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February
28, 2003, 9:00 a.m. By Patrick Kavanaugh |
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f
you frequent stores which specialize in classical music, you may have
noticed a subtle trend in CD covers. Like most trends, this did not happen
overnight. Each year of the past decade it has grown slowly, and most
of us are like the frog in the boiling pot whose temperature was raised
so gradually that he never noticed until it was too late to jump out.
I refer to the amazing proliferation of skin on classical CD covers, specifically, the skin of very scantily dressed female and male musicians. To someone accustomed to rock CDs, these covers would barely be noticed. But to anyone who has been raised on classical music (with its typical photos of formal-clad orchestras and soloists in tuxedos or distinguished gowns) the new look raises more than a few eyebrows — as well as thoughts about the future of classical music.
Of course, some will insist that this custom is not completely new. For example, the somewhat notorious world of opera has often produced photos which could have almost made it into Playboy. How many abundantly blessed sopranos we have seen whose "cup runneth over" onto the CD cover! Yet one must point out that operas frequently include characters who are tramps and prostitutes, so such aphrodisiac photos should not surprise us. Yet the new CD cover trend is about violin concertos and woodwind soloists — these generally do not include tramps and prostitutes.
So, at the risk of appearing prudish, one must ponder why so many brilliant classical musicians have stooped to disrobing in order to sell Bach partitas and Brahms sonatas. Is it simply a sign of our decadent times? Is it one more example of the dumbing down of America? Or has Madison Avenue finally found a way to take the cultural sacred cow of classical music and grind it into hamburger for the masses to consume on their own terms?
Of course, I am as healthy and warm-blooded as the next music lover, and do not deny that these photos are indeed lovely. But I cannot help feeling sad and sorry for the young women who opt for this rather animal method of selling their magnificent musical wares. And as a professional classical musician (composer and conductor), I see self-destructive ramifications of peddling the great masters with the same techniques which Hollywood peddles its blockbusters.
This new phenomenon may be yet unnoticed by the average American, but is quite obvious to any professional classical musician. Lisa-Beth Lambert, a violinist in the Philadelphia Orchestra, is also concerned about this trend: " In our consumer society, we have often lost a sense of what is sacred and spiritual about the human body, and reduced it to a marketing bait. It seems incongruent to use this degrading means to sell such a spiritually uplifting product as classical music."
Another problem with this trend was brought to my attention by John Kasica, principal percussionist with the St. Louis Symphony. He objects on the grounds that, "It draws all your attention to the performers rather than to the music. Often, it is merely an attempt at shortcutting to success, taking away from the depth of the music itself."
As the artistic director of the MasterWorks Festival, I work with hundreds of gifted young musicians, all of whom are working like champions to "break into" the classical music business. The laws of supply-and-demand work overtime in the music world today. For every CD you see, dozens of others (of extremely high musicianship) are rejected by the powers that be. For every member of a professional orchestra you may meet, hundreds of others auditioned for the job and were not selected. For every top soloist who gives a sold-out recital, there are thousands of wannabe performers — many of them with outstanding talent.
The rivalry is very fierce, and this may tempt a young musician who possesses delicate curves to try anything in order to be selected from within the enormous herd of her competitors. I should mention that the women on these CD covers are all excellent musicians. When I was reviewing classical CDs for Audio Magazine, every month they sent me many such examples. Without exception, the performances were superb. So they are not exhibiting their bodies in order to make up from a lack of talent. Many are simply attempting to be noticed at all! Who can blame them?
Therefore, I can easily understand how these gifted musicians could succumb to this long-standing technique of catching the eye. But I have far less sympathy with the short-sighted CD producers who are actively promoting this trend.
One of the beauties of the classical-music genre is that it has always been an aural art form. Unlike other performing arts, such as theater or ballet, a classical musician never had to look great — until now. Does this new trend indicate that a brilliant young musician who happens to be rather homely doesn't stand a chance? One questions whether a superb (but rather overweight) conductor like Sarah Caldwell could get a job if she were starting her career today. One may even wonder that if the outstanding (and very beautiful) violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter were in an auto accident which left her hands in perfect condition but tragically scarred her face — would her CD sales be affected?
Incidentally, this sexy trend in classical music extends to males as well, though apparently with less success. The CD producers who have attempted to put young male musicians into Hollywood "hunk" poses have usually produced hilarity rather than enticement. Some of these must be seen to be believed!
So the new doctrine dictates that young musicians must not only be incredibly talented and hard-working, but gorgeous as well. (Not to mention the requirement for willingness to denude oneself in public.) One should have thought that practicing six to eight hours a day from the ages of five would be enough pressure to place on the backs of talented young artists. Perhaps the new prerequisites need to be inserted in the catalogues of music schools today.
From the audience point of view, there is a more far-reaching problem which is being created by the CD producers who are trying to meet sales figures. When one begins to peddle sublime music (or literature, art, etc.) with a facade of flesh, the audience soon learns to expect it. Like Pavlos's dogs, we respond accordingly, and begin to anticipate the next CD, not merely to compare the musical genius of the artists but their figures as well. One can imagine a future conversation such as, "I don't really like the way she interprets Debussy, but you should see her in that red dress!"
Sound fanciful? Then you should talk to a few agents for young musicians. In bygone days, they were interested in finding the most talented, hard-working performer, period. Now they speak of finding someone with "the whole package," meaning a beautiful body as well. This is not old Vienna making the rules, but Hollywood. By these dictates, such unbeautiful people such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Clara Schumann, or Pablo Casals would have never made the grade.
How far will this trend continue? Who knows? One can imagine nude orchestras, erotic symphonies, and TV specials on composers who only write in the buff. Hopefully classical music will not fall to the degree of rock stars — whose CDs often contain an "adult" warning.
Perhaps we had better remind ourselves what great classical music is really about: beautiful sound. There is nothing wrong with young musicians attempting to be noticed, because their remarkable talents should merit our notice. But CD producers who insist on sexy covers need to be working for Penthouse, and spare the classical-music world of their not-very-classical influence. Think about this the next time you buy a Bach concerto or a Schubert sonata.
— Patrick Kavanaugh is artistic director of the MasterWorks Festival and executive director of Christian Performing Artists' Fellowship. Kavanaugh is author of The Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers and The Music of Angels, among other books.