What do you think about New Age?

[penelope]

 My question is in subject

 What do you think about the future of New Age? What are your favorite living composer? And what will remain the general characteristic of todays music ?

 Penelope

[comme_le_vent]

im your cab driver, called parker. i believe.

new age is the antithesis of erudite music.
its simple and a load of pap.

some pap can be good to listen to, but only in small doses.

by new age i suppose you mean things like karl jenkins' 'adeimus'?

i like adeimus, it is hypnotic and emotive, but it is simple and lacks musical depth.

when you are speaking of contemporary music, there appear 2 directions - increasing simplicity - ie adeimus and to the extreme - phil glass.
the 2nd direction is extreme complexity, which i find interesting, if perhaps too overwhelming....

you may have heard the term 'information content and density' when referring to music.

examples of high ICAD are bach fugues.
examples of low ICAD are some satie works.

there can be too much ICAD, and thats what were facing in some modern music, i believe we should find a happy medium, to allow for both enjoyment and richness.

[ahmedito]

Saying that Phillip Glass is new age represents total ignorance of his music and New Age.

I think pop is good. All music has good and bad, and if you pride yourself on being a good pianis and cant improvise half decently a New Age piece.... or even play it right with the sheet music for that matter, then you are not a complete musician.

[Derek]

I think the definition of musician is broad enough to admit all sorts of approaches---from experts in the details of repertoire pieces, to people fluent at improvisation in any style. In fact one rarely finds both in the same person.

Anyway, I like New Age a hell of a lot more than a great deal of "modern" academic music.  Its pleasant to listen to and was written with honesty, not pretense of "breaking new ground"

As for the future of New Age, it seems to me that New Age is sort of a potpourri of older styles, arranged often with popular tunes in mind and so forth. I don't think it has a "future" other than rolling along pleasantly as always.

The only New Age artist I've really had a good listen to is George Winston, and I suppose Yanni would be considered New Age although I don't believe he calls himself that.

Its not my favorite genre, however.

[classicarts]

Celtic and New Age is definitely kool.  I enjoy listening to them especially at nights.  I don't have any favorites at this time.   

[sonatainfsharp]

I think of New Age music as pop music that cross-dresses as classical music.

That being said, I will listen to it if I am REALLY in the mood. But that isn't often.

I would get so upset when I would jokingly improvise new age music for girls in college and they thought it was the best thing they ever heard. Then I would play them a piece I wrote for an exam and they thought I needed composition lessons badly.

[sportsmonster]

this might be how all  piano pieces sound like in the future:

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,13267.0.html

 

[lau]

The new age music is crap!

[vladhorwz]

Peter Kater is pretty good if you consider that New Age.  He has surprisingly excellent technique and his compositions are not as simple as say Liz Story or Suzanne Ciani.

Also, if you have ever heard George Winston live play "Car chase", that is freagin' awesome.  Even Stevie would like it.

[presto agitato]

I love New Age music.

My favorites are: Rick Wakeman, Vangelis, Enya, and David Lanz.