Classical music doesn’t need saving and the only thing that will increase its reach is for the people involved to do their jobs better.
Still, if you don’t want to do your job better and would rather speculate about a deus ex machina that would make that ok, then join the club. There’s a whole industry built around asking this question. Here are 30 suggestions for what it might be…
- Lowell Liebermann
- YouTube
- Artistic Quality
- Getting rid of snobs
- Drew McManus
- James Rhodes’ choice of footwear
- Hot young conductor eye candy
- Asians
- Dallapiccola
- Empowered American musicians
- Kronos Quartet
- Education
- Multimedia events and innovative programming
- Communism
- China
- Downloads
- 5 Mormon children
- Inspiring music
- Glitz
- Gustavo Dudamel
- Rock stars
- Greg Sandow’s music
- The Web
- The Internet
- Joshua Bell
- Bond
- Listening to the customers
- Crossover
- Classical music
Ok. That’s enough. I should probably do some work now.
EDIT: Corrected the link on Lowell Liebermann who, as you probably know, is not Asian.
Proper Discord 
haha, I love it! So glad that someone shares my opinions! I’m so sick of all of these corny ideas about how to ‘save’ classical music.
Is there a “save classical music” app in the app store yet?
…in which a cartoonish figure of a consultant spouts gibberish and you have to shake him to death before he takes all the grant money?
Stop drilling. You struck oil.
I would buy that app and I don’t even have an iPhone.
“the only thing that will increase its reach is for the people involved to do their jobs better”
You think Dudamel should be doing his job better?
I think Gustavo Dudamel’s career is an example of what happens when people do do their jobs better.
I just read a crass review trashing danielle deneise. it was the odd one out in a group of many fantastic reviews for her Chicago performances. From a blog- and I know you think blogs are good reviews. But do you think that she faces some backlash because many people say she is one of the bright young futures of classical music?
you seem on the ball, what’s your opinion on her?
I just read a crass review trashing danielle deneise. it was the odd one out in a group of many fantastic reviews for her Chicago performances. From a blog- and I know you think blogs are good reviews.
Some reviews are better than others. They each tell you what one person thought. It’s great that there were lots of reviews, and it’s probably a positive thing that this person got to express their opinion. It sounds like most people would disagree with them, though. A lone voice in a crowd needs to be very persuasive if it’s going to be heard.
But do you think that she faces some backlash because many people say she is one of the bright young futures of classical music?
There’s not a lot of point in saying the same thing everybody else is saying. I don’t get up an hour earlier in the morning to write the same things other people are writing. It sometimes happens, but it’s never the intent. There’s a danger that having something different to say might become an end in itself. It isn’t necessarily always bad to take a position you don’t entirely believe in, but there’s a difference between playing devil’s advocate and bullshitting. I think Danielle De Niese would agree that some criticism is a necessary part of being successful, and that an artistic statement isn’t very meaningful if nobody disagrees with it.
you seem on the ball, what’s your opinion on her?
Thanks. I think Danielle De Niese is fabulous. Does she have the greatest voice of all time? Of course not. Does she have anything to learn? Naturally – but she has a natural facility for melody and she brings something unique to the table. Few (if any) opera singers have her acting ability, comic timing or background in dance. That unusual combination of abilities help to make her performances a fresh take on the material. Some people don’t like that, and that’s a good thing too. Above all else, though, she works unbelievably hard. That’s how she got this good, and it’s how she’ll continue to surprise, delight and anger audiences in the future.
I have enjoyed reading your blog for some months, my only sadness is that there aren’t more blogs like yours. Some blogs are clearly set up to crucify people and just snipe and fight amongst one anoher about singers, conductors, production design etc.. and it get’s down and dirty and really mean, and it’s cruel for the people they are talking about (though I doubt they read them thank god). if they did, they probably wouldn’t perform at all. many thanks for your reply. will keep reading.
Classical music doesn’t need saving, does it? It is not threatened by extinction, last time I checked. In fact, thanks to advancing recording technology, the Internet, YouTube and the like, music engraving programs and copying, and more, it seems to be broadening and doing quite well. That individual groups might not be faring well is no proof to me that classical music needs saving, any more than sunlight needs saving because someone went inside. Bach will be around centuries from now. So will worry that he needs saving, I suppose.