Category Archives: theory

Opera, ‘Elitism’ and Trickle-Down Culture

Posted on 06*04*13 by

The Royal Opera House recently hosted two interesting events addressing the present state and future of opera. The first was a debate called ‘Are Opera and Ballet Elitist?’, held on 11th March and featuring a panel including Mark-Anthony Turnage and … Continue reading →

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Feminist Music at the Southbank: III. On Semi-Stagings (or, How To Silence A Political Piece)

Posted on 17*03*13 by

A visit to the Southbank Centre the other week has compelled me to think a few little thoughts about ‘feminist classical music’. Here is the third-and-final,  following on directly from my discussion of Kurt Weill’s/Bertolt Brecht’s The Seven Deadly Sins, in which I try and figure … Continue reading →

Posted in feminism, live review, opera, theory | 1 Comment

While I am very far from rejecting…

…all, or even a significant portion, of what musicologists do by way of analysis or evaluation, I am struck by how much does not receive their critical attention, and by how little is actually done by fine scholars who, for … Continue reading →

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Feminist Music at the Southbank: I. WOWhat?!

Posted on 07*03*13 by

A visit to the Southbank Centre last week has compelled me to think a few little thoughts about ‘feminist classical music’. Here is the first and it is not a cheerful one::: This weekend, the Southbank Centre is hosting an … Continue reading →

Posted in feminism, festival, opera, orchestral, theory | 1 Comment

the biting point in 2013: The Rest is Noise

Posted on 26*01*13 by

The Southbank Centre’s The Rest is Noise festival started last weekend and I am terminally ambivalent over it. Sure, there are some really exciting, exclusively 20th-century concerts lined up – a pretty rare thing, and I’m sure they’ll bring in big new audiences … Continue reading →

Posted in festival, theory | 3 Comments

Is classical music really for everyone?

Posted on 03*11*12 by

Listen to a 45-minute debate on Radio 3, by clicking —–> HERE It’s chaired by Tom Service and features Zoë Martlew, Paul Morley, Kathryn Tickell and Graham Vick. (I can’t help wondering why they didn’t get an actual composer on … Continue reading →

Posted in theory | 1 Comment

three press posts: Straw Philistines

Posted on 09*10*12 by

This is the final post in a series of three, examining writings about classical music in the British national press, the assumptions on which each article is based, and the ideology that it inevitably reproduces. The final article I want … Continue reading →

Posted in theory | 2 Comments

three press posts: Cosmetic Fallacy

Posted on 09*10*12 by

This is the second post in a series of three, discussing recent classical music articles in the national press, the ideology that they conceal and the assumptions on which they’re built. This one is probably the most hilarious. On Thursday, … Continue reading →

Posted in opera, theory | 2 Comments

three press posts: The Ideology of Failure

Posted on 09*10*12 by

I’m trying to move away from posts that just involve arguing with opinion articles in the British press. It was sort of interesting, a few years ago, when people actually started discussing (albeit sporadically) the ‘crisis’ in classical music, and … Continue reading →

Posted in festival, theory | 1 Comment

Opera and Populism

Posted on 19*08*12 by

I recently posted on the subject of Opera & Elitism in response to a couple of articles discussing the allegations of elitism in opera (and classical music), in comparison to other cultural traditions. In both articles, these allegations were called into … Continue reading →

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