Writer-critic Matthew Gurewitsch went to a concert the other night and came back astonished. And not just about the music, by Sir John Tavener (below), to which he gave a rave.
No, according to his website — BeyondCriticism.com — my friend Matthew was astonished by this:
Was the music press of New York too busy celebrating Shakespeare’s birthday? Delayed for a year on medical grounds, Sir John Tavener’s “Towards Silence: A Meditation on the Four States of Atma” received its world premiere last night at the Rubin Museum of Art,
home to an ravishing collection of objects from the Himalayas. Though cordially invited, not one critic attended. Nor had any print medium listed the event in advance. How could this be?
As composer of the oratorio The Whale (recorded by the Beatles on the Apple label), the choral Song for Athene (performed at the funeral of Princess Diana), and masterpieces like The Protecting Veil (a cello concerto in all but name), Sir John stands in the top tier of serious contemporary composers and has pop cachet besides.
This is future world, Matthew. With newspapers and magazines shrinking faster than the ozone layer, coverage of events like this concert will disappear except for blogs. And that creates a large problem for arts institutions dependent on the media for free marketing and PR, especially those in the performing arts.
I was talking about this very subject last week with the PR head of an important music institution. Though he hasn’t lost coverage by mainstream media, he is in a bit of a fix. More and more bloggers are asking for tickets, which are expensive to give away. He can’t do it, and doesn’t unless they have MSM credentials, too. Yet bloggers may be the only ones writing regularly about the arts in the years to come, especially outside of New York.
What to do about this?
You can read Matthew’s full post here.
I wasn’t at the concert, BTW, but I agree with his praise for the Rubin Museum. If you haven’t been, go.