SFist: MTT Joins YouTube Symphony Project

Cement Brunette

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:19:18 -0800

Hey, I'm right there with you, KatyG although I am/was of the woodwind variety, not the keyboard variety...

KatyG

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:25:17 -0800

Cement, points all well taken. My 14 years of piano study are coloring my view, no doubt.

reechard

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:06:47 -0800

Brock: yes, no, maybe. Consider yourself duly warned :-) Shameless plug: sarah cahill, my blog And how the hell is that utub video linked under MTT's name not pirated? You know something I don't?

Cement Brunette

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:05:20 -0800

Are you serious?? Most people would rather hear music by dead composers than living composers. I bet the average American can't name ten living "classical" composers aside from Philip Glass, John Adams, and John Williams (and that last one is up for debate...). I will agree that most non-attendees would probably be more inclined to attend symphony concerts if the ticket prices were a little lower, but I don't think it would make a huge difference. It's actually a cultural thing---classical music isn't part of the American experience for most people. That's something you just can't change.

KatyG

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:29:04 -0800

"..classical music has gone the American Idol route. Which is a good thing." As long as you have zero expectations to quality, yes. I suppose there is merit to the "Get them excited and they'll like shelling out at least one bill for a seat at the symphony," mentality, but to my way of thinking, bringing seat prices down and every once in a while featuring a composer who is maybe still alive are better ways of finding a longer-lasting audience for classical music.

mjbishop

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:05:17 -0800

MTT and others like him are the only ones who can save classical music and show that it's relevant in this day and age.