Pianists are recording Beethoven’s Appassionata sonata in droves. “Why the ‘Appassionata’? And why now? Have Beethoven’s notes perhaps released a deadly sonic Kool-Aid for use by record companies wanting to commit mass suicide? Might the companies be deluded by the youth angle? As a showpiece full of turbulence, Beethoven’s sonata obviously appeals to young musicians, and most of the new releases are by emerging artists using the ‘Appassionata’ as an aural calling card.”
Tag: 02.05.06
The Music Migration
Traditional CD stores are going out of business. “These are brutal days for many traditional music retailers. Technology creates winners and losers. This has been a radical shift in distribution, consumption, discovery, all those things. Another irony: While sales are down, more music is being produced and heard than ever before in history.”
Channel Switch Irks DC Music Fans
Washington DC classical music fans are fuming about a frequency switch for WGMS, the area’s only classical music station. “Many WGMS listeners see their station’s move to a frequency that can be heard only sporadically as a step toward eliminating classics from the radio altogether. Oddly, that sense of being squeezed out by the radio gods comes in a market where classical music has done better in the ratings than almost anywhere else in the country. WGMS regularly lands in the Top 10 among Washington area stations for total audience, and it’s one of the most highly rated stations among listeners 54 and older.”