Who Killed Classical Music?

[Serial_Apologist]

Tansy gets down to Prince again

I predict Phil Cashian talking about Zappa next

I like Tansy a lot - but what a terrible Prince track, with its militaristic backbeat rammed into unsuspecting parts of the anatomy to remind us jackboots trample when worn by whatever political hue!

After pencilling half a page of notes one could sum it up as in both senses an unfortunate conflation of repressive sociopolitical hangups inherited from all our elders, irrespective of politics if I've got this right; but Mr Prokofiev I think has got a point about venues.

[Bax-of-Delights]

A confused and confusing programme that bandied the word "elite" once more. In fact its the second time today that I have heard/read that in relation to classical music. Here's Ms.Jenkins lobbing in her tuppenceworth:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10585261/Katherine-Jenkins-why-classical-music-snobs-are-wrong.html

"Snobs" "Elite" - I think we can garner where RW and his motley crew are pitching their tent.

Tansy is decades out in her perception of "crossover". Here's Gentle Giant in the early 70's doing precisely what she was talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu6fmx-xn9A

(Give it 40 seconds to get into its stride).

[MrGongGong]

I like Tansy a lot - but what a terrible Prince track, with its militaristic backbeat rammed into unsuspecting parts of the anatomy to remind us jackboots trample when worn by whatever political hue!

You channeling Stockhausen then

I missed the first bit
but you are right about Venues

I also like Tansy but maybe not the best Prince track IMV

[Quarky]

A confused and confusing programme that bandied the word "elite" once more. In fact its the second time today that I have heard/read that in relation to classical music. .

Agreed it was a confusing programme. I applaud Gabriel Prokofiev's and Tansy Davies's approaches. Tansy Davies did have a good word to say about Darmstadt. It would have been a better programme if we had heard more about their approaches.

It seems to me unfair to imply that it is all the fault of serialism. The first part of the programme, Stephen Johnson, in particular, just amounted to an excuse to vent negative feelings about a type of music the commentators obviously did not like. Not very enlightening.

[Serial_Apologist]

Agreed it was a confusing programme. I applaud Gabriel Prokofiev's and Tansy Davies's approaches. Tansy Davies did have a good word to say about Darmstadt. It would have been a better programme if we had heard more about their approaches.

It seems to me unfair to imply that it is all the fault of serialism. The first part of the programme, Stephen Johnson, in particular, just amounted to an excuse to vent negative feelings about a type of music the commentators obviously did not like. Not very enlightening.

The prevalence among today's musical commentariat of such views about serialism was the influence for my pen name.

[eighthobstruction]

I thought that Tansy Davies idea that modern young people want to feel they own the concert space for a few hours was apt....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The prevalence among today's musical commentariat of such views about serialism was the influence for my pen name.

...and for which

SJ has "form" with his comments on Serialism (there was an entire Discovering Music in which he expounded his belief that Berg's Lyric Suite was a veiled attack on Schönberg for forcing his wife to have her affair with Gerstl! (And his favourite living composer, Per Norgard uses Serialist methods in his own work!)

Would anyone take seriously the idea of making a programme in which a group of critics and young(ish) artists slag off Cubism? Why should Music be saddled with this junk?

[teamsaint]

...and for which

SJ has "form" with his comments on Serialism (there was an entire Discovering Music in which he expounded his belief that Berg's Lyric Suite was a veiled attack on Schönberg for forcing his wife to have her affair with Gerstl! (And his favourite living composer, Per Norgard uses Serialist methods in his own work!)

Would anyone take seriously the idea of making a programme in which a group of critics and young(ish) artists slag off Cubism? Why should Music be saddled with this junk?

Because music can be, and is used, as a kind of Soma. (In a way that visual art hasn't, so extensively).
This suits some people, especially those at the top, whereas music that suggests, demands or asks for thought , interaction or considered response, is a little bit dangerous.
No, actually really quite dangerous.
So, it is too important to be left alone, and so they decide that it needs controlling.
Well that's what I think .

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Works for me, ts; works for me

[MrGongGong]

http://johnsonsrambler.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/so-who-did-kill-classical-music/

worth a read IMV

[Richard Barrett]

http://johnsonsrambler.wordpress.com...assical-music/

worth a read IMV

Absolutely right.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Absolutely right.

The Rambler is a fantastic Blog - Tim Rutherford-Johnson doing practically single-handedly what the Beeb used to do. I love the Usual Suspects photo (and James Saunder's response) and was rather taken with TR-J's

Would the BBC let something on another subject slip through this casually argued? ... In the wake of Howard Goodall’s Story of Music last year, I’m no longer surprised to see the BBC commissioning music documentaries like this, but I do wonder whether anyone at Radio 3 was listening in.

[Richard Barrett]

and James Clarke's response

?

[MrGongGong]

This as well

http://boulezian.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-bbc-asks-who-killed-classical-music.html

[Trudge]

doing practically single-handedly what the Beeb used to do.

Steady on, or I might have to start charging a license fee.