Legendary wilderness survival expert and author Tom Brown, Jr wrote that "Safety, security, and comfort are euphemisms for death". It is only too evident that the priceless artform of classical music is struggling to survive fundamental changes in culture and technology, yet it remains puzzlingly wedded to the fatal dogmas of safety, security, and comfort. Just one example is the reactionary brouhaha that greeted the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's experimental challenges to classical comfort zones. Yes, some of those experiments were obviously misguided and doomed. But the classical nimbies would do well to remember Søren Kierkegaard 's assertion that "Everyone wants progress, no one wants change". Change in the classical lexicon all too frequently means experiments with lighting, visuals, and social media targeted at young audiences. Or it means emphasising the zones of safety, security, and comfort by programming "classical light...
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3152886/WITH-LEGAL---53-million-Securitas-Robbery-orchestrated-by-two-cage-fighters.html
The full headline explains why the story has been selected -
£53 million Securitas Robbery orchestrated by two cage fighters
Thanks for noticing our humble class blog. The writing on the blog is by students at Thomas More College (in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, USA) who are enrolled in a first year seminar class called "Listening to the Silence: John Cage and Experimental Music." On an Overgrown Path is, of course, on our required reading list. Indeed, the many thoughtful posts on Cage I found on this blog were a major source of inspiration for the course syllabus.
Best,
Jerome Langguth