u/Orbis___Tertius

Before I became a father and full-time parent for the first time at the ripe old age of 44, I listened to Parsifal religiously as my writing and thinking music. Since then, my cultural diet has changed somewhat. Perhaps it is just residual madness, but I couldn't help noticing similarities in one of the works that has taken its place in my daily rotation: The Muppet Movie.

Two holy fools, called from pastoral repose to gather a scattered brotherhood; a pair of temptresses cursed by arrogance to remain rootless; redemption only achieved through benediction by God or Orson Welles. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Parsifal live, so I don’t remember if the cast has anyone who kills frogs with a spear gun.

And it isn’t only the plots that rhyme. Parsifal's brassy, heraldic laments become a soft bed of descending harps and strings, before a final transfigured restatement of the Dresden Amen absolves audience and players alike. And in The Muppet Movie the musical motif also comes full circle: wistfulness resolves into communion and Kermit addresses us through a rainbow.

I meant to write Guardian in the title just had a brainfart and I can't edit titles. The original article is paywalled on mobile so I'll copy it here:

>Modern Technology Allows SF Conductor To Continue Rehearsing From The Brink Of Death

>For the past several weeks, the famous German-American conductor Herbert Blösterben has been confined to a hospital bed after an incident involving Mahler’s 6th and a union percussionist, but this hasn’t stopped him from leading the SF Symphony through an electrifying conclusion to their 2025-26 season.

>Blösterben was born in what is now Massachusetts to musical parents, but soon undertook the months-long journey to Germany, where he spent the majority of his early career. He later returned to the United States to take up a role as music director of the fledgling San Francisco Symphony. Despite an aging body, he remains active as an internationally touring conductor.

>Blösterben has been recognized for centuries as one of the leading interpreters of Austro-German and Scandinavian music. Principal violist Paul Tuttle commented on the unique depth of interpretation that he brings. “Why we love him, conducting-wise, is [...] because who can bring the same clarity of meaning to, say, a Brahms symphony? He always seems to know exactly what Brahms or Sibelius meant. He has this ability to draw upon his deep personal relationships with the composers that’s rapidly disappearing elsewhere in the conducting world.”

>After doctors noticed large fractures corresponding to sonic disturbances from last month’s Mahler performances, the maestro was prescribed a long period of rest, which he began at one of San Francisco’s top hospitals. Unable to move anything except his eyelids, Blösterben nevertheless communicated a strong desire to continue rehearsals for that weekend’s concert, so local engineers invented what they call the eBaton to assist his conducting. The eBaton consists of a giant monitor facing the orchestra and uses data from an electrocardiogram, a device that measures the electrical pulses of Blösterben’s heart in real-time, to convey his rhythmic desires to the orchestra. Also displayed is a livestream of his left hand, whose subtle movements guide the players’ phrasing and dynamics.

>Despite some initial technical issues with the display, spirit was high among the players at the first rehearsal with the new system, which we attended. Concertmaster Alexander Branntstück was daunted at first by the digital barrier between him and the maestro, but he soon made it clear through his sweeping movements and lush, extravagant bowing that he was being deeply moved by Blösterben’s technologically-assisted conducting. We even saw other musicians turning their eyes to the violinist in amazement at the magnitude of his response.

>Some critics at the recent performance were surprised to find that rather than limiting his creative vision, the maestro’s condition has actually expanded it. Ross Laude noted in his review that “Blösterben in his maturity has developed a distinct respect for the rhythmic core of a piece. Just as Glenn Gould insisted on preserving an underlying tempo, the pulse of the music, through separate movements of a work, Blösterben centers his conducting around a remarkably metronomic backbone that can continue through hours of music with no sign of flagging, just the steady unbothered sound of a man who knows he is moving at the perfect speed.”

>In the meantime, Blösterben is enthusiastic about rehearsing next week's performance of The Planets, where he is cheerfully plowing through the challenge of making the choir invisible.

>EDITOR’S NOTE: A day after this article was originally published, we were unexpectedly informed of sad news. On June 6th, 2026, 3:25 AM in the morning at UCSF Medical Center, Herbert Blösterben peacefully activated his ECG eBaton and began conducting a back-to-back series of avant-garde works by lesser-known composers. Championing an eclectic mix of music spanning two centuries, he led the hospital chamber orchestra through a program including Erwin Schulhoff’s In Futurum, Alphonse Allais’ Funeral March, and a wholly unique take on John Cage’s seminal 4’33’’. As a gesture of remembrance, Decca plans to release a standalone CD as well as a boxed set this August.

Are Parsifal and The Muppet Movie the only true Gesamtkunstwerke?

Anyone else want to flay the likes of Berlioz and Liszt alive for inventing music so terrible you need subtitles to tell you what it means?

Did you guys read the New Yorker article about Herbert? Is he OK?