Goodbye conductor - hallo composer

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-22612086870352937072008-04-07T12:16:00.018+01:002008-04-07T14:21:56.133+01:002008-04-07T14:21:56.133+01:00Goodbye conductor - hallo composer<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_FPpiWNARTt4/R_fGnX9ikII/AAAAAAAAECo/L4GMZ6Vhd2c/s1600-h/adams.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185831875689746562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_FPpiWNARTt4/R_fGnX9ikII/AAAAAAAAECo/L4GMZ6Vhd2c/s400/adams.jpg" border="0" /></a> Overgrown Path's web logs over the past few days showed little uplift in traffic to my <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/search/label/herbert%20von%20karajan">wide range of Herbert von Karajan articles</a>. Most of the increase that happened came either from searches for the conductor's <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2005/04/downfall-and-mystery-of-karajans.html">political</a> and <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2008/01/i-was-herbert-von-karajans-mate.html">sexual</a> predilections or from Japan, which has always had a special love affair with him. This analysis was mirrored in the mainstream media where, despite strong promotion from <a href="http://www.deutschrock.de/index.php?sid=43b93a96e92a1d8c79de06113b645e8b&cl=details&cnid=4nd474c2387da86e8.30595624&anid=3904715f4872ca265.06609134&tpl=&lang=1&listtype=list">Deutsche Grammophon</a> and <a href="http://www.karajan100anniversary.com/">EMI</a> and some <a href="http://www.karajan100anniversary.com/rattle_appraisal.htm">unashamed puffery from Simon Rattle</a>, there was little interest in the Karajan anniversary other than tabloid-style trash from <a href="http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/080130-NL-Monster.html">Norman Lebrecht</a> and <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/03/13/bmivan113.xml">Ivan Hewett</a>. The music industry loves an anniversary and two years ago we <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2006/03/shostakovich-and-strictly-come-dancing.html">celebrated Shostakovich to death</a>. So why did Herbert's birthday party fall so flat? Many will say it was because of Karajan, but I disagree. Love him or hate him Karajan was a <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/10/lebrecht-is-right-naxos-is-not-in-same.html">very high profile conductor</a> who has never struggled in the past <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2008/01/so-you-thought-classical-music-was-dead.html">for column inches</a>. Nobody came to the party this week-end because our love affair with the conductor is finished. The twentieth-century was the age of the maestro, and the big industry names held a baton - <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/11/conductor-who-hated-compromise.html">Walter</a>, <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/03/happy-birthday-maestro-toscanini.html">Toscanini</a>, <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2006/09/furtwngler-and-forgotten-new-music.html">Furtwängler</a> , <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/07/move-over-iphone-here-comes-vinyl.html">Karajan</a>, <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/05/my-reputation-is-safe-in-your-hands.html">Boult</a>, <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2006/07/beecham-on-bbc.html">Beecham</a>, <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2008/01/mahler-with-such-human-warmth-and-soul.html">Barbirolli</a>, <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/07/youth-not-time-of-life-but-state-of.html">Klemperer</a> and others. But as the millenium approached new names emerged, and they were holding a pen instead of a stick. The three 'Bs' of <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2006/08/britten-music-does-not-exist-in-vacuum.html">Britten</a>, <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2006/08/simply-chic-symphonies.html">Bernstein</a> and <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/07/boulez-great-bogeyman-of-20th-century.html">Boulez</a> were on the cusp, and they have been followed by <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/12/no-stockhausen-no-radiohead.html">Stockhausen</a>, <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2006/03/steve-reich-premiere-on-bbc-webcast.html">Reich</a>, <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/01/elgar-versus-adams-in-bbc-anniversary.html">Adams</a> (header photo), <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2005/04/musician-with-teeth.html">Maxwell Davies</a>, <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/02/artist-is-transforming-all-time.html">Adès</a> and many more. Crucially, a number of these composers are, or were, fine conductors not just of their own music but also of composers <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/12/naughty-but-nice.html">as far back as Bach</a>. <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_FPpiWNARTt4/R_iZN39ikKI/AAAAAAAAEC4/_SuuReNL4AA/s1600-h/toscanini1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186063434556543138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_FPpiWNARTt4/R_iZN39ikKI/AAAAAAAAEC4/_SuuReNL4AA/s400/toscanini1.jpg" border="0" /></a> As we say goodbye conductor and hello composer major festivals such as the 1938 London Music Festival built around Toscanini (programme above) and the <a href="http://www.karajan.co.uk/easter.html">Salzburg Easter Festival</a> created as a vehicle for Karajan have become things of the past. Their replacements are events like the South Bank Centre's <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/12/on-path-of-stockhausens-teachers.html">Messiaen celebration</a> (poster below), and try finding the conductors (one of who is Pierre Boulez) on that poster. None of this means conductors will disappear. Orchestras need them just like they need concert masters. But how many readers can name <a href="http://www.laphil.com/music/artist_detail.cfm?id=67">the concert master of the Los Angeles Philharmonic</a>? The celebrity conductor is a dying breed and it is interesting to speculate what that means. The record companies (again) stand to lose most as they depend on personalities to sell CDs. It is almost impossible to get composer/conductors such as Thomas Adès to work the press. Which explains the <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/11/another-new-conductor-is-taken-for-spin.html">increasingly shrill attempts</a> to promote <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2007/10/new-conductor-not-so-new-music.html">increasingly young conductors</a> who are only too willing to co-operate in <a href="http://artsblog.freedomblogging.com/2008/04/05/classical-life-exclusive-the-dudamel-dog/">photo opportunities</a>. When they finally read the writing on the wall (which will probably take as long as it did for them to realise the impact of MP3s) will we see labels signing exclusive deals with composers instead of conductors? And before anyone tells me that contemporary composers don't sell <a href="http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2253911,00.html">I'd remind them</a> that Naxos' second best selling album in 2007 was <a href="http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559325">Philip Glass' Symphony No. 4</a> (23,000 units) and the fourth best seller was <a href="http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559285">John Adams' Piano Music</a> (14,000 units). Remember that it took four years for <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2006/06/best-damn-record-weve-ever-made.html">Glenn Gould's</a> 1955 of the Goldberg Variations to sell 40,000 units. Will we see back catalogue exploitation of neglected conductor/composers of the past such as <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2006/03/antal-dorati-composer.html">Antal Dorati</a>? Will we see Thomas Adès recording Mozart concertos directing from the keyboard, and Peter Maxwell Davies recording Mahler and John Adams Beethoven from the podium? Will more composers follow the example of Philip Glass (<a href="http://www.orangemountainmusic.com/">Orange Mountain Music</a>) and Peter Maxwell Davies (<a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2008/03/online-retailer-maxed-out.html">MaxOpus</a>) and establish their own record labels? Your guess is as good as mine. But it is definitely goodbye conductor and hallo composer. Watch this space. <a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_FPpiWNARTt4/R_ibnn9ikLI/AAAAAAAAEDA/3NppwQLlens/s1600-h/messiaen.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186066075961430194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_FPpiWNARTt4/R_ibnn9ikLI/AAAAAAAAEDA/3NppwQLlens/s400/messiaen.jpg" border="0" /></a> Read more about an artist extraordinaire <a href="http://www.overgrownpath.com/2006/04/antal-dorati-artist-extraordinaire.html">here.</a> Toscanini programme from my personal collection and (c) On An Overgrown Path 2008. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot ukPliablenoreply@blogger.com