What happened to classical music?
What happened to classical music?
First episode of the Nightmare of Reason podcast - Musings on music, art and society with Roger Rudenstein
Appears in this episode
“During the Sleep of Reason monsters emerge” - Goya
This podcast and newsletter was inspired by the Goya etching The Sleep of Reason. Goya pointed out that during the sleep of reason monsters appeared. Was he somehow dreaming about our era when he did this?
In this podcast I’ll be commenting, as a composer of contemporary classical music, on music today and how we got here. Up until the mid 20th Century classical music was widely listened to and venerated. New composers such as Aaron Copeland and Charles Ives were played by major orchestras. There were opera shows on prime time television and radio! But suddenly…pffft. It all fizzled out. I’ll be investigating this decline and explaining it. I’ll be relating this decline to problems of life today, in which millions of people are embracing bizarre conspiracy theories and supporting those who would strangle culture for profit and human rights and impose an authoritarian regime to enforce it.
The first episode goes over what happened to classical music in the late 20th century to the present by tracing my evolution as a composer and the incredible road blocks along the way as the critics definition of modern classical kept changing . Subsequent podcasts will deal with the cinema where classical music went to die and Bach’s B-minor mass, the great music work you never listened to.
Other topics to come: How the CIA helped change the course of classical music. How Richard Strauss pointed a way for modern opera with “Ariadane auf Naxos” in 1912.
What happened to classical music?
Getting caught up with this series; I would draw to your attention two media of great appeal to younger generations that have a flourishing culture of original classical music: video games and anime. Myself a gen-Xer, I've been moved by music from FULL METAL ALCHEMIST, BROTHERHOOD in addition to a beautiful story of young musicians in competition, YOUR LIE IN APRIL. The list is endless for provocative, original post-Romantic scores. The Japanese in general have esteemed classical music long after Americans discarded it, but some younger Americans still enjoy it in this context. I don't play video games but you can see gaming music programmed at orchestral concerts frequently.
Looking forward to the rest of your podcasts. I was today years old, through this podcast, that I found out about Richard Strauss' association with the Nazi party. I am gutted: he was my favorite opera composer. How has he been able to avoid the scorn of audiences where Wagner and Orff are so vilified?
I am not sure the situation is that bleak. In st. Louis we hear new works nearly every other symphony concert. I would also say that Sesame Street did its part, and The Smurfs series for children used classical music, and that was after captain Video by a generation. (I I was amused by your use of that example - i spent several hours in the Grinnell college record library before establishing the identity of that theme music.) Thanks for this series - I am interested in how this series progresses.