Blogs are more and more proving to be a thing of great value to me. I LOVE Michael Ruhlman’s blog on the food world. And Alex Ross‘ music blog is a must. So I was delighted to see a fascinating discussion blossom on our beloved Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra blog, that above all others, proves to me what a real and useful medium this is becoming.
The discussion is started by esteemed composer Kevin Puts, who relays a comment uber-esteemed composer John Adams made at a lecture. The comment is almost less significant than the discussion it sparks, which to me is really interesting. It concerns many things about being a concert composer in today’s climate, but begins with a debate about the dilemma a composer faces, in whether to write in a calculated way to please today’s audiences. The discussion is a little spread out over many different headings, so to make it easier to navigate I’ll put links to it here in order.
Excellent comments abound from some really interesting thinkers, including music director Jeffrey Kahane. I am having my students at USC read and discuss this and Kevin mentions he is doing the same at Peabody. Check it out!
1. A Climate of Fear
2. Re: A Climate of Fear, A response from Jeffrey Kahane
3. On Audience Perceptions of ‘modern and contemporary’
4. A Life Changing Epiphany
5. Continuing Discussion on John Adams
