Hurray for Classical Music Wherever One Finds It

I’m a great admirer of classical music, and I, too, wish there were a better way for the public to learn and appreciate it than having their first experiences inside a movie theater. But unlike Stephen Wigler in his commentary (“Mediocrity Shines in Love for Helfgott’s ‘Rach 3,’ ” Calendar, Jan. 18), I don’t blame the film industry for shaping the cultural consciousness of the population. Nor do I blame major record labels that present “freak show[s]” of sorts by producing premiere albums of child prodigies (even Mozart’s father would have been in negotiation with Deutsche Grammophon if that had been possible).

Music appreciation should begin at home. We need to stop blaming others for our flagging arts education and look to our children’s primary role models to set standards and to inspire some curiosity. We cannot expect our public schools to pick up that gauntlet, at least not alone.

But in the absence of willing or able role models, who do we have? Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma on “Sesame Street.” The Three Tenors endlessly crooning on public television. And David Helfgott’s allegedly “technically labored, interpretively limited and emotionally unaffecting” interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s music in dozens of movie theaters across the United States. And why not? As long as they inspire a reaction.

It is not so much the appearance of what he deems a mediocre prodigy, but rather Wigler’s brand of snobbery that makes me uneasy about the future of classical music.

MARK MARGOLIS

Santa Monica

Wigler has missed the point altogether. Helfgott’s ability to play the “Rach 3” at all is impressive in and of itself. The fact that he had a mental breakdown, was a “patient at state-run mental hospitals” for 12 years and is still able to perform this backbreaking masterwork is the true phenomenon, not that his CD is breaking sales records across the country. Helfgott is out-selling other artists’ collective recordings of the Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto because he overcame a obstacle none of these other performers had to confront. It’s worth the price of the CD or concert ticket to behold what Wigler refers to as a “freak show.” How about replacing the term “freak show” with miracle? People pay to see miracles, too.

MICHELE CAREY

Los Angeles