On Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 10:44 AM, <kendallbe...@aol.com> wrote: -snip-
> What this has done, along with other changes in the business (most notably > the lack of full time music directors with any kind of vision beyond their own > jet-set careers) is to destroy the individuality of orchestras, worldwide. > Personally, I mourn the loss of regional and international "sounds" and > lament the generic results attained in the recording industry today. It's > all > about product now, not music, IMHO. The place I find the homogeneity of sound most troubling is in singers. Perhaps because there is no external instrument, only what nature gave us when we sing, there used to be so much more individuality in the sound of classical singers. Nowadays one can be hard pressed to tell them apart, and I don't think this is a particularly recent trend; I recall listening to the winners of the Met Opera young artists competition and being horrified at how bland and how much the same (and yes, how gorgeous, but boring) they all sounded, and this was 25 years ago. The treasure of future generations will, IMHO, largely be recordings from the 1950's and 60's, when technology was good enough to preserve musical performances without major technical distractions but the pursuit of, well, whatever it is people are trying to do today hadn't yet started. I wonder if Caruso or Callas would even get hired today. -S- _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
