The Decline of Culture

OK, so I understand that not everyone loves classical music with equal fervor and passion as I do. I have a tendency to conduct Beethoven’s Ninth from beginning to the grand finale, while our three cats are staring at me: perplexed and maybe even slightly frightened. Conclusion: I am a purist when it comes to classical music.

However, what the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) is doing to the whole genre should concern everyone, not just “elitists” like myself.

A few days ago, I saw an ad that the BPO will give a concert in March, 2011: the music of Michael Jackson! Just like in those Looney Tunes cartoons, I had to rub my eyes a few times to make sure that I was seeing this correctly. Yup, still there.

To be sure, this is not the first time the BPO has committed such a musical atrocity. In the last two years, the BPO has been slowly coming out with questionable repertoire. The music of Pink Floyd started to emerge and similar artists. I found it disconcerting but didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until recently that they added Michael Jackson and get ready for this one, ABBA! Holiday Pops is one thing but ABBA? Are the members of the BPO going to dress up in ‘70s spandex and platform boots? Will the floor of Kleinhans Music Hall light up like in Saturday Night Fever? And, most importantly, will the disco ball emerge from concert hall ceiling?

I also wondered whose decision all these concerts are? If I were a member of the Philharmonic, and I am a classically trained violinist at Juilliard, I would be pretty damn depressed if I had to have ABBA or Michael Jackson sheet music in front of me. I would be looking forward to every union break I was entitled to.

It’s strange but now when I look at the BPO ads, I wonder: will I see any classical music repertoire?

The BPO is doing what they think is the best: appeal to the most common denominator. They are not realizing that this is not just about making money (as much as that is important) and filling the concert hall. They are participating in a voluntary decline of the culture.

This is another symptom of this cafeteria/salad bar culture we live in. Someone can call himself a Christian Buddhist and Stravinsky can be in the same Trail Mix bag with Jefferson Airplane. There are no distinctions. Everything is relative. And you better erase that phrase “better than” from your vocabulary. To be sure, someone can enjoy both Mozart and folk music. However, there needs to be a distinction between two genres.

Classical music not only elevates but it can also be intellectually challenging. Most of all, it is not under the constraint of chronos. For example, I doubt that we shall ever say that Bach is just so outdated, like the 1950s kitchen cabinets.

But I don’t want to make this a plea for classical music. I am not a missionary, trying to save people from the clutches of “low art.” As Phillip Glass famously quipped: “You have my blessing not to listen to my music.” At the same time, there should be a level of understanding of what classical music is. This is especially applicable to the BPO and similar orchestras that are participating in the dilution of culture.