San Francisco Classical Voice

The editorial "Trouble In River City," subject of today's letters, may be found by simply clicking on the words "Last Week" on the navigation bar at the bottom of this page.

To the editor:

Robert Commanday's article, "Trouble in River City," suffered from lack of research. Before he writes off what has been written by The Sacramento Bee, he ought to actually read what's been written. A simple search on Hacko's name would help. For instance, he says we never reported that Miriam Fried was never paid her $8,000 fee for her 1996 concert with the chamber. That was reported in an extensive story Dec. 6, 1998 that examined Hacko's record -- financial and otherwise -- in Sacramento and other communities. This is but one of the stories written in The Bee. His involvement in the arts community here, and the resulting financial issues, have been covered thoroughly.

San Francisco Classical Voice responds:

The Sacramento Bee's managing editor is simply mistaken in her reading of the editorial "Trouble in River City." The piece specifically singled out the latest story in the Bee noting that its story of August 9 announced and welcomed the projected season of the not yet legally existing Sacramento Symphony and then brushed over the appalling history of its musical director "in just two lines." Nowhere was it charged that the Bee had "never" reported the strange incidents of this history in earlier stories, for example its May 4 story of the Sacramento Philharmonic's plans, which did devote three sentences to it. Earlier stories in January of this year and December 1998 report the irregularities and anomalies fairly fully.

The problem lies with the August 9 story. For good and evident reasons, it is customary journalistic practice to recap essential past information when writing an ongoing story, even if that information had been published a few days or a week before, and certainly when there had been no stories about it for months. In the August 9 piece, not only was the background material omitted, but the Bee's research did not extend as far as the Secretary of State's office which would have made it clear that the heir-presumptive to the podium of the Sacramento Symphony did not have the legal right to the name of that orchestra. In other words, the Bee floated a work in progress as a fait accompli, going so far as to announce ticket sales for something that may very well not come to pass.

Two of the several letters received on this subject:

"Thank you so very much for the article about the symphony woes of Saccramento. Having been one of the disappointed subscribers, I also hope that we will be able to bring music back. It seems ridiculous that a city this size--capitol and all that--can't support a symphony. Especially when we find money for major league sports. If it weren't for your article I would have no idea about the cloakroom machinations happening in our area."

"As a former Sacramento Symphony cellist and occasional Philharmonic sub (cello) I find your article excellently written and researched--almost restrained in tone, in fact--many of us who have struggled under Hacko's baton wax hysterical when describing his shortcomings! One experienced brass player says he's the only bad conductor he's encountered who had ABSOLUTELY no clue as to his own shortages-- and that's only a musical view-- the same should be added for every other area-- personality, leadership, business acumen, etc."