Stress Position, for solo amplified piano (2008). Drew Baker /goodbye, pre-20th century/

Image via CrunchBase

I was innocently listening to Stress Position, as played on piano by Marilyn Nonken. Then, I started reading The New York Times via mlaff (usual disclaimer: not safe for work, republicans, brahms' lovers etc.) about music criticism:

Our attitude toward the classical canon, after all — and this increasingly applies also to older forms of jazz and pop — is that great music transcends time. If the New York Philharmonic did not regularly give us Beethoven, Brahms and symphonies, we would complain that it had abandoned the conservationist aspect of its charter and lament the disappearance of works that had moved people for decades or centuries. That tension is not easily resolved.

Yes and no.

One solution: Stop listening to music pre-20th century. I know I did. Other than maybe Simone Dinnerstein's Bach and Alexandra Silocea's Prokofiev, I can't off-hand remember any legacy music in 2011 that has rocked my world. And for the record, I'm becoming increasingly anti-institution when it comes to my music consumption (apologies to SFS, SFO, etc.). 

On the other hand, all that superb 20th century music from John Cage, Thelonious Monk, and John Fahey is keeping me from hearing even more from such interesting new composers as Drew Baker.

(and thanks to maura lafferty for the reminder re: contemporaneity)

Update: I don't mean to imply mlaffs is not safe for work etc. She's super good. Read my previous Rick Perry does Aaron Copland via The Rude Pundit post to understand the joke. On the other hand, The Rude Pundit is for selected audiences only...

Related articles

• aworks ordered list :: top 100 /goodbye, 20th century/ (rgable.typepad.com)
• Music Review: New York Philharmonic With Jeffrey Kahane - Review (nytimes.com)
• Emboldened Orchestras Embracing the New Music (nytimes.com)
• New Book Says Good Stress and Probiotics can Change Your Life (prweb.com)

Comments

[don giannatti]

I agree. I love Chopin and Debussey - hell, I even will admit to liking Respighi on a rainy Sunday while working...

But the music that is most interesting to me is Stravinsky forward. And I spend MOST of my time listening to music from the last 30 years. Discovering new composers every week is a goal, and it is a damn shame that it is so hard to find this music in performance.

I am not a music snob at all, but I find that the reticence of most people to even attempt to listen to music that may challenge their expectations to be dull and boorish.

Good post.