Classical Music as Relics for easy listening

Again, Shubie, your critique applies to a lot more than just classical. In fact, I would say it applies even more to rock than it does to classical, because I think rock has historically been more dependent on radio, and is the more radio-centric art form. As a result of the stifling national formatting and ownership situation in modern radio, as well as MTV and the like, rock has largely been deprived of the regionalism and independent label heritage that helped make it vital in the first place, and now industry execs wonder why sales are declining when their product is clearly homogenized and stagnant. Of course classical, including newer classical, has its own set of difficulties extending beyond radio and what applies to rock which uniquely handicap its continued viability and expansion compared to pop forms, but I'm not so sure that the radio situations are fundamentally very different between the two.

Shubertmaniac, you are right in many ways. But one reason modern classical has tanked so badly has been its excessively non-melodic intellectualized nature. Composition gets trapped in styles for periods of time and has to re-emerge in a form people enjoy listening to, not just analyzing. I think this has been correcting itself with composers like Adams, Rautavaara, Tavener, Ades, among others whose works actually do get a fair amount of performance in their respective countries.

Also, don't underestimate the lowly CD. It is a form of music distribution that has never existed before and it greatly improves the lot of struggling composers.

Soothing (schmutzy?) renditions of light classical music is probably good for your DC trafic situation. Imagine what it would be like if everyone, were listening to agitated, atonal, dissonant, non-melodic modern compositions as they swerve from lane to lane!

A question which emerges from your discussion: has the homogenization and stagnancy occurred because radio and public performance are no longer the ways in which music is heard? Is it possible that music via the cd has become the dominant form of music distribution?

To reiterate... buy or just borrow at the library all of John Williams' film soundtracks and you will discover hours upon hours of complex, melodic, and well orchestrated symphonic classical music. It is right there for anyone to listen to. Many in the classical crowd snub John solely because it was composed for movies.

John Williams has composed some straight classical that has been recorded. There is a cello concerto and other cello suites with Yo-Yo Ma that I've seen in the stores. I guess I should put my money where my mouth is and buy it.

Remember.. most of Leonard Berstein's music that is played regularly is concert versions of his show music. His "classical" music is mostly forgotten.

I highly recommend Christopher Rouse Symphony No.2 on Telarc (1994) Houston Symphony/Eschenbach. Also has a flute concerto and a small piece.

The list we have made of other modern composers is made up mostly of people connected with Universities, or groups that pay them whether they produce anything worth listening to or not. This is one reason most of it is bad. If they all had to compose music that would sell commerically or they'd starve to death, we would have more to listen to.

The most recent "dead" composer worth buying is Shostakovich who died in 1975. Now yes, he was in a socialist country, but he was under pressure to compose stuff Stalin liked, or lose his family and go to a work camp Siberia. Now that's motivation.