I came late to this series and have just finished binge-watching 4 seasons. The cast is one of the attractions here, but New York is the other. A lot of the grit behind the scenes of the world of classical music has been scrubbed. Show me an oboist that resides in an apartment like the superb Debra Monk's. A lot of the eccentricity of classical musicians is also tamed, but there's Malcolm McDowell delightfully representing that contingency as well as Gael Garcia Bernal who both make the madness of musicians more attractive than it actually is. The camaraderie is also put forward, and the jealousies and back-biting shoved in the wings. What's left is a series full of Romanticism, mysticism and the thrill that classical music can bring. A brief segment showing the children's orchestra sawing out Beethoven's 5th is the more familiar experience we have in concert halls. This is a show that puts classic music on the altar it deserves, omitting the sacrifice and hard work that produces it. It makes us believe that all of us could raise a baton transport ourselves and an audience to Nirvana, and that's okay with me.
As well, the production itself is superb. When we leave New York for Venice, Mexico and Japan, nothing is lost. But there's nothing better than watching Bernadette Peters strutting through the Guggenheim like she owns the place (she owns just about any space she inhabits). And spending time in Venice with Ana Maria Martinez is all too brief but the farewell episode with her floating on a barge down the canals of Venice to collide with Placido Domingo was epic.
I was smitten by Lola Kirke's awkward portrayal of Hailey Rutledge. But compared to Bernal's extravagant performance, as well as the rest of the cast (peppered with New York's glitterati), she gets a little lost in the swirling magic that producers Coppola, Schwartzman, et al., have bravely assembled. They deserve our thanks. This was a long shot that has a grand pay off for viewers..
As well, the production itself is superb. When we leave New York for Venice, Mexico and Japan, nothing is lost. But there's nothing better than watching Bernadette Peters strutting through the Guggenheim like she owns the place (she owns just about any space she inhabits). And spending time in Venice with Ana Maria Martinez is all too brief but the farewell episode with her floating on a barge down the canals of Venice to collide with Placido Domingo was epic.
I was smitten by Lola Kirke's awkward portrayal of Hailey Rutledge. But compared to Bernal's extravagant performance, as well as the rest of the cast (peppered with New York's glitterati), she gets a little lost in the swirling magic that producers Coppola, Schwartzman, et al., have bravely assembled. They deserve our thanks. This was a long shot that has a grand pay off for viewers..