Where to from here?

Is classical music dead? And if it is, where does that leave “new classical music?” Last week, the concept of “post-classical” music came up in my blog entry. That’s the idea that it’s more or less impossible to keep the so-called traditions of any classical music alive in our time. I say so-called because most of our western concert music traditions aren’t really “classical.” They came into being during the early part of the 20th Century and we just think they’re written in stone. Even in Chopin’s time, the audience would clap between movements – try doing that at a Symphony concert and you’re likely to get shushed.

A big disconnect has developed between the non-commercial music of our time and the ever growing audience of culturally aware people who should be its natural audience.

On Sunday night’s show, I’m playing Tim Brady’s Dark Matter (Primal Pulse). It’s from his new CD with the Australian group Topology. They’ve been actively involved in defining this evolving concept of “post classical” in what they do and the American group Eighth Blackbird have also jumped onboard with the concept. Writers like Kyle Gann, Greg Sandow, Joseph Horowitz and Stephen Brookes have written about it and DePauw University even offered a Symposium on the subject last year.

A lot of the ideas seem to focus on changing the concert experience. Musicians are trying to make it more engaging and sometimes even interactive. There might be open discussions, multimedia (live video or film), a blending of music from different genres and some kind of conceptual intellectual hook. Tan Dun’s The Map is a good example. Canadian groups like the Art of Time Ensemble and Numus often program this way. On the other side of the equation, Indie/Alternative folk like PJ Harvey and Johnny Greenwood list living “classical” composers among their influences.

In working with musicians from different traditions, I’m usually struck by how hungry we all are for good new music. The sky may be falling on some traditional ways of presenting music, but I think the audience potential is much bigger than it ever has been before. But we all need to work together to share the great music we find and to help define new ways to find our audience. I hope that The Signal is becoming your go-to place to find interesting links between styles and across genres.