And You Wonder Why Classical Music Is In Trouble III

The following is another in our ongoing parade of idiots espousing idiot notions on how to go about making classical music more "accessible" and "relevant" to new audiences. The following excerpt was taken verbatim from a comment in the comments section of this posted discussion previously linked in this post of ours. We offer it here — right down to its non sequitur closing sentence — without further comment.

Yes classical music IS changing; we are learning about how to be more savy [sic] about selling it too, and the fact that there is so much exciting crossover nowadays (I have been trying to convince our artistic director to hire metallica and do the s & m album for $75/80 a pop for ages...) really prooves [sic] the validity of classical music in my mind. It's changing because it has to, and I think that's what is helping music sales, in all of music's new forms.

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There will always be those who can't change: people who get stuck on tradition. I was shocked in my musicology days when I learned that people used to play poker and talk in between (and during) classical concerts - why did we let Wagner ruin our fun???? I want classical music to be a mob experience like baseball or basketball games. I want to express the ecstasy I feel in my soul when I listen, but I can't I have to wait until the 40 minute piece is over, and by then I might not even remember how cool the 2nd theme in the 3rd movement was!

But some people can't allow change, maybe it's just too much anarchy. Case in point: I have been trying to convince the rest of the marketing department at my company to encourage clapping BETWEEN movements at classical concert. But we didn't do it because that was just too chaotic, when that used to be tradition. Only in the modern cathedral-like concert halls of classical music are former traditional (what is usually equated with conservative) expressions too liberal!

Nevertheless, perhaps the simple change of letting people clap in-between movements without the conductor or orchestra members glaring at the audience, could yield a huge change in letting the types who've never experienced classical music to actually relax and enjoy themselves. Do you think first timers in audiences who get glared at for expressing apprectiation [sic], or told that they aren't dressed up enough for classical music by the GREETER AT THE DOOR ever come back? Do they feel welcome? Do they feel like part of the symphonic family and more likely to buy season tickets next year?

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I remember reading about a performance of Tosca in the 50s or 60s in which the diva broke into some random aria from a DIFFERENT Opera, for her encore after an amazying [sic] performance of Vissi D'arte because the audience was sooooooo ecstatic and wouldn't sit down and stop yelling. Why not allow that? Change doesn't need to just happen in how we perform the music, sell the music, write the music, but also in how people are allowed to enjoy the music.

But the simple fact is, change is happening and we all know it, and that's why classical music isn't dead yet but vibrant.