Classical Music as Relics for easy listening


When is classical music art as opposed to easy listening or entertainment? I ask this question because it seems the FM classical music stations almost always claim "for asoothing relaxing time listen to W@#$" I guess this goes hand and hand with the midcult of symphonic fare that the orchestras and the music directors are dishing out. The radio stations play third rate baroque music "to soothe ones nerves on the commute home" (I guess you need something on the rush hour traffic on I-495 in DC) and for the symphonic fare: the same warhorses over and over, relics of dead great composers. Absolutely nothing new. I cannot remember
when the last time I here a modern piece by Part or Schnittke(though he is dead). I only found out Part or Schnittke by reading about them in the New York Times, and
getting a Naxos CD, to hear them. I have to go to Philly to Tower Records to find these composers because neither Borders or B&N have them. No wonder Classical music is dying slowly. Does anybody else have this same kind of frustration or are you just as happy hearing the same recordings over and over? Just asking......
shubertmaniac

Showing 2 responses by marakanetz

Nah!
Classical still continues!
Order Schnittke from Russia or from Europe to get either the same price or even less including shipping to your door. Also dig-on Kronos Quartet.

Other modern names are: Leo Brower, Hector Villa Lobos(spanish guitar), Daniel Binelli(tango), Astor Piazzolla...

The pre-Schnittke generation from Russia is Skryabin, Prokofiev, Rubinstain and Rachmaninoff.

Great acoustic and electronic pieces composed by Irmin Schmidt especially in Filmmusik collection.

And at last Jethro Tull is realy influenced by classical music! They're classic!
The best solution for that is to move to NYC area with pretty good tuner and catch college radio stations such as WFMU(from Jersey City), WFUV, WBGO(Jazz88 from Newark).