Classical critics.
Writing for Newsweek, Douglas McLennan pokes around for why no one really cares about classical music anymore. (*) The biggest culprit, he says, is that the critics just aren’t engaged and will let any new composition slide as if it were good art.
I’ll do my part and offer my criticism. Classical music has nothing to say about the egotism and antinomianism of the 60s generation and the youth today. Classical music has nothing to say about terrorism. Classical music has nothing to say about the information age. Composers are failing to tell stories in their music that have anything to do with today’s reality. In such fashion does classical music become irrelevant. It is a development that should be reversed.
April 1st, 2004 at 09:31
Who is to say what kind of music is relevant?What is “relevant” to one person is not
necessarily relevant to another.I love classical music of many styles and periods,
because it just happens to appeal to me enormously.Whether classical music has anything to with current events or not is irrelevant.It has fascinated,moved and excited me since
my early adolescence.If only more people could realize how enjoyable classical music is.
is.But unfortunately there is a myth that it is stuffy,boring and”elitist”,which
closes people’s minds.
April 3rd, 2004 at 17:10
It is not myth that closes minds to contemporary classical music, but impenetrability.
Beethoven, Mozart, Shostakovich, and the rest would get their due today if contemporary composers made music that was more understandable. Interest in the whole genre would soar. I do not ask for pop music for violins, but a modern Vivaldi would be most appreciated.
April 5th, 2004 at 10:00
I was not talking about contemporary music alone but classical music in general,
whether new or old.The fact remains that most of the countless operas,symphonies,
concertos etc from all periods of classical music have been deservedly forgotten.
And only time will tell which of the many new works that have been premiered in
recent years will achieve a lasting place in the repertoire.Many once popular
composers are now forgotten.And great composers such as Beethoven,Berlioz,Wagner,
Bruckner,Mahler,Stravinsky,Bartok,Prokofiev,and others were once highly contro-
versial,and many thought their music was utterly incomprehensible,but their music is now
now quite popular.And some contemporary composers,such as John Adams,Philip Glass,
and others have had considerable success in recent years.It helps to look at
the big picture.
April 5th, 2004 at 13:38
Great comments.
I wish I could share your optimistic appraisal of contemporary composers, and I hope you are right.