Stephen Hanrahan

I don’t often get angry when I read something but this article or opinions piece guess actually had me seeing red .  The article was about how classical music is dieing because it gets Pre-judged for being the domain of posh people who make it deliberately prohibitive to others .

That isn’t what made me angry.  In many ways they are right.  Classical music particularly an education in it is expensive.  I like to say there is nothing cheap about the cello.  What made me angry was the quote

That person essentially shat on another art form . Showing precisely the snobbishness that puts people off classical music . That person discounts a wealth of Talent and artistry that goes into make involved a coming from writing to artwork . And also fails to see that art exists in an ecosystem.

Increasingly comics are inspiring movies . Movies require music . As do video games.  Classical music is alive and well if a little changed . Composers now instead of working on operas are scoring movies. All of which inspire music.

I remember being amazed seeing the music of the Lord of the rings played in time to the movie by the rte concert orchestra.

The author of the article I think bemoans the loss of classical music and complains about it being poorly thought.  And not engaging with a wider audience.  The author should watch the ted talk by Benjamin Zander.  Who shows his audience they love classical music but they don’t know they know it.

What we need to do us find ways of making it accessible. Chamber music was never meant for the pomp and ceremony of the classical concert hall. It was meant to be enjoyed as the backdrop  of real life . Parties and gatherings.

If you want people to engage in classical music you need to take it out let it hold itself in the real world. Get your chamber orchestra to go busking.  Mix repertoire with songs of  the radio.

We shouldn’t whine that people don’t like classical music  we should take utility to the streets and feed it to them the way comics have done in recent years. Get quartets in coffee shops.  or chamber musicians to play in the cinema . events like this are what draw people in. I remember going to see Nosferatu played in christ church cathedral with an organist imporvising over the film. its things like that that save art.