The future of classical music

Well, the conservatives are losing, and it's becoming de rigeur across the planet to use pops evenings and film score evenings to shore up the dying revenue stream of subscribers that actually want to hear the old Germans. It's also become increasingly popular to stage old Broadway shows to draw in extra box office for European opera companies, as I said in 2018. I have never been to one of those occasions, and I stopped watching the Proms a very long time ago. I think they're tacky, and as a musician who really can do all the things (except conduct), I think they're patronising and that it takes more than knowledge to actually orchestrate pop, jazz, film or show music. And yes, we're all snippy about it: John Wilson said some very choice things in a profile where he pointed out that he also conducts Dutilleux, and has previously compared Conrad Salinger to Ravel as a master orchestrator. Personally, the MGM arrangements are too syrupy for me. I dig Ray Heindorf from WB, and also Don Walker and Robert Ginzler from the show world. - From reading between the lines of the Wellington Town Hall dramas, I get the very distinct sense that the communal goal is to turn us into a low-cost option for recording Hollywood film scores. I'm deeply sceptical of this approach: we're too privileged and too Anglophone to truly undercut Americans in the way that more corrupt governments in Europe are able to. Currently, the NZSO performers charge in excess of $100/hr to record, and it's only the USD-NZD exchange rate that could possibly make this venture profitable... that's liable to fluctuate, so I don't think that there's a sound financial basis: this is a 'build it and they will come' model that has exploded to $140 million in cost overruns to renovate a building that has shit acoustics (but is a heritage building, and thus protected from demolition). - ChatGPT: Several Eastern European countries have gained recognition for their orchestras that are sometimes used by Hollywood filmmakers to reduce production costs while maintaining high-quality musical performances. Some of these countries include:

1. Czech Republic: The Czech Republic has a long tradition of classical music and boasts several renowned orchestras, such as the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the Prague Symphony Orchestra. These orchestras have been utilized in numerous film productions due to their excellent musicianship and relatively lower costs compared to orchestras in Western Europe or the United States.
   

2. Hungary: Hungary is home to several esteemed orchestras, including the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. These orchestras have been sought after for film scoring due to their skilled musicians and competitive pricing.
   

3. Poland: Poland has a rich musical heritage, and its orchestras, such as the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, are well-regarded internationally. These orchestras have collaborated on various film projects, offering high-quality performances at relatively lower costs.
   

4. Slovakia: Slovakia is known for orchestras like the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. These orchestras have contributed to film scores and recording projects, providing excellent musical performances at competitive rates.
   

5. Russia: Russia has a long-standing tradition of classical music, and its orchestras, such as the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, are renowned for their technical proficiency and artistic excellence. While Russia is geographically at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, it has been included here due to its significant contributions to the film scoring industry.
   

It's worth noting that while these Eastern European orchestras may offer cost savings compared to their counterparts in Western Europe or the United States, filmmakers often choose them not only for economic reasons but also for their exceptional musical talent and versatility in performing a wide range of musical styles. - Yes, it's already a thing: Tom McLeod recorded a score in Eastern Europe, and it's honestly very common (and has been for a few decades .. first it was London, then it was Prague). I mean, Peter and Fran are only on the hook for $1 million to build the recording studio, so I'm not criticising their financial decision. That's hedging their bets, given that there are spaces in Park Road that are already suitable for recording, and the Fowler Centre. But this has been a bugbear of mine regarding the NZSM since they first announced it. It was an obvious sign that they didn't value guitar and, now that Jane's been fired*, it turns out that they really don't. That's really sad. - As for the NZSM's pleas for me to return: I said no, and respect that choice. I'm taking a moment to question their idea that I should be this master all-rounder that can teach guitar, teach musicals and teach legit theory and composition. I refuse, and that is something that Salina is going to have to get used to -- me refusing to help her. I hold a grudge, and she was a terror in high school. I sincerely doubt that she teaches anything other than composition. She's also a world-class instrumentalist, she's also capable of singing. Jane got paid a goodly sum to teach guitar, and only guitar. The fact that I'm this great all-rounder has very little to do with NZSM, and has everything to do with Burnside. NZSM didn't teach me to sing: Burnside did. NZSM didn't teach me to write songs: Michael Bell did. NZSM didn't teach me the American Songbook: Steve Nichols did. NZSM didn't teach me to make films: Paul Wolffram did. I was already a good guitarist, though obviously Jane taught me lots of things, but I largely taught myself how to do rhythm guitar and all the strums. And no, I wasn't taught rhythm: I had an ATCL and an NCEA Scholarship. John taught me his approach, but I'd mastered the tricky, asymmetrical counts in high school doing the Bolling Concerto for Guitar and Jazz Piano Trio. The rhythm that I mastered at music school - ie how to get people's feet tapping - was something that I picked up from Broadway records and not from any teacher. - I was thoroughly and utterly insulted by the 'notes' on my Pan's Prelude orchestrations, and that's why there's no piano reduction forthcoming: it's a timbral piece, so it's pretty rich for people that critique my pieces for being too saccharine and tuneful to refuse to accept that I wrote a piece that used their theoretical ideas, and that they would never countenance making a reduction of their piece for soloist and orchestra unless they had a guaranteed performance with their orchestrations untouched. Same shit happened to Gershwin, but now we play his orchestrations for An American In Paris, the Second Rhapsody, the Piano Concerto and the Cuban Overture, and not the shit ones that F. Campbell-Watson made for the music publishers that thought Gershwin's orchestrations were too brash, too busy, too clashy, and simply inelegant. That's the sound of American music. 🤣 I'm not the one trying to cash in on taonga pūoro to seem hip; instead, I spent years learning the Pākehā folk songs that make Pan's Preludes sound Kiwi. - I'm only ever going to say no to NZSM people's ideas about my music, and it is time for those people to actually accept that I don't care about their opinions and I'm only ever going to refuse to help them. That is fair, and that is reasonable. They will cease and desist from any attempts to persuade me to return, even for one masterclass. I refuse, and VUW should accept that my decision not to set foot on the campus is a political protest against their shitty management and their intent to cut significant arts programmes. I'm not the one trying to save an institution that was told by VUW that they're going to close it unless they fire a shitload of people. I don't want to return to save their arses because they are NEVER going to treat me as their equal, and they are never going to accept my trans identity, my crossdressing or my drug use. I'm entitled to do 2 out of 3 of those things, and I have gotten a medical prescription for my weed in the past (I made a video about that). Save your jobs, but don't drag me into it. Jane's gone, and that means that I'm officially and actually not interested in anything that the NZSM has to offer. Amanda Riddell. *Jane lost her tenure well before any of the dramas that happened. And despite being very cross with her, I still think that they essentially fired a disabled person to cut costs. That hardly bodes well for the moral fibre of those people, and I've often thought that classical music is rather amoral.