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Classical Music as Relics for easy listening

When is classical music art as opposed to easy listening or entertainment? I ask this question because it seems the FM classical music stations almost always claim "for asoothing relaxing time listen to W@#$" I guess this goes hand and hand with the midcult of symphonic fare that the orchestras and the music directors are dishing out. The radio stations play third rate baroque music "to soothe ones nerves on the commute home" (I guess you need something on the rush hour traffic on I-495 in DC) and for the symphonic fare: the same warhorses over and over, relics of dead great composers. Absolutely nothing new. I cannot remember
when the last time I here a modern piece by Part or Schnittke(though he is dead). I only found out Part or Schnittke by reading about them in the New York Times, and
getting a Naxos CD, to hear them. I have to go to Philly to Tower Records to find these composers because neither Borders or B&N have them. No wonder Classical music is dying slowly. Does anybody else have this same kind of frustration or are you just as happy hearing the same recordings over and over? Just asking......
shubertmaniac
pragmatist
336 posts
 
Here is a link that might interest you: http://www.theclassicalstation.org
Art music,because of its complexity,has never been and will never be as widely commercially successfull as music manufacured to sell consumer goods. It seems that every generation decries the decline of art music but the players,composers,and listeners continue to push forward the medium.
I would not presume to second guess the programming decisions of commercial radio stations but I can vote with the on/off control.
It seems to me that one person's sensual plain listening might be another persons musical plane listening. I'm not qualified to draw the line between those musical functions.
At the risk of sounding glib,if there is something you want to hear that your fm station does not play,play your own cd of it.
Taking the glibness risk one step forward, practice or teach someone an instrument,write something,or attend a concert.
travis's avatar
travis
239 posts
 
Try XMRadio (satillite radio). It has 3 classical channels, one plays complete works, one is all vocal and one plays excerpts, kind of like classical-lite radio. Sound is like MP3 but there are no, I repeat, NO commercials. They also have special programming, live tapes, etc. that nobody else has outside of New York.
ramy
141 posts
 
Try the german mail order house JPC you will find it on the net use Google.Reliable outfit I have ordered thousands of $ worth of cds,sacd,dvd -A and dvd music video.They take credit cards.They have a huge classical selections way beyond what we can find at home.Good luck.
bomarc
501 posts
 
Didn't PDQ Bach have a joke about a classical station that promised "All Pachelbel, All theTime"?
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
BTW Schubertmaniac...There is a Tower Records in DC (actually on the border with Alexandria, VA). It is right off the Duke Street exit of I-395.

There are also DC beltway area stores in Rockville, Fairfax, and Vienna/Tysons

There is also a Tower Records in Annapolis on the south side of Rte 2 (south of the mall) in the shopping center that has the movie theater.

The few I have been in had the typical Tower large separate classical rooms.

To me the finest living "symphonic" composer is John Williams. John gets no respect from the classical crowd because he composes for motion pictures. This overlooks that the opera was once the main "theater"; and those operas were composed because the money was good. Look how many classical concerts begin with an overture, which is after all just an old show tune. 100 years from now they'll play the bicycle flying sequence from ET, the Love Theme from Superman, and the Empire March from Star Wars. Like all the others, John will have to be dead for 50 years before they notice how good he is/was.
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