Classical music is going through a 'wild west' phase of activity as it moves online into a brave new world. But is this temporary novelty? A dead end? And will there be a viable mechanism for getting the artists paid? David Patrick Stearns examines the changing landscape. #classicalmusic
Classical music activities are developing at such a speed that last week seems like last year. And the era of packed concert halls, not so long in the past, feels like history as the online presence among artists and institutions enter a fascinating though haphazard “wild west” phase of activity.
The range, alone, is dizzying — as are the technical glitches. Angel Blue’s Facebook talk show, Faithful Friday, arrived in a rotated screen picture showing the horizontal image in vertical form (Blue is such a charming screen presence that it almost didn’t matter). The March 27 “Music Never Sleeps NYC” 24-hour telethon organized by one of the best cellists out there (Jan Vogler), had musicians beamed in from their respective homes, including significant discoveries such as the Hong Kong–born pianist Tiffany Poon, but also lots of bad microphone placements and new music that had been admittedly assembled quickly over a few pints of ice cream and whiskey.
So far, nothing has approached the embarrassment factor of the quarantine meditations from Madonna’s bathtub. But is this classical music’s brave new world? A temporary novelty? A dead end? And will there be some viable mechanism for getting the artists paid?... Keep reading on WQXR