But seeing representatives of the new generation regularly on From the Top, O'Riley sounds an upbeat note. "Now, with YouTube, there's access to so much historical material," he says. "And kids are voracious to see what's out there. If there's a two-minute clip of [Hungarian violinist] Joseph Szigeti, they're on it."
O'Riley's advice to young musicians is simple: "I tell them to play a piece however they like." He also stresses that the process of fashioning an interpretation of a score is continuous. "You should always reinvestigate," he says. "You don't just set it and forget it."
When O'Riley wants to escape music, classical and rock, he often heads to the movies, and not necessarily those of the highest brow. He just saw Observe and Report in New York with his 14-year-old son.
