Diverse direction

I enjoyed Mark Swed’s article about David Robertson [“Urbane Renewal,” Nov. 13]. I’ve seen him a number of times in Philadelphia. Confirming what Swed said about his interest in the diverse, I’ve seen him conduct Steve Reich’s “Different Trains,” Prokofiev’s “Alexander Nevsky,” Ravel’s “La Valse.” “La Valse” was the subject of an Access Concert. He was most welcome to questions afterward, and I asked him about the flutter tonguing that the flutists do in “La Valse” and how it was that he had been invited to host that night, to which he replied, “They know I can’t stop talking.” He was so enthusiastic, he practically jumped on the podium.

DOTTIE RODMAN

Torrance