Re: GG:State of Class. Recording Ind.

[mwilliamson@alston.com]

        This was as usual a very interesting post.  Personally, I would 
        like to see more music-making in the home; this concerns me a lot 
        more than record sales.  I really think there are enough people 
        out there who like to listen to all kinds of music; there just 
        aren't enough people out there playing for their own enjoyment 
        and the enjoyment of friends and neighbors in the home.  Of 
        course, we also need great artists who can take performance to 
        the highest possible standards, but I really think that more 
        music-making in the home will lead to better record sales, sheet 
        music sales, performance opportunities, etc.

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: GG:State of Class. Recording Ind.
Author:  Mary Jo Watts <mwatts@rci.rutgers.edu> at internet
Date:    12/11/96 7:14 PM


Hello All!
     
 This Sunday's NY Times featured an article on the state of the
Classical recording buisness.  The gist of the piece was that 
Classical CD sales are utterly dismal (a CD must sell 50,000 copies a 
year to stay in print) with the exception of the likes of Chant, The 
Three Tenors and Cecilia Bartoli.  Most folks seem to think the heart 
of the problem is one GG warned about in the early 60's-- boredom. The 
general public is no longer willing to spend cash on traditional (read 
hackneyed) interpretations by new artists of familiar works when they 
can get great copies (Karajan's Beethoven Symphonies was the example 
cited) of classic recordings for very low prices.
     
 The most interesting strategies for getting around this
problem presented in the article were Sony' and Nonesuch's. The 
president of the Sony Classical, Peter Gelb, has paired such artists 
as Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax on Danielpour's concertos (who's also under 
contract to Sony.) It's a kind of jazz/classical music repertory 
company idea.  Sony's also commissioning new works for their
artists. (ex. Goldenthal has been comissioned to write a work for 
Wynton Marsalis.)  Sony seems to be modeling their approach on 
Nonesuch's who offer 25 discs every year in a a catalogue of new music 
(Glass, Gorecki), world music, and jazz.  They averaged sales of 
80,000 for their 1995 releases.  Interestingly, one of the mentors of 
the head of Nonesuch was Goddard Lieberson (namesake of GG's 
"Lieberson Madrigal") the longtime head of CBS Masterworks when GG was 
contracted there.  He preached that "if you trust your own instincts, 
your own ears and your own passions, the public, ideally, will 
follow." (I'm quoting this a bit put of context--but that's the main 
idea.)  Can't say that philosopy went wrong for CBS re GG!
     
Last night I saw Gelb on PBS promoting another of these cross-over 
programs. I think of GG's delight at the "Switched on Bach CD", his 
penchant for making imaginative recordings- I can't help but assume 
he'd feel particulary vindicated, especially since HIS recordings are 
ALL in circulation in spite of the overall classical music sales slump!
     
On another topic, there's a fellow (about 20 years old) who works in 
the subway shop at the college student center where I teach (Rutgers) 
who LOVES the later G'Bergs and always has them playing when I go in 
for lunch.  One day-- just to see what he'd say-- I asked him who was 
playing.  He humphed with a tinge of disdain and uttered a sigh meant 
to express that it was obvious-- "hunh!  Glenn Gould."  Then he 
slouched down his shoulders, popped a cigarette in his mouth and shook 
his head.  Ten minutes later he was conducting GG as he ran the 
register-- totally lost in ecstasy and self satisfaction.  I loved it!
     
     
-Mary Jo
     
P.S. A MILLION sorrys to those of you I owe person mail to-- I have 
been really really busy teaching, working and writing.  I promise to 
resurface soon! ;-)  -X.