One of the ideas that has been hardest for me to accept is the idea that not everybody looks at music in the same way that I do. Still, it frustrates me a little bit when people have no curiosity about the centuries of music that have come before us. I mean, nobody would consider themselves an expert on music if they never listened to anything before 1983, so why are they ok with not listening to anything before 1950? or 1850, for that matter?
The fact of the matter is that in this new America, this new age, a lot of the class symbols are fraying into obsolescence. Classical music should no longer bee seen as the property of the wealthy class. All but the most expensive seats at the most elite orchestras are a fraction of the cost of any seats for, say, the Police reunion tour, or any Rolling Stones or Radiohead show. Really, the classical world is open to any who are curious enough to enter it.
In this spirit of exploration, I direct you to the webcast of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, streaming live from Dallas. The schedule and webcast is available free from www.cliburn.tv