There have been a series of articles concerning the future of classical music over the last few months which I have found very disturbing.  Those, along with a worrying trend of music criticism which seems to want perfection in the concert hall, have left me feeling very upset, angry and worried.

I am not going to quote all the articles, but I will include the links to the various blogs and web sites from which more enlightened voices than mine have discussed the implications of this trend.  The saddest thing of all is that most of the criticism is from people who earn their living because of the existence of the arts.  As the possiblity of hearing live music becomes more and more inaccessible where do we go from here?

There have been a longs series of articles on this topic at the Adaptistration web site by Drew McManus.  This has been picked up by the Horn Matters web site amongst others.  The most recent article to rub people the wrong way is by Terry Teachout in the Wall Street Journal. (link below)

Adaptistration  "Faulty Reasoning"

Horn Matters   "Regional Orchestras and Live Music"

Noble Viola  "Regional Orchestras - Dead Wood"

Wall Street Journal Article by Terry Teachout   

I have come across a series of articles over the last few months which have looked at the problem of classical music's image and how to improve it.  The article "The-Secret-to-Classical-Music-its-Just-Music" (the first part of a series) from the Atlantic starts to tackle this problem.  Also Alex Ross, of All the Rest is Noise and "New Yorker" fame, has given a lecture in England about the snobbery of classical music and in particular applause and other concert etiquette. I also refer you to my post dated 26/3/2010 about this very topic. 

After all that, I want to have my say about this trend.

If an athelete is paid millions of dollars to play baseball and doesn't hit 1.000 no one blames him for it, and no one suggests that we play a video game so there won't be any mistakes.  No team wins all their games.  You don't hear people calling on the Detroit Lions to stop playing football because they aren't doing very well. (although...)

It seems that those who call for the end of classical music, or at the very least are saying that it is too elitist are actually being elitist themselves.  They are calling orginizations with very poorly paid musicians unnecessary, when millions is spent on sports which are equally or less important culturally.  Perfection does not exist, and in music quality is in the ear of the listener.

In Mr. Teachout's article for the Wall Street Journal he states that why pay to listen to a mediocre performance of an old warhorse when you can get a copy of the piece on iTunes for next to nothing.   Somehow he feels that the live experience is of no value;  strange seeing as he is a theatre advocate.  As a musician and parent I have been to many performances of school ensembles when things have been less than perfect.  That doesn't mean that I was not moved by what I heard or profoundly touched by the enthusiasm of the performers.

I think that Mr. Teachout and others like him have forgotten how to listen to a concert.  How to empty their minds of all the clutter and listen purely for pleasures sake.  Of course there are bad performances out their and some by great ensembles, but that is what makes live performance what it is:  EXCITING!!!!   If you can't embrace that then stay away and listen to your iPod Mr. Teachout and let the rest of us enjoy music as it was intended.