Will we see a new era in classical music soon?

[sevencircles]

I think itīs time to leave the majority of the old warhorses behind and start to play currently active  composers that keep the tonal tradition (with a modern twist) alive.

Itīs so boring to hear the same pieces over and over. Most pianists donīt even have the time to look at new pieces sent to them it seems.

Most young pianists seems to be told not to waste their time with new pieces and focus on playing the old warhorses well during competitions

Is there really any change happening right now in any country?

[outin]

I think itīs time to leave the majority of the old warhorses behind and start to play currently active  composers that keep the tonal tradition (with a modern twist) alive.

Itīs so boring to hear the same pieces over and over. Most pianists donīt even have the time to look at new pieces sent to them it seems.

Most young pianists seems to be told not to waste their time with new pieces and focus on playing the old warhorses well during competitions

Is there really any change happening right now in any country?

I think it would be rather unfair if I could not play those boring old pieces that I really love, just because everyone else has already played them before me 

Not that I don't agree that modern music would be interesting to look into...

[j_menz]

I think itīs time to leave the majority of the old warhorses behind and start to play currently active  composers that keep the tonal tradition (with a modern twist) alive.

Feel free to play (an promote) what you like, but don't presume to tell me what to play.

As it happens, I do play contemporary works, but I also play the "old warhorses" (and some old forgotten gems, too).  Sure, point me to a piece, or a composer, who you like, but don't try and tell me I shouldn't play something.

[thalbergmad]

I think itīs time to leave the majority of the old warhorses behind and start to play currently active  composers that keep the tonal tradition (with a modern twist) alive.

There is a huge amount of excellent never/rarely performed music by neglected 18th/19th century composers, so one does not need to turn to the currently active composers.

Thal

[perfect_pitch]

Personally, I've developed a great interest in arranging of music from movies and game music.

Most of them are still in a western tradition and based on the harmonies of most romantic music, so as much as I do love Classical music, I also find a new appreciation and curiosity in bringing instrumental music to the piano.

At the same time however, I do intend to perform Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto in my life, and I don't give a bloody damn how many people have played it before me.

[ahinton]

There is a huge amount of excellent never/rarely performed music by neglected 18th/19th century composers, so one does not need to turn to the currently active composers.

Why? Whilst your first statement is undeniably true, those composers were all once "currently active ones" themselves and would presumably not have taken kindly what you claim here to be unnecessary.

In any case, the principal point here is that, as there are more piano pieces in existence now than there were when I started to write this post, there will always be more from which to choose; this fact, however, does not justify any kind of moratorium on the performance of music from the past, be it well known ("warhorses") or "never/rarely performed", so turning to living composers at the expense of well- or ill-served earlier ones would be as illogical as it would be unwelcome.

All that said, the question posed by the thread topic itself seems to be somewhat tangential to the notion of relegating the past - or at the very least its "warhorses" - to a position of inferiority in favour of the work of living composers which seems to be the way in which the thread has progressed so far - unless, of course, the OP's idea of "a new era in classical music" is directly and solely synonymous with that of putting the work of past generations on the back burner and concentrating instead on the music of our own time; such a stance inevitably carries with it all the various and varied dangers inherent in ignoring history.

Best,

Alistair

[sevencircles]

Sure, point me to a piece, or a composer, who you like

https://www.unheardbeethoven.org/search/search.pl?piece=woo62gp1.mid

Here is a midi string quartet inspired by the late Beethoven. I opened the file in a notation program and changed to piano. Really fun to arrange it for piano actually (pianoduo is better though).  Gerd Prengel was a new name for me but I really like his sense for counterpoint. The fugato section in this piece in particular, I really like.

A fine example of a modern composition written in an early romantic style.

[thalbergmad]

as there are more piano pieces in existence now than there were when I started to write this post

Perhaps, but the chances are they are plinkers.

Thal

[pianoman53]

if one youtubes a bit, and find recordings from the 20s-40s, one will find amazing pieces that were just forgotten. Right now, I'm listening fo Felicja Blumental, playing a Toccata in D minor, by Carlos Seixas. Never heard the piece, or the composer. Maybe it's not super brilliant, but it's a really charming piece. It seems like they had much more room to play pieces that not everyone else played.

But I also think that modern composers should be promoted better. Most people I know are still stuck in the quote by Schoenberg saying that "music is no longer for the audience". It's a bit sad, since I believe that there are a bunch of good contemporary music, that is for the audience.
Barber is one example. Even though he died quite long ago, he still wrote music well into the 70s, which I  definitely doesn't mind listening to.  Sadly, my knowledge about contemporary composers ends there...

[ahinton]

Perhaps, but the chances are they are plinkers.

What are "plinkers", what are those "chances" based upon what evidence and why in any case should that matter in terms of the discussion itself?

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

You do ask a lot of questions .

Thal

[ahinton]

You do ask a lot of questions .

Whilst I am of course aware of the cliché that seeks to persuade that "two's company, three's a crowd", if these three questions are "a lot" and all are as simple as they are, I don't see your problem with them, really - especially since they were prompted directly by your own post!

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Hinty sounds like Mr Spock sometimes.

Thal

[ahinton]

Hinty sounds like Mr Spock sometimes.

I suspect that you may be referring to Dr. Spock here but, even if so, your surmise is woefully misplaced.

Best,

Alistair

[Bob]

It could take 50+ for people realize things have changed.  This could be one of those times when things are ambiguous.  Is it the previous period or the next one?  Or something else?

[daniloperusina]

Well, here in ole Sweden there is government funding via the departement for arts and culture to be applied for for the performance of new compositions by swedish composers. Especially some ensembles make a part-time living through funding like this. So yes, it does exist, and that's good and healthy! For let's face it, not even now canonized ole time greats like Morton Feldman would nowadays, post-mortem, be able to pay his rent through concert ticket sales alone. He would more likely owe the organizer money afterwards. Which is not much different from how it's always been, even in Chopin's days.

Me personally, I'm a sucker for anything goodly composed, old or new, that I can bite my teeth into and work my ways through as an interpreter of notated music, which in turn is my training, profession, skill, lust & drive, and in some ways "talent". Humbly speaking of course.

But I also beleive that it's our duty as performers to be really persuasive in our performances of contemporary music, i.e to dig our hearts out in order to show the audience the beauty of the music we are playing for them. And this is as true whether we are playing Per Mårtensson, Benjamin Staern, Schnittke, Boulez, Berio, Schoenberg, Brahms, Chopin, Beethoven or Bach.

Read the score, understand it and bring it out!

[sevencircles]

Well, here in ole Sweden there is government funding via the departement for arts and culture to be applied for for the performance of new compositions by swedish composers. Especially some ensembles make a part-time living through funding like this. So yes, it does exist, and that's good and healthy! 

I also live in Sweden, the government fundings are sadly fairly symbolic. People are still way too focused on the standard repertoire in general I think.

There are so many great pianists in Sweden that have got very little publicity outside the inside circle.

We have 2 publicly financed TV-channels here and I think they could bring young composers and performers to the spotlight if they really tried too.

[lostinidlewonder]

We are seeing new eras in classical music, just listen to the radio station both classical and non classical. Everything can be related back to classical music.

The new era in music is how it is being presented to the listeners through new digital media outlets. And education in music is nowadays exploding compared to previous centuries. We have to look at new eras in music in different ways. How music and technology are coming together is a new era.