Interesting speech by Maxwell Davies

[lukeottevanger]

In his keynote speech for the Incorporated Society of Musicians annual conference, [Peter Maxwell] Davies rails against the 'dumbing down' of culture for the sake of accessibility and invites us to raise our ears 'to the wheels on high of a divine cosmic order'

I half wish he hadn't chosen to bookend his speech with obscure quotations from Medieval literature - not sure that will turn on newcomers - but I can't help agreeing with much/most/all of what he has to say.

I wonder what Sean would make of this.  I'm sure he'd go along with the general doom-laden, head-shaking, ' 'twere better when I was a lad' nature of it all, but he'd have trouble accepting some of PMD's statements on the way, such as the second paragraph of the second page.

[not edward]

I like this quote:

When Alexander Goehr, John Ogdon, Harrison Birtwistle and I were students in Manchester, we were summoned all together to the Principal's office in college, the day after a Manchester Chamber Concerts Society evening had finished with a very funny Haydn finale. It had been impossible not to smile, and even laugh, discreetly. We were told our behaviour was unforgivable in a serious concert, and that we were a disgrace to the college, and should have more respect for the composer and the string quartet.

if only because people misunderstanding Haydn is a particular bugbear of mine.

Thanks for the link...I'm not sure PMD has any particularly interesting points to make in the larger scale, but there's plenty worth reading in it. I should take a second look after I've finished digesting my coffee.

[karlhenning]

I half wish he hadn't chosen to bookend his speech with obscure quotations from Medieval literature - not sure that will turn on newcomers

It's one way to earn the sympathy of the Death Metal crowd, though, eh? 

[Brian]

What does that mean? I didn't realize the producers of reality television listen to obscure living composers' speeches...

[Catison]

Interesting.  Thanks for sharing.