| Matt-
Great post. While I agree that New Music is important, I don't agree that the problem is that the concert-going audience is looking for something new and different. Of course, people want to hear new sounds, new techniques, and new creations. However, to understand those things, the presentation of the new music must be done the right way. People should be educated before they listen to something new. Remember, several of the pieces we take as "common", were completely outrageous when they were premiered.
My greater concern is not that the concert-going audience is bored, but that it is too small, and in a lot of cases, a little to old. I could hear Beethoven 9 100 times, and never hear the same thing twice, and probably still get chills. But, how many 15 year old kids out there even know what Beethoven 9 sounds like, and if they know what it sounds like, is it from hearing it on a movie or video game? To understand the new music coming out, we must educate people on where it came from. People wouldn't be able to fully appreciate Mendelsson having never heard Bach. Shoenberg's early works stemmed from Mahler. So, in my opinion, what will keep concert halls packed, and orchestras in the black, is education of young people. Yeah, you can dance to Brittany Spears, but does it ever make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, the way that La Mer, Heldenleben, or any number of pieces does? That is my concern.
Again, I agree entirely that orchestras should continue to promote and commission new works, but that doesn't mean we should throw out everything else (I know you weren't saying that either). I will conclude with a story I heard Bud Herseth tell once. There is a famous quote of, I believe, Pierre Boulez saying something to the effect of "All music written before 1950 should be burned." At a reception following a CSO performance of a new commission, Maestro Boulez approached Herseth and said, "Mr. Herseth, what did you think of the piece?" His response, "Maestro, I think all music written AFTER 1950 should be burned."
Obviously, both comments are extreme. My point is, the middle ground between those two quotes is where we should probably be heading.
Zeb |