Interesting review by Alex Ross (of the New Yorker, and also author of the excellent “The Rest is Noise”) of Tim Rutherford-Johnson’s book “After the Fall: Composition and Culture since 1989,” which details the “bewildering diversity of 21st century composed music.”
I was especially interested in this, after seeing long lines for contemporary art at museums versus incredibly light attendance at some concerts:
“Modern classical music is bedevilled by what might be called the Kandinsky Problem. Modernist painters, writers, and filmmakers had a far easier time finding a wide audience than composers did. Kandinsky creates mob scenes in museums; the mere appearance of Schoenberg’s name on a concert program can depress attendance.”
One reason might be that it takes a moment to view a painting and either linger or move on, but a concert requires an hour or two of sitting and listening (though some do vote with their feet!).
More accessible program notes, preconcert lectures and other efforts to help the audience enjoy contemporary classical works may help.
Or just adding an introduction of the work prior to the performance of the piece would be helpful too. I always learned a lot at preconcert lectures, but it often added to an already pretty long evening another 1.5hr, which made it a bit impractical to go to. Not a “modern classical music” fan.
It’s a broad and diverse field so hard to generalize that we like it or don’t. I think that was one of the points here. You may be thinking of a particular composer or particular aesthetic. For instance, who doesn’t enjoy Arvo Part? I was at a concert where everyone was complaining about the programming being “different” and there was an instantaneous standing ovation after Spiegel im Spiegl, and Reich’s Different Trains with video was also performed. I could pick many other examples but Part is certainly an easy one to come up with.
I stumbled on this algorithmically-generated chart (using Spotify) of 21st century composers - all the names can be clicked on to hear samples of their music. http://everynoise.com/engenremap-american21stcenturyclassical.html It looks like a fun way to explore the current world of New Music available on Spotify.
“This is an ongoing attempt at an algorithmically-generated, readability-adjusted scatter-plot of the musical genre-space, based on data tracked and analyzed for 1961 genres by Spotify as of 2018-08-31. The calibration is fuzzy, but in general down is more organic, up is more mechanical and electric; left is denser and more atmospheric, right is spikier and bouncier.”
^A really cool presentation of data. I have to admit that some of the samples reminded me of annoying ring tones while others made me want to hear more.
Now that I’m back in a place where I can hop on a bus across the Hudson and get to Lincoln Center in 45 minutes or less (hallelujah–home at last!), I’ve been thinking about making the effort to attend a lot of concerts, and to include/learn about/support the work of contemporary composers. There are very few musical genres that I really dislike (I’m talking contemporary/“corporate” country, polka music, a good deal of the generic pop one hears these days, etc.!), and one would not be likely to hear them at L.C. anyway! So I’m open to most things, but I would certainly appreciate suggestions that those of you with more knowledge would make. @SpiritManager , your link looks like a very good place to start, although I don’t have Spotify and at the moment I’m having trouble reading it on my phone.
@SpiritManager , Brooklyn is not much farther at all; I’m just oddly unfamiliar with most of it. But I’m sure I could learn to find my way around, and I will look into your suggestions!
There are a few offerings featuring living composers at LC (tellingly, tickets are quite a bit less expensive than those for more traditional works) this season. I was just looking at this, for example: https://www.chambermusicsociety.org/nyc/subscriptions/2018-2019/new-music-630/
Sure! Not cutting edge but a good selection. Mostly older established composers with a few less well known ones thrown in for spice. Could be a fine way to get started. You’ll like some and not like others but will feel you didn’t waste your time. Do be sure to check out the icareifulisten calendar for ideas. New York has so much fun stuff going on all the time.
I think Alex Ross” own book, “The Rest is Noise,” is a good place to start. I always think Coriglisno is a good composer to listen to when first dipping your toe in. He is listed in the first concert. How cool that you want to attend. Of course these concerts are in an “ intimate” space- no crowd expected!
@SpiritManager , that’s exactly what I was thinking. The classical music that I’ve loved in my life has been the familiar stuff (heavy on Bach and Beethoven), and I really don’t have enough of a solid foundation of knowledge to leap straight from the traditional to the heavily avant-garde. This seemed a good way to take some exploratory baby steps and see what’s out there (especially as my son has decided he wants to major in Composition and Film-scoring). And I just kind of love going to Lincoln Center, now that I’m finally at a point in my life where I can afford it . @compmom , I will start with The Rest is Noise then! The “intimate space” should be nice, but it is regrettable that these things aren’t drawing larger audiences. But I can find something to love in most (not all, as I said!) kinds of music. I’m sure that will be true with these concerts as well.
@AsMother - Here’s info on a series of concerts of New Music the NY Phil will be putting on this season. They would be a great introduction for you to the new Music World. https://nyphil.org/about-us/general-information/newsroom/press-releases/press-release?item=1819/sound-on-nightcap-final&clearnewsroom=y
“Nightcap and Sound ON are designed for curious music lovers and newcomers alike,” said Nadia Sirota. “Our goal is to put together concerts that are smart and fun, and to explore music in conversation with the incredible people who bring it to life. I see my role as a cheerleader and proselytizer: I love this music, and I’m dying to get more people to listen to it.”
This is awesome, @SpiritManager ! Thank you! I’ve got my subscription to the other CMS series I mentioned before, but this sounds fantastic (and educational for serious “newcomers” like me ). I love being back in a place where I can roll out of bed and be at LC in under an hour.
I only wish that my son could be around for some of them, although I assume he’ll get his fill in the Composition dep’t. for the time being!
