Which country produced the best composers?

[Smartly Pretty]

I wish I knew more about classical music. I feel left out

 

[Czech]

Star Ocean knows a hundred times more than I do. I really gotta up my game.

 

[Smartly Pretty]

I've seen the Jacksonville Symphony orchestra four times. The first time they were playing the music of Led Zeppelin (I enjoyed this); the second time, they were playing the music of the Beatles (I enjoyed this a little less); the third time they were doing Queen (I didn't really enjoy this at all); the fourth time was they were playing, you know, symphonies. It was pretty ok. Idunno. Maybe this stuff comes with age, or maybe I'm just kind of lame.

 

[J]

I've seen the Jacksonville Symphony orchestra four times. The first time they were playing the music of Led Zeppelin (I enjoyed this); the second time, they were playing the music of the Beatles (I enjoyed this a little less); the third time they were doing Queen (I didn't really enjoy this at all); the fourth time was they were playing, you know, symphonies. It was pretty ok. Idunno. Maybe this stuff comes with age, or maybe I'm just kind of lame.

If more and more symphonies stepped out of normal programming routines, and did these sorts of things, they wouldn't be in such dire financial straits.

In my opinion, anyway. Our symphony here has stuck to old stuff, not really played much in the way of contemporary music. Because of this, the CSO has gone per service, and they're firing a lot of their administrative personnel.

Through my girlfriend, I've heard that Jacksonville had gone per service, but they recently received a substantial endowment and now are offering quite good payment/benefit packages for playing there. I might audition for them in the near future, if that's actually true.

 

[Czech]

I'd like to think that people will go to the symphony because they want to hear classical music (speaking broadly, not capital-C classical). If you want to hear the music of Queen, you'll go to a bar to hear renowned regional cover band A Night At The Mercury, or to an arena for renowned international cover band Queen+Paul Rodgers. I understand that such pandering often pays the bills, but it has to be kept to a minimum. Say what you will about every symphony orchestra everywhere trudging out The Nutcracker and the New World Symphony year after year after year, but at least such conservative fare doesn't completely devalue the institution, where the whole thing will eventually be as artistically bankrupt as musical theatre. I feel like we're about six months away from Shiny Happy!: The Music of R.E.M. Meets Broadway.

 

[J]

People still do go to the symphony for typical classical music reasons. The problem, from a business point of view, is that those are the same people that have been going for 10, 15, or 20 years. They aren't attracting new people, which is a combination (at least around here) of a lack of diverse programming, a lack of cultural education and appreciation, and finally a stubborn approach to the whole thing.

The one concert our symphony did last year, where they invited people to wear jeans/t-shirts, had a really different program, and made the effort to really advertise it, sold out. They haven't done one since then.

You don't have to "devalue the institution" by changing things up to bring in new people. You just have to intelligently program your symphony season so that you can account for all aspects of the artistic spectrum, which is something that a new administrative team should be able to, hopefully, accomplish.

 

[Czech]

I guess what I'm trying to say more than anything is that Queen kinda blows.

 

[J]

Oh, well okay.

 

[Czech]

And you know, maybe Jacksonville and Indianapolis and mid-sized towns like that won't be able to sustain symphony orchestras anymore. If the only way they can exist is to do stuff like A Night Of John Williams or whatever, then what's the point? Like you said, lack of cultural education kills. Good thing our high schools are slashing funding for the performing arts, or taking it out of the curriculum entirely. Who needs Shostakovich when you have "technology modules" or whatever the education-industrial complex is trying to fill schools with?

 

[KOAB]

Dvorak - Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" - 4th movement

NIGGAS DON'T KNOW BOUT MY DVORAK

 

[J]

Well, we finished up our run of Die Zauberflote last night.

I still can't get it out of my head. Queen of the Night aria is going to drive me bananas. Thankfully, we've moved back onto Don Giovanni, and some of the string people are going to read the Mendelssohn octet soon as well.

It's been an interesting experience so far.