Music that moves you.

So I was at this Tchaikovsky concert last night. Well, the Manchester Concert Orchestra playing several of Tchaikovsky's pieces, conducted by Timothy Redmond and featuring Martin Cousin on piano, for that piano concerto.^1,2

Now that's just enough to put you off this post, isn't it, such a magnificently crafted opening aimed squarely at the target audience of elitist SOBs with delicate palates for wine, Caspian caviar for breakfast and the plain old porsche 911 for daily commute?³

So let me substitute a few words - last night, I wasn't at this Sepultura concert which featured guest performers Pantera, playing together with them that monster hit ROOTS BLOODY ROOTS! Awesome, simply head-banging awesome, I tell you.

Or this:

Last night, I also wasn't at this Girls Aloud concert performing their greatest hits (till now), with the sexy Shakira dancing along to Don't Cha⁴ at the finale!


So you get my point. Why the antipathy towards classical music? Why the notion that just because something is old, (well ancient, almost) it should be associated with a certain few age-groups? Or earning power?

Why the vehement reaction, you ask. Well a coursemate of mine, upon hearing that I was attending the afore-mentioned concert, immediately went, "Wah, is it one of those where rich people go and you have to dress up?" And remained sceptical despite repeated attempts at semi-skilled persuasion.

And so I'm puzzled, really puzzled. I mean, I'm not defending classical afficionados who are stuck-up individuals, but aren't there also connoisseurs of rock music who proclaim that 's eclectic and heady mix of diverse influences such as loud noises, random key thumping and sounds animals make in the zoo, is the next big thing since the noisettes released their stunning debut album 2 years ago?

What I'm trying to say is, if Augustana's Boston can move you emotionally, why not Swan Lake⁵? If Don't Cha can get you on your feet, why not a waltz?

Granted, the passage of time has ensured the eminence of numerous composers; the non-copyrighted material available to musicians around the world resulting in a staggering amount of performances to choose from, and you might not know where to start - but with few William Hung-like massacres, and the easy understanding that different performances of a song⁶ can sound just as good - what else should stop you from taking an interest in classical music?

I found it quite astonishing, really, that last night I seemed to be the only person in the concert hall below the grand old age of forty-five⁷, when the clubs near the concert hall were filled to the brim with inebriated teenagers contorting their bodies to mindless noise. Particularly when the music literally moved me to tears at times. Hey (again due to my excellent vantage point) I could even see the conductor himself shedding a few tears at the end of a particularly poignant piece (yes it was that good).

Sure it probably sounds as if I'm imposing my snobbish my views on you, but even I recognise that techno can sound good sometimes - why stick to your pompous views on classical music? Paraphrasing Deng Xiaoping, as long as it moves you, does the genre matter?


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^1. I'm addicted to Google. And please don't click on them unless you're a fanatical classical music follower. And for those of you who have clicked through, I know, they're not particularly famous.
^2. Piano concerto no. 1. Now that guy's supposedly quite famous.
^3. Incidentally, if you indeed are one of the above-mentioned, I sincerely apologise, that truly is an awful introduction.
^4. Just imagine that. Woohoo.
^5. I know, the guy isn't as attractive, but still.
^6. Like Feeling Good - either by Nina Simone or Muse.
^7. Due to my excellent vantage point (cheapest seat, I was sat behind the orchestra (and above, obviously), I was able to scan the entire hall before and after the concert. And have a direct view of the cellists. Interesting, actually, how the price structure works.