Greg Sandow on the future of classical music

Ariel Davis (see my "Success Story" post, below) has a new blog. It's here, and includes all the contents of the old blog she mentioned in the e-mail I quoted. I've fixed the post to include this link; this present post is for anyone who read the earlier one, and wished they could see Ariel's blogging. … [Read more...]

Here's something really heartening, from Ariel Davis, a student who found that her local orchestra was reading her blog -- and taking it seriously. She e-mailed all this to me, and I'm posting it with her permission (though we took out specifics about exactly who's involved, because the orchestra in question may not be expecting any public discussion of what they've done): Greg, I know you get tons of e-mails, and I've e-mailed you several times before (and made a few comments on the first version of your book). I don't mean to take up a lot … [Read more...]

More thoughts about hearing new music, this time from Nathan Botts, a terrific trumpet player who took my Juilliard course on the future of classical music two years ago. Posted of course with his permission: I've never understood why "new music" is placed within the same taxonomic grouping as "classical music."  Perhaps they're of the same family, but certainly not the same genus and heaven forbid the same species.  Just because a whale, meerkat, antelope, and dairy cow are hairy and breastfeed their young, does that make them all very … [Read more...]

Mark Simpson, 17 years old, was named the BBC's Young Musician of the Year in Britain this summer. He's a clarinetist, and also a composer; is principal clarinet with the National Youth Orchestra in Britain; played the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto at the major Sage Gateshead concert hall. And he's working on some major compositions, including one for the new music group of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. And here's how he was quoted, when I read about him in The Guardian on July 17: I've stood in front of audiences, including at the … [Read more...]

We could and should violate the orderly logic and discipline of the story, but we must never ever violate what constitutes the exclusive and essential character of a person, that is, his personality, his way of being, his own, unmistakable nature. This is from José Saramago's novel The Cave. One meaning it has for me is that art is relentless. Every artwork develops (in the course of its creation) its own exclusive and essential character, its own personality, its own way of being, its own, unmistakable nature. If it doesn't have that, what's … [Read more...]

Today I got very thoughtful e-mail about my last post, from someone in the business who'd prefer not to be identified. I have the sender's permission to reproduce it here: Your blog got me thinking about how I've experienced new music (or NOT experienced it) over the years. I have always found that the people (not including music academia) who get the most out of "new" music are often painters, architects, poets, or simply people with a love of jazz (your mention of Ornette Coleman seemed very apt). Sadly, even as a composer, I never quite … [Read more...]

If you've read the first version of my online book (the second link goes to the current version), you might remember "Mark," a jazz fan who sometimes buys classical CDs -- especially piano music -- and gets baffled by what he sees in the Tower Records classical department. (He goes to the downtown Tower branch in New York.) Last week, he told me he'd bought two classical CDs: Maurizio Pollini playing Chopin, and playing Debussy and Boulez. (Probably the DG CD of Debussy études and the Boulez Second Sonata.) Mark doesn't know anything about new … [Read more...]

I've gotten e-mail from Alexander Mills, a student in London, with some questions he'd love answers to. He hopes to get some from readers of this blog, so with his permission, I've simply copied his e-mail here. I've edited just a little, to keep it focused on the questions. Before I begin, I would just like to say how fascinating I have found your blog. I stumbled across it earlier whilst doing research and have put it straight to the top of my favourites list. Particularly interesting were the discussions about MUSO magazine, and the … [Read more...]

Back from vacation. A month in a quiet place in England, composing. Much to say about that, about how few mammals there are in the British isles (quite seriously), and about what I've learned about my daily routines by living without them for a month. And then there's the piece I worked on, which might get me excommunicated from classical music. But later for much of this. I thought I'd jump back in with something about the classical music world. I didn't much keep in touch while I was gone, and neglected my e-mail happily. But I did check out … [Read more...]

I'm on vacation starting today, and not coming back until the first week in August. Probably I'll start blogging again around August 7, give or take a few days. I'm going away to a very quiet spot in England, to compose as well as relax. I'll be getting e-mail every few days, but can't guarantee to answer everything during the time I'm away. One more thing: This blog and my book site won't be accepting comments while I'm gone. And not because I don't want people discussing what I've written while I'm not around. It's a simple thing--I have to … [Read more...]

In the wake of my posts about MUSO magazine (here and here), a small discussion has swirled in the comments to both posts, essentially about whether classical music should or shouldn't have some of the trappings of popular culture, such as stars famous not just for their music, but also for their good looks. Some people--understandably--wish this wouldn't happen, and that classical music could be (or remain, or become) mostly very serious. Like Bjork, someone said, not like Britney Spears. My view is that this isn't possible, at least not if … [Read more...]

Everyone--absolutely everyone--who likes this blog should see a video of violinist Gilles Apap playing his cadenza (surely improvised) in the last movement of Mozart's third violin concerto. The video is on YouTube; many, many, many thanks to the good soul who posted it there. (And also to the two people who e-mailed me, urging me to see it.) The cadenza must be about eight minutes long, and involves gypsy music, whistling, tapping on the violin, music for the orchestra as well as the soloist, and a lot of joy. The joy is one reason the whole … [Read more...]

Here's something I found in the July issue of Food and Wine magazine, a quote from chef Graham Elliot Bowles: I'm inspired by artists who use a limited palette, like painter Piet Mondrian and The White Stripes, two musicians who create an incredible sound. And the moral of this story? Maybe it's not so obvious. Or at least it's not obvious in the classical music world. We tend to think that classical music is serious musical art, and that because of that, it has a very special status. Meanwhile, out in real life, people find musical … [Read more...]

See Lisa's comment. Here's eighth blackbird on the cover of MUSO, looking pretty damn good:: … [Read more...]

In a comment on my last post, someone I respect says something that of course I should have expected--that MUSO, the magazine I praised, makes "classical music about the sex appeal of young performers." Now, that's not all the magazine does. As I pointed out, it supports new music, putting a composer and a new music ensemble on the covers of the two issues I've seen. But the comment isn't completely wrong. MUSO likes good-looking young classical musicians, which, when I think about it, is part of what I meant when I called it a "real" … [Read more...]