The Rhythmic Motivations of Castor and Pollux and Even Wild Horses

“Do you write classical or popular?” This is a frequent question, when I say I am a composer. We can be amused by the oversimplification, yet it indicates—among simple people—a profound feeling of a basic difference. Yes, a dichotomy—and in my opinion an annoyingly unhealthy one too. The generally unspoken contempt of the one for the other is palpable, even though one may hear: “Some of my best friends are jazz musicians,” or “Ditto-ditto-ditto—play in the symphony.”