aeblog

is there something wrong with 'classical' music?

I went to a performance of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) on Friday night. It was everything one would expect from a performance of this type. Interesting, well-composed music, a highly talented group of performers, a beautiful performance space, all around nicely put together. But still I was left feeling disappointed. Perhaps this is somewhat thanks to Mr. Byrne who set a very high bar the previous evening, but I don't think that actually had much to do with it.
I was disappointed because there was something missing from the performance; something I almost always feel is missing when I attend classical shows. I'm not entirely sure what words are appropriate to describe it, but it's something like energy, vitality, power, excitement, and it's important.
The thing is, I really like classical music; it's not as though I am trying to force myself into a new musical sphere. I love the romantics, the big orchestral pieces, the string quartets, minimalist experimentations, grand opera (Verdi is my favorite!) and much more. I have thousands of classical cds. Yet I still feel this way about most performances which leads me to believe that something is wrong.
The program consisted of five pieces from five American composers who are all still alive (they aren't even old!). One piece was commissioned specifically for BMOP and this performance was the premiere. The composers were all in attendance and with varying degrees of eloquence spoke about their pieces in a pre-concert discussion. These are five smart and creative people with interesting ideas and the talent to turn those ideas into music. However, the balance between idea and emotion seemed to be tilted too far towards the former with the exception of one piece which was, interestingly, written when the composer was 23. Many of the ideas were more interesting than the music itself. For example, the notion of exploring the extremes of the piano's capabilities by presenting us with quiet resonating tonal fields interspersed with sharp percussive attacks is really cool. I did like this piece, but I think I liked it even more before I heard it and my mind wasn't tainted by reality. I am not normally capable of quoting Wordsworth, but this quote I read the other day is appropriate to this feeling:

We also first beheld
Unveiled the summit of Mont Blanc, and grieved
To have a soulless image on the eye
That had usurped upon a living thought
That never more could be

For me, mountain summits are never disappointing, but the reality of this music was less than I had imagined or hoped for.
This whole experience made me sad and a bit dismayed. There is so much music being created out there in the 'classical' (or as BMOP likes to aptly and cleverly call it 'music formerly known as classical') world, but its future, in the U.S. at least, is unclear. Normally I am one of the older people at shows, but at least 75% of the audience last night must have been 60 or over and there were only a handful younger than me. Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that this demographic is supporting and interested in this music (they've got the money, right?!), but if this is MODERN and CUTTING EDGE shouldn't the modern and cutting edge generations be more excited about it and involved with it? This is a slightly unfair comment as the majority of the performers themselves were relatively young, but who are they going to perform for in twenty years? What can be done to ensure audiences exist in the future?

(much) more to come soon...