Re: GG:Death of Symphonies

[Robert Kunath <kunath@hilltop.ic.edu>]

	I'm not sure that the CNN report entirely supports Gould's points.
The crisis of the American symphony orchestras is not only because people
find concerts to be an off-putting way to experience music (and in rock
and other forms of popular music concerts attract large and devoted
audiences, after all): the problem seems to me to be a more general crisis
of classical music, which extends far beyond classical concerts to embrace
radio broadcasting and classical recording too.  Recent reports have
detailed the way the major recording companies are drastically scaling
back their classical recording plans, and one of the orchestras on strike,
the Philadelphia, is upset because their recording contract (with EMI) has
been dropped.  The Cleveland Orchestra has had its recording contract
(with London/Decca) cut by more than half, and there are rumors that the
classical divisions of the major recording companies will be folded into
the pop divisions.  The problem is that the money just isn't there (the
average classical recording sells under 5,000 copies) and that means that
the audience isn't there, not just for concerts, but for recordings too.
At least as presently defined, classical music may be a dying art form,
and my recollection of Gould is that he thought recordings would
revitalize classical music.  Gould would have been happy to see concerts
fade away, but I don't think he'd rejoice in the death of the symphony
orchestra.

Robert Kunath

On Fri, 27 Sep 1996, Mary Jo Watts wrote:

> CNN (North America) is running a story today about the national strike
> of symphony members.  The average salary is 64,000$ and most strikers
> are asking for a 15% increase in spite of a severe drop in ticket
> sales, and the fact that European musicians will accept U.S. contracts
> of substantially less pay.  The San Diego symphony is one of several
> symphonies that have gone bankrupt in recent years and are now
> defunct. According to the report, the average classical concert-goer
> in Atlanta is in their 60's.  A couple of folks who were interviewed
> observed that as the older listeners die off the baby boomer
> generation is not filling their seats.  The final word of the piece
> went to a composer who says that within 10 years, at this rate there
> will only be symphonies in 12 major US cities.  The drop off is
> attributed in part to the massive amounts of recordings which are
> available of the 360 or so symphonic pieces and the fact that the
> concert hall is not an entertaining place to listen to music!
>
> Was GG right????
>
> -MJ
>
>