Home Music Lane

It's all about the music, dude! Sit down, relax and listen to some tunes.

Yes, there is a lot of noise.

But I believe diversity is good as there are means of navigation. Radio, live concerts, libraries, bargain bins of record stores, sharing with friends. I only pay full price for something that I know is good.

A month ago I was at the concert of Olga Kern, a rising Russian star. She played Variations on the the Theme of Paganini, and then one of Rachmaninov etudes. It was very good, the etude just shocking. I have tons of great Rachmaninov already, but will track and buy her record whatever it takes. Diversity is a necessary condition for rare talents to pop up now and then. Just by the law of big numbers. If 1% of artists are great, having 10,000 artists around yields 100 great ones. But having only 50 may yield no real talent at all.

As to new music, this is exactly like old music. During Mozart time there were hundreds of composers offering their wares to public. The time made judgement upon all of them. In the same fashion, the time will make judgement upon all the contemporary composers. I am sure some will make it to the hall of fame. Schnittke, Gubaidullina, Kancheli, Glass, Part, Golijov, to name a few. I don't think that any special effort is needed to promote contemporary music. If it is good, it will be noticed and performed. If it is ignored, then probably it is not so good. Prophecies of doom of classical music have been there at all times, too.

Like old music, new music has plenty of noise. A lot of "new" music is compoosed by university faculty composers. They have to meet certain criteria of productivity for their promotions and tenures. Most of these "composers" do big disservice for the cause of new music. Sure, academia is the last place to entrust the future of classics.


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