Hello from USA

[jotrofin95]

Hello Everyone!

I have been a technology specialist here on the West Coast for a couple of decades and love my work (at least much of the time ). But I also love to listen to good music – and to discuss it. I enjoy diverse genres including symphonic, opera, chamber and popular. A few of my many favorite composers are Rimsky-Korsakov, Khachaturian, Rachmaninov, Chopin, Bizet and Mascagni.

Recently I have had more time to explore other music because of the adverse effects of the covid virus on our business. I am particularly interested in learning more about 21st century music, something about which I am woefully ignorant. Although I have difficulty appreciating most of it, I am hoping that this will change with repeated exposure. Fortunately, I have found a few pieces that I like, an eclectic collection that includes works by Thomas Adès, Ann Cleare, John Corigliano (mainly his clarinet concerto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMzr58GbPmI), Paul Dupré (especially his piano pieces https://www.pauldupre.info/works.html), Arvo Pärt (mainly Fratres https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTSsdcMBBCs) and Joseph Schwantner (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_TgQCgo1yU). 

Being long immersed in a future-oriented technology field, I am naturally also interested in the future of music. I would hope to learn what participants of GMG think about the future. For example, will the trends of past decades continue? Will new forms of music emerge? New instruments? Do any of the above-mentioned living composers represent a new trend, and will any of their pieces enter the standard repertory?

Cheers!

[david johnson]

Greetings to you, and welcome among us.  Currently, I do not think much of today's product will become 'classical standards'.

[71 dB]

Welcome jotrofin95! I like Pärt, Schwantner and Corigliano (know only a few works for piano and violin).

Lately I have had this thought of the future of music: The music of the past was build on the principles of physical minimum phase systems (physical instruments/human voice) with certain limitations. Today and in the future music can be also build on the priciples of non-minimum phase systems and that opens doors to new music ideas and forms of expression as well as creates the need for new music theory. Also, artificial intelligent becomes an everyday tool in music creation and production.

[Karl Henning]

Hello Everyone!

I have been a technology specialist here on the West Coast for a couple of decades and love my work (at least much of the time ). But I also love to listen to good music – and to discuss it. I enjoy diverse genres including symphonic, opera, chamber and popular. A few of my many favorite composers are Rimsky-Korsakov, Khachaturian, Rachmaninov, Chopin, Bizet and Mascagni.

Recently I have had more time to explore other music because of the adverse effects of the covid virus on our business. I am particularly interested in learning more about 21st century music, something about which I am woefully ignorant. Although I have difficulty appreciating most of it, I am hoping that this will change with repeated exposure. Fortunately, I have found a few pieces that I like, an eclectic collection that includes works by Thomas Adès, Ann Cleare, John Corigliano (mainly his clarinet concerto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMzr58GbPmI), Paul Dupré (especially his piano pieces https://www.pauldupre.info/works.html), Arvo Pärt (mainly Fratres https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTSsdcMBBCs) and Joseph Schwantner (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_TgQCgo1yU). 

Being long immersed in a future-oriented technology field, I am naturally also interested in the future of music. I would hope to learn what participants of GMG think about the future. For example, will the trends of past decades continue? Will new forms of music emerge? New instruments? Do any of the above-mentioned living composers represent a new trend, and will any of their pieces enter the standard repertory?

Cheers!

Welcome! I'm a composer, and new music becoming "standard rep" is quite a challenge.

[71 dB]

Welcome! I'm a composer, and new music becoming "standard rep" is quite a challenge.

It's always been a challenge. How many works by Dittersdorf or Ries ever became "standard rep" ? Only for a handful of "lucky" composers becoming "standard rep" was somewhat easy. How many living composers can expect to be new additions to this group of "standard rep" composer?

[vandermolen]

Welcome from me too.

[jotrofin95]

Thank you david johnson, 71 dB, karlhenning, and vandermolen for your welcomes.

For the time being, I plan to do a lot of reading rather than posting. However, allow me to ask a question at this time about david johnson's comment: "Currently, I do not think much of today's product will become 'classical standards'."

Why is this? Are composers today less talented? Or do they no longer care about writing music that excites people? In any 50 year period from 1750 to 1950 numerous compositions were written that became part of the 'classical standards.' But why so few – or none? – from 1970 to 2020??

[bhodges]

Hello, jotrofin95, and welcome. As someone who listens to a lot of contemporary music (e.g., a livestreamed world premiere tonight from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, by composer Tyshawn Sorey), I'm impressed with your research and listening so far.

But to try to address your query, I do think there will be repertory standards at some point, but it's too soon to know what those will be. Ricky Ian Gordon's opera based on The Grapes of Wrath has been produced a good bit since its premiere, and Missy Mazzoli's version of Breaking the Waves has also been done more than once, I think.

Chamber music will likely become familiar to listeners sooner, only because it's less expensive to produce. Sky Macklay wrote a very entertaining string quartet called Many, Many Cadences (it's on YouTube) and many of the works commissioned by flutist Claire Chase (part of her 30-year commissioning initiative) may end up as "standards."

I'm sure there are others. And yes, likely some new instruments, too -- though no telling what those will be like!

--Bruce

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Welcome Jotrofin95!

Good for you for sticking your neck out and exploring contemporary music!  I've heard some that I like; I should really explore more though.

Happy listening!  And let us know what you like that you do find along the way.

PD