SupremeFist
Senior Member
True! But I still would contend there's something to "get" about why it's so popular (not that I quite think I get it myself yet).
Piano music that sucks but that has crossed the "art" threshold
- Thread starter PeterN
- Start date
It's perfectly fine to argue that "I hate Einaudi". Or that "There isn't enough complexity in the Einaudi in the dimensions of complexity that I require to meet my requirements of musicality". Or even "I hate ambient piano music". Or that "'She loves you ya ya ya' is a terrible lyric.
But you're saying my argument is slightly specious?
Pingu
Active Member
Yes, because it rests on the false supposition that being first within different sets of limitations is an equal achievement.
Take, for instance, a comparison with the visual arts. I love comic strips like Dilbert. Within those there are very definitely greater and lesser artists. Some reach a level of genius, where they know precisely what is needed to convey the story - sometimes as little as a frame with a single raised eyebrow in it. But that doesn't put it on equal footing, as art, with, say, Da Vinci. Would I want every frame of a cartoon to look like the Mona Lisa? Absolutely not. The funny would be lost in decoding what the artist was trying to convey. There is a place for both, and nobody tries pretending one is the other.
Being the Lennon/McCartney of your genre is to say you are creating the most appealing art within a set of limitations, and that you have learned how to make those limitations a virtue. And in a certain dimension that is an equal achievement - but that dimension is not the amount of craft required. I would probably argue that Einaudi is the Lennon/McCartney of his genre - within phenomenal limitations he still manages a sense of poise, and a certain profundity, and clearly has mass appeal. But the Classic FM marketing of him makes exactly the same supposition that lies behind your argument - we love it, therefore this guy is a greater craftsman than Stravinsky. That's what critics object to, and to respond to them by pretending they can't comprehend your language is a bit silly.
And, as I said about a bajillion posts ago now, I wouldn't mind except for the effect it has on the industry. Classic FM actually began assaulting classical music long before they found Einaudi. As soon as they were a station they ran a chart. Only sales at certain stores counted, and some of those stores only stocked the Classic FM chart. So, naturally, it was an entirely stagnant thing, and consisted of album after album of smooth classics - compilations of slow movements, nocturnes, etc. Then they hit on the idea of having a stable of their own affiliated musicians. I don't know what Einaudi would be doing if not playing into the Classic FM ethos, but I know others who have definitely changed. Milos went from being an exciting classical guitarist to a purveyor of 'smooth guitar.' And it's still having the same impact as at the start. They tell people that the purpose of classical music is to be a relaxant, the people buy it, and there then appears to be a market to fill; which has killed everything else. Go into a previously very good record store (in the UK) and there is only Classic FM's playlist. Try shopping on Amazon and you can have Einaudi's entire works tomorrow, but if you want orchestral music, that was recorded abroad, you have to wait a month, and pay extortionate postage, because the distributors no longer see the point of holding stock in the UK.
None of this is to say I hate Einaudi. It's got it's place, and it's limited, not poorly crafted. And I adore the Beatles.
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PeterN
བོད་
Just bcs the masses consume something in hordes doesn't mean it has any quintessential artistic value. Art (music, litterature etc.) is not all that relative, there is art of better creativity/value and of lower creativity/value. Just like in gastronomy, you got the food for masses at Walmart and then the Italian family restaurant. It's easy to get the masses to consume garbage, and if you continuously lower standards for them - like in music - they would go for it. Should we see any value in their taste if the standards are low? Nah.
But the low standards are also affecting art quality. The uninspiring art keeps snowballing. We got 1000 pianists coming out now who know how to put together 4 nice sounding chords with a bit of an arp twist - and throw it under nice video.
Surprised Einaudi is from Italy, because traditionally Italians have high artistic standards (as a society), maybe he's been thrown in to lower Italy's standards (TIC). Like throwing in a Walmart there.
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Pingu
Active Member
I think there is more to Einaudi than some of the others. He was a tv composer, with a more developed language, who has made a conscious choice to go another way. Likewise Glass and Nyman. The problem is that you then get masses who see the simplicity, believe that it's an easy way in, and do it badly.
The big challenge with Classic FM is it is the Radio1 of ‘classical style music’ and it needs to be treaded as such. It’s unconcerned in general with the things we may consider when we believe a piece of music is accomplished and deserving of praise. It only really cares about popularity and listener numbers after all it is advertising driven.
That being said it’s listener driven rundowns show more diversity than we may expect (but still edges on the safe side) interestingly given the thread subject Einaudi has from what I can see never appeared in the top 50 and has only been played three times in the past 2 weeks (one of which was a request) I’d hardly say they were pushing him in the way being portrayed here. However I don’t listen to Classic FM as I find the advertising intrusive and the the content generally boring, so maybe they talk about him a lot when they don’t play his music.
That being said it’s listener driven rundowns show more diversity than we may expect (but still edges on the safe side) interestingly given the thread subject Einaudi has from what I can see never appeared in the top 50 and has only been played three times in the past 2 weeks (one of which was a request) I’d hardly say they were pushing him in the way being portrayed here. However I don’t listen to Classic FM as I find the advertising intrusive and the the content generally boring, so maybe they talk about him a lot when they don’t play his music.
stigc56
Senior Member
And it's about 100 years old! In his own time it was more revolutionary than today.
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PeterN
བོད་
Yes, it is explained a bit further that the jury accepted the bid (mainly) on basis of Mr. Herrings good conduct. You may want to address this to Mr. Herring, as he is the individual that provided it for evaluation.
Pingu
Active Member
I’ll have to take your word for it. I stopped listening to Classic FM precisely because they *were* pushing him in the way I’ve described. It got to where I couldn’t drive my kids to or from school without hearing him at least twice - and then they started playing a couple of others, who sounded like Einaudi-lite, and I had to give up. If the fad is over perhaps I’ll try going back. It’s nice to have an alternative when Radio3 are doing one of their ‘arty’ hours.
