catapult magazine

I have been thinking about music since reading the lastest edition of *cino but not about breaking into the present music culture. This is important and well worth discussing but it is difficult in other areas of music too. We have friends who are members of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra who have just taken a cut of 2 weeks salary in order to keep the orchestra viable at least until the end of the season. I know orchestras all over North America are facing the same financial problems. I listen almost exclusively to “classical” music during the day (Thanks to CBC Radio 2) yet almost never attend a concert at the symphony hall. I was just wondering about others out there. How important is classical music to you? What symphonic music do you listen to if you do and do you ever attend the symphony in your area? Is it important to keep this heritage viable as well as encourage new music? How?

Yeah, classical music seems to have gone the way of “Thee-uh-tah” as well. People these days would rather spend $50, $60 or more to see U2 or the Rolling Stones or to camp out for a whole weekend listening to rap-metal variations that don’t vary nearly enough.

I love classical music and listen to it often. Though I don’t attend as many concerts as I’d like, when I do I’m often very excited to see it performed in its proper setting. As far as the decline in popularity of classical music (but maybe it never was as popular as folk music), I wonder if maybe the symphony halls where classical music is played have become more like museums of music than communal spaces in which to be immersed in a wave of interesting sounds and relevant melodies.

I’d gladly shell out $50 to see a U2 concert, if only I could afford it when they’re around. However, as a classical pianist (on the side) myself, I too am saddened to see the rapid decline of interest in all things symphonic and orchestral. I see an emerging trend in high school concert bands to perform soundtracks instead of symphonic works, and even many of the local semi-professional or college groups throw an increasing number of pops pieces into their concerts at strategic times for the sole purpose of drawing and maintaining a crowd. Sadly, even the public radio station that my radio picks up spends far more of the day recapping the traffic on I-95 than playing music.
One thing I’ve tried to do to combat the trend of increasing disinterest in classical music in my students is to play something that fits the mood while they’re reading, or working in groups, or writing in journals. I’ve noticed that they seem to focus a lot better with just a little bit of background noise, and several of them have actually asked for recommendations of good cd’s to buy. There is hope yet!

C’mon people, I would be disappointed if I don’t soon read a tyrade against this notion of classical music as “background noise”! I know you’re out there classical pianists and defenders of culture high :)

Whoa…I never said classical music was background noise. I’m a pianist. I regularly shell out money I don’t have and give up evenings that aren’t free for concerts of all varieties at all levels of professional and unprofessionalism…And besides, classical music does make for a great background.

Nevermind him Kris. dan just likes to stir things up and that’s what we love about him.

There is someting to be said, however, for background noise. It works for me. I however would prefer a good dose of Fountains Of Wayne or Factory Of Ghouls as my background noise to help me concentrate. When I listen to classical, I like to pay attention.

And I hate when I have to edit out all of my mistypes….grrrr….