or not. Even so, I’ve had perfectly marvelous performances. The first performance of Vanessa at the Metropolitan was everything I wished I could have had—except that, of course, there were three changes of cast. There were three different Vanessas before the gallant Eleanor Steber stepped in. With the stage sets of Antony and Cleopatra I was not very happy. There were a great number of things going on on the stage. You could hardly hear the music. I think Leontyne Price told me she held on to her wig, decided it was either the opera or herself, or the music. I forget which it was. She was very gallant about that. I thought that was mistreated by the man who did the sets, who shall be nameless.