Trendbrott inom musiken/trend break in music…

I intervju med dirigenten Esa Pekka Salonen i senaste numret av ”Opus” nr. 3/2007, frågar intervjuaren:

”Vad är bäst respektive sämst inom den klassiska musiken?

Esa Pekka: Tveklöst bäst just nu är att publiksiffrorna tydligt börjat öka igen. Många amerikanska orkestrar har de senaste åren lyckats vända statistiken. Det beror på att de börjat inse att orkestrarna faktiskt hör samman med dagens musikliv. Om man tittar på just Los Angeles säljs i genomsnitt 92 procent av alla platser till våra konserter. Då ska man komma ihåg att vi spelar nutida musik mer än någon annan orkester i USA, kanske i hela världen. Tillväxten sker intressant nog bara i det yngre segmentet; konsertbesökare mellan 25 och 35 år. Dessutom har den klassiska musiken som enda genre börjat öka igen inom både skivförsäljning och nedladdning.

Sämst just nu är att massmedia inte alls sett eller brytt sig om dessa trendbrott. De ska ju berätta om nya trender, men visar noll intresse, både i USA och i Sverige. Idag märks det att de som bestämmer på redaktionerna växte upp med vad jag brukar kalla den mörka kulturtiden, när allt som hade med klassisk musik att göra var ett tecken på överklass, något närmast ont och elitistiskt. Uppenbarligen har medierna slutat bry sig om att spegla verkligheten på det här området.”

Ja, det gäller inte bara detta område… Och högern verkar inte alls vara så ”bildad” som den ger sig ut för eller som människor kanske tror!!??

-//-

In the interview with the Finnish conductor Esa Pekka Salonen he said that Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra sells 92 percent of their places on concerts, even though this orchestra plays present day, modern music more than any other symphony orchestra in US, maybe in the whole world (a music which can be seen as difficult - my addition). The growing audiences occurs interestingly in the ages 25 to 35 years! Besides, the classical music as only genre has started to sell more records than any other genre and downloading classical music increases most too he says.

But media ignores these facts he means (a bit angry I get the impression). Media which is supposed to write about new trends show zero interest, both in USA and in Sweden. He thinks he can see that those who decide in the editorial staff, on papers and even in all media, grew up with what he calls the dark culture time, when everything which had with classical music to do was sign for over-class, almost something evil and elitist, snobbish. Apparently media has stopped care about mirroring reality in this area he says…And this is true for political issues too! What reality they describe and paint!!??

Music that can be/is balsam for heart and soul… But also very dangerours, and maybe many realizes this more or less consiously? Many artist (of all cathegories, not least in music) have been rebels, controversial, breaking norms; both in soicety and in music itself during history (against norms and praxis there too, what you should, shouldn't, what you ought to etc.),. But also see what Alice Miller has written about artists/highly creative people in her last book "The Body Never Lies - The Lingering Effects of Cruel Parenting" ISBN 0-393-06065-9! They dared to rebel against society etc., and rebel against phenomena much more than people in general, showing an enormous courage there, but they didn't really dare to rebel against their parents... (Because this demands even more courage than anything else? Which is the message Miller want to pass further?)

And music was dangerous in former Soviet (see Shostakovich for instance). But I think it is dangeorus for political movementas to the right too! And not less for them??? (musicians, and artists, often stand on the weak's side??).

And I don’t think the upper class seems to be so cultivated and refined as they maybe want to appear and as people maybe thinks. Honestly. Sometimes it can even be the opposite… I think. A bit angry me too?

I wonder about the psychological mechanisms behind this too... :-) An opposition against parental figures?

And by the way, the ones that are most snobbish are the ones that actually knows least (really need to maintain themselves, originating from an enormous insecurity, but this snobbishness can really disturb me too, to be honest, but with age I can smile and sigh inwardly most of the times. About this I could easily write a separate blog post I think! :-) I have people near with these tendencies, even those who has worked with music... And maybe those aren't the most skilled and talented either!? And very superficial too, never goes deeper - in anything*???

And this is true not only for classical music (about a certain amount of snobbishness)? But for other music-genres as well ** and occurring in a lot of other phenomena in society? Not least artistic?? Music, drama, books, paintings, sculpture etc.? But true for other phenomena too?

But more in artistic subjects - and why?

*So I too react, strongly against, my revolt against parental figures? :-) Over everything you must and shall! And what's "fine"! Ugh! That you have to travel and see things only for having something to talk about too!!! Ugh! Not out of genuine interest and passion! Yes, I react a lot against superficialness?? Once I was in many ways a precocious child I think with pain... And still have this girlish appearance? On good and bad?? It can be a protection? But also mean you aren't really seen or taken seriously?

**a well known musician-couple here (Monica and Carl-Axel Dominique) working both with improvised music as jazz, and classical music, mean that classical musicians are more open minded towards other genres than for instance jazz musicians are

And working with young people for some decades has influenced and colored? In my way of using language, resonating and a lot more? Talking about feelings, emotions, in pictures and metaphors (or at least trying to do that)... Feel this and that, sense this and that... Listen...

This language feels uncomfortable for some people? For many in fact? When you don't express yourself only rationally, intellectually... In official debate not least? And, again, alexitymia, i.e., lack of emotional language is increasing in the world... And lack of emotional language is a risk factor for developing heart and vascular diseases... The more refined emotional language you have the better. Shown in immigrants too, which of natural reasons can't manage the new language and express themselves emotionally, nuanced... Here comes that about communication again. To talk, and keep talk alive, to articulate and express things... See Freyd too about this in the last blog post about her.

And I react against other sort of snobbishness too... When people are "floating above", using a "difficult" language just for demonstrating how much they are on top... But with this not said I can handle it especially well...

Am I very sensitive when people has needs to maintain themselves? And "float on top"?

Far away from the original subject, or? About snobbishness and counter-reactions?

And the female leader writer in a former blog post (the last part of it) also said that she is very glad for talking, despite she comes from the northern parts of this country (Luleå in Norrbotten)! And despite she is stutterer... I am also a northerner, but obviously also very glad for communication??? Struck me when I read this! :-)