Can't we play something new?
Is it only me? Or do others think the same?
Whenever I get the chance, I browse through the classical music selections at the store (which is shrinking every year to begin with). Then I get excited when I see new artists putting out fresh albums - something new and different to listen to! Er, or not.
As much as I love the 'big name' works (such as the Bach Violin Concertos)...I would really like to listen to other, less known, music as well. Does every new artist HAVE to put out an album of the same music? Why?
Either we're in a classical music slump (such things do cycle) or classical music really is dying. Either way, it's a pity that we don't change things up a bit to try and develop/hold a new audience. Putting out the same music, over and over again, certainly isn't going to help keep things alive and kicking.
I like classical music...I play classical music...I read classical music scores for fun. If the industry is in danger of losing people like me as an audience, how is it going to stay alive and thrive?
Just a thought...
Replies (7)
Because it's what will sell in the stores?
Building an appreciative and supportive audience doesn't come from shoving brand new works in their faces. It's done gradually by playing what they want/like to hear, then introducing new things to broaden their listening tastes.
> Putting out the same music, over and over again, certainly isn't going
> to help keep things alive and kicking.
On the contrary, I think recordings of the Beethoven Symphonies, or Vivaldi's Four Seasons sell quite well, and continue to impress on each generation that experiences those works the greatness of classical music.
Gene: Sure...they buy the Four Seasons...and then what are their options? Another two thousand versions of the Four Seasons?
Exageration aside, I really feel we need a better selection of music - both existing material in addition to material by contemporary composers.
Rummaging around, I've come across a lot of 'out-dated' music that is just beautiful. Like a lot of music, it needs exposure to become more popular (again, some of this old stuff was very popular at one point). Locking it away never to see the light of day doesn't help.
Michael: That's exactly what I'm thinking! :D
Well I see Gene's point but I hate to see rarer composers like Hubay get completely overlooked nowadays. Aaron Rosand made several great CDs of underplayed works and they are among my most treasured recordings. I really think people would listen to it if they just knew it was there. The main point I was trying to make is the importance of getting the music into the community so that people hear it and are thinking about it. I arranged to play some Brahms sonatas with a pianist friend at Whole Foods once and people liked it even though a lot of them didn't know what they were listening to (I got a lot of people asking me what I was playing). A bunch of them lingered there with their groceries and stayed for at least a movement or two. These are people who might very likely have not even listened to music that day but they walked away with a tune in their heads and that was my goal. Before television music was very important in our society and I think we just need to get the great old melodies back in people's heads and ears.
Actually speaking of television, even early television was good for music. Brahms, Liszt, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky were featured in cartoons in the 50s and a lot of people felt that this trivialized the works but look at the generation who grew up watching those shows. They are the ones who are listening to the music we love. I was born in the 80s but sometimes I really think I'd have been happier even a century earlier. Alas...I must have been conceived in some kind of time warp.
Jennifer Koh is building a career playing new and interesting music, and playing it very well!
As for lesser known works being recorded, thank goodness for Naxos.
I agree that it is tiring to see new recordings of music that has been recorded dozens of times. However, it does allow us to determine which orchestras and soloists we can call our "favorites". I was searching recordings of the Ziguenerweisen I found Vasa Prihoda's recording and immediately decided that Prihoda is my favorite violinist. But, I think your right when you say that audiences are being lost by recording the same pieces over and over again. How many time can we be expected to listen to the 4 Seasons? There are some great pieces that I hate to listen to because they are so common. The same thing applies to paintings. How many people actually enjoy seeing the Mona Lisa painting ubiquitously? I much prefer to see paintings by artists few people know much about. Same with music. I can listen to Hubay's concertos for many hours but quickly get tired of hearing more common (but equally wonderful) concertos such as the Bach double or the Sibelius. I definately think that rare-ish is better than popular. I wish I could say that over time that would change, but time is one of the biggest illusions in the world.
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June 1, 2010 at 06:29 PM ·
I completely agree with you. There's a wealth of great lesser-known repertoire from all periods of music that was commonly played in the earlier 20th century and is now almost forgotten. What I suggest is to show people there's more to art music than they know by performing these works in public more frequently. We should show people that the history of western music isn't a genre called "Classical", it is the aural cultural heritage of the western world and they haven't heard more than a small fraction of what there is to offer. We should show them that when they say "classical" they are talking about a short period of time that doesn't even begin to describe the masterworks of the baroque and romantic eras that came before and after. If we can try to better represent the width the breadth of historical western music by playing great pieces that got pushed out of the way by the more standard "core repertoire" I think it will show people that they enjoy music more than they thought. Perhaps then the demand for it will increase.