Monday’s Bow (August 20)

Classically Easy?

Whenever someone says that they just can’t get into classical music, I sigh a little bit inside. We’ve talked about lots of initiatives aimed at making classical music more accessible. Some things are easier said than done.

But, as the article below suggests, enjoying classical music doesn’t have to be difficult.

Classical music seems hard to a lot of popular music lovers — like algebra hard. Historic periods, motives, development, Italian words, complex formal structures … it’s just too much. It feels like taking a test.

Those of us who have some more experience with the repertoire know that it isn’t hard. Yes, the more you know about it, the deeper your listening experience can be and the more enjoyable it becomes.

But enjoying classical music is as easy as putting on a pair of headphones. To begin, just listen, and find composers and artists who you like. Within the thousand years of the European tradition, and the hundred years’ worth of recordings, all you have to do is browse, and you’ll easily find more than a handful of styles that appeal to you.

Simply remain curious, and your knowledge of the repertoire will grow, all on its own.

You don’t need to know everything about it. You only need to know what you like and to pursue that.

Read the full story – Classical music made easy

From Ravinia

• Solo classical and chamber music recitals may be on life support in many parts of the concert world, but not at Ravinia. In fact, Ravinia’s lineup suggests the death of classical recitals is greatly exaggerated.
• Every other year, the Martin Theater is transformed into the Ravinia Opera House. This was one of those years, and the CSO’s first ‘Magic Flute’ at Ravinia did a great job of putting the sing in singspiel.

From the rest of the Classical Music World

• At any other time, pulling out your phone and text messaging during an orchestral performance would be the height of bad audience behaviour. But DeepBlue isn’t your ordinary orchestra… in fact they are challenging some of the very foundational perceptions of classical music.
• Recently we discussed a story on Twitter about a classical music station in Florida which was hijacked with rap and profane language. Here are some more details on the pirate DJ and how he hacked the airwaves.
• On August 30, a classical season will kick-off with “McDuffie Loves Macon,” a free concert at the Grand Opera House. Presented by the McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music.
• A pops-style L.A. Philharmonic program under conductor Gustavo Dudamel last Tuesday was devoted to Mexican, Argentine and Brazilian orchestral favorites and included Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra.
• Another follow-up story to the Fifty Shades of Grey, which we updated you with last Friday. If you missed the cartoon we shared from NPR’s Deceptive Cadence over the weekend, you can see it here.