Classical music is boring!

Classical music is boring!

Yes, it is. No, it is not. Yes, it is! No, it is not! Yes. No, you are boring, if you say so. Me? Why? Do you like music? I do. So you may like classical, too. No, I don’t. Do you know the whole classical music? I know it is boring. When it is nice, it is also too long.

And so on, and so on (and so on).

But I’m here to talk about something, in all honesty. I just came back from the Southbank Centre, where I went to have my yearly dose of Beethoven, the Ninth Symphony. I try to “watch it live” once a year (and it is not difficult when you live in the same city of London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, BBC Orchestra, London Philharmonic, etc.). But that’s not the point, now.

Also point…less, on top of it, is to talk about why the Ninth Symphony. I just understood that “avalanche of beauty” may be a good definition for for such work.

When you attend a night of classical music (regardless of the period and style) you face a selection from different composers where the main act is usually opened by something relatively minor or less known yet related somehow to the big event of the evening. It is, essentially, a juicy opportunity to discover something new, especially when your ears are not that fond of classical.

So this evening I listened for the first time to Vorisek, with his Symphony in D. The guy, of course, was not there, as he died in 1825, in Vienna. He was a fan of Beethoven, he was a musical talent, yet, probably because he died young and didn’t write “that much”, his music got historically forgotten. Jakub Hrusa, the conductor for the night, decided to perform his music for the evening, to open for Beethoven, the big boss.

I found an extremely enjoyable symphony. Well structured, lively, colourful, melodic, large and fast. I have to say it: if you still think classical music is boring, too long, etc. try this Symphony in D by Vorisek. You can listen to it here on YouTube. It is not any big and majestic like any Beethoven, it is not crazy like any Stravinsky. It is simply good. I think it sounds like pop, to classically trained ears probably. But if you want to give a second or third chance to the world of classical music, this can be a smart attempt.

If not, blame London Philharmonia, blame Jakub Hrusa. Not me.