Cultural Policy Mad Libs

Remove “jazz” from today’s edition of Soundcheck on WNYC and replace it with “classical” or “opera” and you’re pretty much in the same ballpark.

Yet while the Terry Teachout-led debate is pretty tame (“I just wish the conversation was more about solutions. Despite methodological problems w/NEA survey, we all know jazz is in deep trouble,” tweeted composer/bandleader Darcy James Argue), the dialogue it sparked on both WNYC’s comments feature and Twitter was pretty fascinating.  It seems that critics are still wont to herald the death of jazz/classical/opera [Name of Music Genre], but who’s offering the solutions to these problems?  Moreover, are the data we’re collecting speaking to the actual nature of the problems?  We seem to be relying far too much on the quantitative over qualitative here, yet read a comment like Faith from Rockland County‘s and you see that it’s way more than a numbers game:

“As someone who is frequently the youngest member of the audience along with my boyfriend (ages 24 and 22 respectively) at jazz concerts, I think part of the problem is the older jazz community. We are often treated rudely, as if we don’t deserve good seats, don’t get it, and don’t belong.”

I have a whole ‘nother rant on the model that has to change, but it’s still in development on my end and therefore deserves some time to percolate.  In the meantime, I’m with Darcy on this one:  Where does TT get off saying that you need a large institution in order to yield effective marketing practices?

Lully Before the Storm

I’ve tried to like Lully.  I really, truly, have tried.  I worked/got to know a cast in Les Huguenots that included several Lully-ites in the William Christie entourage.  But it’s not doing it for me.

That’s not to say that in the month since I last logged into WordPress I’ve been casting withering looks at myTunes and trying to sweep JB under the rug.  I’ve been doing nothing but listening and writing everything but this blog.  So let’s knock a few Lulls out of the park before getting to the DVD of Phaëton.  And let’s combine my passion for writing with my passion for new media and sum each of these operas up in the span of a Tweet.

@Atys:  “Not the least of these was a sstned contrast btwn the drama’s violent passion…and Lully’s prvrsly sbdued and rstrained music.” – E. Said

@Isis: Lully’s greatest laments thus far, but Juno/Jupiter need an agent for the amt of times they’re repped in opera. Not seeing the tragedy here.

@Psyché: Blessed with a good recording for this; perhaps what I need to enjoy JBL. Dramatic influences of Moliere, Italy apparent. Holy finale, Bman!*

*And I do mean Baroque Man.  A superhero costume requiring a wig similar to that of JB Lully’s.