What Dennis writes is exactly why traditional (i.e. old) classical
music is not taken seriously by many thoughtful, intelligent
listeners under 30. The museum mentality is stifling. From an
outsider's perspective, an evening at the Met seems like a game of
historical make-believe, put on at considerable expense for the
exclusive benefit of today's aristocrats. (The ticket prices
certainly reinforce that impression.)
It's actually easier to get young people unfamiliar with classical
music interested in the work of living composers than dead ones,
which is only natural since (as Dennis says) they also gravitate
towards living authors, living directors, living photographers, etc.
My only quibble is with (what I perceive as) Dennis's distaste for
pop, since there is a tremendous amount of serious, intelligent,
sophisticated musicmaking going on in that world. It's hardly
surprising that most young people looking for musical nourishment
don't feel a need to look outside the boundaries of say, indie rock,
when there's such a rich variety of challenging, creative music
available under that rubric, and -- unlike 99% of "classical"
concerts -- it feels important and contemporary, like it has
something to say that is directly relevant to its audience in the
here and now.
In my view, it's a waste of time for living composers to go after the
traditional classical audience, who have proved time and time again
that they do not want art that feels important and contemporary. What
they want is the museum experience. (Which is fine, of course -- I
love museums, too.)
But IMO living composers would do far better to go to audiences that
actually *want* new stuff, like the indie rock crowd, and to try to
communicate with them in a language that appeals to them, without
compromising your own voice and without condescending to them. Simply
presenting new music outside of the concert hall is a good start.
This is what groups like Alarm Will Sound, Eighth Blackbird, ethel,
Capital M, Anti-Social Music, and of course the Kronos Quartet have
done -- to varying degrees and with varying degrees of success.
- Darcy
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http://secretsociety.typepad.com
Brooklyn, NY
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