The Cohesion and Questions Continue

Will the glitz really save classical music?

A brief blog post in NYtimes.com's ArtsBeat blog asked this question in relationship to the LA Phil phenomena, the Dude, Gustavo Dudamel. The post, coincidentally, featured comments from the Director of Orchestras at University of Southern California, who fears that the glitz and the public relations frenzy will deter audiences and the overall community from Dudamel's real musical talent.

"'Will the tsunami of interest in his hair, ‘cool’ name, Latin background, and brilliant temperament lead a rescue of American orchestras from the financial mess which is stalking all of them?' That question, he said, is languishing behind a 'curtain of hoopla.'"

At the end of the post, blogger Daniel Wakin asks the question of "what happens when the hoopla ends? Will that then end the end of classical music?"

A Smile and a Song, in my personal optimism, answers "No way!" The hoopla, is not a risk for classical music. As music of Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms and musical works of the classical canon have proven, this music has already stood the test of time. It's not like Lady Gaga or Hanson: classical music continues, unlike pop one-hit wonders, to evoke important emotions in its audience, which is why it always will be important to the state of the world. The "hoopla" if anything, modernizes the world of classical music, and puts it on the forefront of popular social culture.