Topic: Introducing New Listeners to Classical Music

[Richard]

Ok. So I thought about posting this as a gag, but this happened on last month... and I'm wondering if I am alone?

A close friend invited me over for an evening of casual conversation and music. He wanted me to hear: "The greatest living composer/pianist" and "The most gifted singer of our age."

I have known him for a long time so I suppose I wasn't surprised to be subject to two hours of:

Chilly Gonzales on piano


And Sarah Brightman


Actually, the Sarah Brightman wasn't so bad after Mr. Gonzales.

Question? How do you respond to friends who obviously have an interest in something beyond the typical, manufactured, pop music diet? But, they are being fed a bunch of crossover music slush?

[mc ukrneal]

Use it as a stepping stone. For example, I did a quick listen on Amazon (just 30 seconds per track) and hit paydirt on track 3 (Sogni). The part they play there is a rip off of the Pear Fishers by Bizet. This is a big opening to opera, singers, Bizet, that opera, the famous duet from that opera, etc. Maybe next time you see him, bring him a disc that has that duet on it sung for the original part. Or send him a mp3 file of that duet when you get home to show him what the original sounds like. It's a gorgeous duet, so if he likes SB's version, he should like the original.

I don't know how you endured the hour chilling with Chilly. I was left cold! Awful, I know.

[Richard]

Use it as a stepping stone. For example, I did a quick listen on Amazon (just 30 seconds per track) and hit paydirt on track 3 (Sogni). The part they play there is a rip off of the Pear Fishers by Bizet. This is a big opening to opera, singers, Bizet, that opera, the famous duet from that opera, etc. Maybe next time you see him, bring him a disc that has that duet on it sung for the original part. Or send him a mp3 file of that duet when you get home to show him what the original sounds like. It's a gorgeous duet, so if he likes SB's version, he should like the original.

I don't know how you endured the hour chilling with Chilly. I was left cold! Awful, I know.

You’re brilliant !!  I don’t know how I missed that. Maybe too much wine 🍷

There was a production of “The Pearl Fishersl” here not too long ago and I was there. I’ll haul out a copy of “Au fond du temple saint" and see how we do.

Thanks so much.

[Mirror Image]

It’s time to educate your friend, but only if they’re willing to listen and, more importantly, have asked for recommendations. Use tact and be kind. We all have to start from somewhere of course, but if you don’t say something soon, you may be in for another night of Sarah Brightman.

[dissily Mordentroge]

If I’ve missed a thread on musical education in relation to classical music my apologies.

I’m constantly irritated by school end of year concerts where the little brats have been thoroughly brainwashed with populist junk and taught to regurgitate it (almost always out of tune) for their parents and relatives. Why, how and when did classical technique vanish from music education and why is classical music assiduously ignored by so many of todays so called music educators?
If I was a school music teacher I’d hit the little darlings (if the school possessed a more than half way decent sound system) with something shockingly loud, dramatic and large scale or drag them along to a concert of something like Handel’s ‘Messiah’ or the Sans Sans organ symphony. Nibbling around at the edges with ‘polite’ music invariably bores the pants off today's young. Then we have the problem of today’s youth expecting eye candy with all their music. I’d hate to be a school music teacher today given you’d be dealing with classrooms full of desensitised listeners with an attention span of 3 mins 23 secs.

[2dogs]

It wouldn’t hurt to give kids a little sample of many different types of classical music, or even other types of music featuring classical instruments. Something might spark their enthusiasm and encourage them to take up an instrument. It’s taken me about 40 years to start looking beyond the popular and realise there’s some classical music I actually like.

[Marc]

Would this good ole series still have effect?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_People%27s_Concerts