CBSO adds grime stars to its roster
OrchestrasFrom the Times newspaper today:
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is teaming up with the city’s grime and hip-hop artists for workshops and a concert next year as it attempts to create a “new type of concert performance” and lure new audiences to orchestral music….
Emma Stenning, the chief executive of the CBSO, said it was launching a “listening project” in 2025 that would, among other things, establish the extent of the desire among potential audiences to relax rules and allow widespread use of phones in the concert hall.
You may think that. We couldn’t possibly comment.
Oh Ye Gods… Not again. Has she learnt nothing? I am wondering how much CBSO patrons’ patience will last…
PS: I said from the start of all this nonsense: she is recalcitrant and perverse. She will not listen. And the more we object, the more she loves it, because we who don’t like these methods are the useless rubbish of past centuries (to paraphrase Trollope). It is her way or the highway. She might find out the hard way when old hands desert… Have a look at the ticket sales for “CBSO Explores: Dvorak 9” in the Town Hall. Almost nowt sold. Ludicrous programming. As ever – I feel for the wonderful musicians. It ain’t her who has to stand up and play to a virtually empty house.
The whole thing looks corrupt.
Emma Stenning throws a huge amount of money on the Tom Morris ‘immersive experience’. Tom of course is a personal friend of hers.
From the article: ‘The grime concert is being produced in collaboration with Punch Records, which will provide artists including Big Dog Yogo and Lady Leshurr to perform live with the orchestra.’
Where have we heard of Punch Records? Emma put one of their senior staff, Cas Thompson, one her ‘Community Board’.
This of course is the same board that has this pleasant man:
https://slippedisc.com/2024/07/exclusive-cbsos-anti-semitic-adviser/
They just go from strength to strength, don’t they?
Yep! Emma is doing really good. CBSO is moving in the Right Direction instead of being Stuck In The Past. It’s only going to continue Anthony!
Ms Stenning is so right with the idea of “luring new audiences”… and never keeping them to revisit again after a single concert, unfortunately. Don’t forget the loss of older and devouted public.
The old people in the audience are not the most important (except for donations and estate gifts)
According to Wikipedia Birmingham has more than 1 Million people and only 42% is white british. CBSO must Focus on Black and Asian groups to be fair. Hence Emma’s changes that I Fully Support!
The same thing is to be said about Peter Gelb and his plans for repertoire at the Metropolitan Opera. Will anyone want to see ‘Champion’ or ‘Grounded’ more than once, or to see the other after having seen one?
For crying out loud! Classical music is a wonderful thing. You don’t have to like it; you might grow to like it if you give it a go with a truly open mind. This is just nonsense. I happen not to like grime at all and am indifferent to hip hop. The opposite to their intentions certainly wouldn’t apply I’m sure. The loyal audience won’t be going off to experience grime so why should the opposite apply?
I’m beginning to despair of the whole thing. It’s like putting samples of Michelin starred chefs’ work in KFC. Pointless!
Who says that The CBSO should only play music by dead old white guys?
People love grime and hip hop so they need to Take That On Board and serve The People! You classical people are a small minority, get over yourselves seriously…
Also KFC is GREAT!
Or are you being Racist by saying Black Food (such as Fried Chicken) does not Deserve a place?
Exactly! The loyal audience wouldn’t be going off to experience film scores. I am drafting a petition to protect our most sacred concert halls from the encroaching influence of film music, such as the execrable “masterpiece”, Korngold’s Symphony in F sharp
guest1848
Instead of stooping-down to the level of the uninformed, a symphony orchestra should create educational programmes, so that new generations begin to understand the value of a cultural heritage of which they are the beneficiaries.
One of these values is the very obvious understanding that this ‘old’ music is young forever and universally accessible after getting used to its language. And this latter process is not hard at all.
What is wrong with the minds of well-meaning people who think that transferring valuable knowledge to kids can only be done by taking the kinds’ own underdeveloped interests and tastes as a standard?
In the background of such thinking is the idea that cultural artefacts obtain their meaning and relevance exclusively in their relationship to their temporary environment, that they are locked-up in their history, and that relevance is only possible if inferred from outside the work of art. So: hiphop is very meaningful not in itself but as an expression of our time. So, Mozart has no meaning and no relevance because his times are definitely over, and rightly so becasue it was a bad time. Ergo: ‘that music’ has nothing to tell us. Etc. etc. etc…..
What on earth is wrong with a symphony orchestra reaching out to and through different musical genres and experiences? That is only ‘stooping down’ because you choose to stand on an exalted pedestal. Perhaps you should consider getting used to the language of hip-hop. You may find it difficult, but if you open your mind you may make some progress.
In other words, as the saying goes:
“you don’t speak to sheep like a sheep… you speak to them like a lion”.
This is innovative, progressive thinking! Orchestras need newcomers and new ideas to stay relevant. Bravo to them.
I’ve never met anybody who chooses their music primarily on the basis of “relevance”. It doesn’t work that way.
Seriously, do all those white, middle class kids listening to grime consider it “relevant”? No, they listen to it because their friends do.
And when was the last time Orfeo ed Euridice was considered “relevant”?
Thanks John! We Both Know CBSO is irrelevant and these Changes are Necessary. Bravo!
They also need to avoid losing their existing audience. Generally firms in the private sector find getting new customers is very expensive, and that holding onto their existing customers is the way to business success.
Agreed! But first of all they should get rid of all that old music.
Sally
Stenning and brave!
Grime will cleanse the CBSO!
This grime?
https://helengrime.com
Emma and the Community Board are saying we will do what is Necessary to keep the current audience going. Or else there is no Income.
We are just saying: CBSO needs to be Relevant and they are not right now. So Changes Will Be Made.
It’s a Shame so many people (mostly old white men) have a problem with this. Selfish and Narcissistic.
Maybe check it out before commenting, it’s really cool and will be a fun thing to perform and listen to. Aren’t you all lucky that your orchestra put on such varied concerts for such varied people!
https://youtu.be/yREF1m1DLEU?si=rbPix2wBF52gN9JU
The eyeglasses and smug grin says it all………….pathetic!
I imagine that the “listening project” will consult with everyone apart from the actual longstanding audience members.
Ye Gods, that woman’s inane grin is too much to stomach.
Classical music and other genres of integrity need to start from grassroots again, the gatekeepers of these arts are taking part in the mass dumbing down of the populous. New institutions and events need to be set up independently outside of the hands of people who would purposely taint, ruin and dumb down the music that is played to audiences.
Mabye they should perform some italian rhapsodists works of the 1700’s, as this links rap to classical/baroque.
But essentially you can’t force one to enjoy what is an aquired taste.
So local grime stars and the CBSO are doing a one-off collaborative show on April 12. Wow – what’s the big deal, who suffers from this?