In New York, the young conductor Michael Christie was making waves as music director of the scrappy Brooklyn Philharmonic. Then he was brought down a peg when his debut this past March with the New York Philharmonic, as a last-minute replacement for Riccardo Muti, was not well received. That's the buzz. But little of this -- or any -- buzz appeared to have reached Washington, at least the part of Washington that buys tickets to the National Symphony Orchestra. Last night's concert, Christie's NSO debut, was relatively sparsely attended. Part of the problem, ... (more)