Those were the times

In the late 1990s, the French music magazine Le Monde de la Musique published a comprehensive discography of Mozart’s something. Doesn’t matter which. Out of hundred or so recordings (they really were that many) the journalists first picked up 50 recordings with some virtues. Then ranked out 20 until they came up with 10 ‘best’ – the most successful – recordings ever on that piece.

Out of the ten, eight were released before 1970! I remember that very vividly.

In the June 2010 issue, Gramophone published 250 best classical music recordings ever. This time the selection was made by 30 musicians, composers etc. Names such as Marc-Andre Hamelin, Hilary Hahn, Neeme Järvi, Steven Isserlis, Sarah ChangAngela Hewitt and so and so forth.

Neither the year when the music was recorded, nor the year when the recording was published, was given. But based on info on the musicians, orchestra & conductor combinations, record labels etc. it is relatively easy to conclude that a vast majority of the recordings are, Yes, before 1970 or so. (From the record codes it would be easy to calculate exact percentage but I didn’t have time to go through 250 recordings.)

The pattern seems to repeat itself from such listing to another, and I wonder why? Without wanting to provide any conclusive answer, what seems to be true is that the so called technological development hasn’t contributed to the artistic content of the recordings. Quite the contrary. I’d not be surprised if more significant classical music recordings were made during the 1920s and 30s than in the 80s and 90s.

It seems rather obvious that progress is cyclic. The recorded music was born late 19th century, developed during the first four decades of the 20th cnetury, and peaked in the 1950s and 60s. No amount of technological change afterwards has been able to produce the kind of conditions and circumstances that lead to the golden period of recorded music. The golden period came and went. And won’t come again. The way in which the responsible persons saw the world around them at the time, cannot be repeated.

If it’s true that majority of better/best (in the sense that a group of experts would choose them) classic music releases do indeed come from two three four decades before 1970, and if musicians etc still listen to those recordings (as it seems judging from the Gramophone list), it is justified to ask to what extent we still are able to hear the impact of those super recordings in modern releases of the classic repertoire?

Want to comment on this blog? –-> media@inner-magazines.com