Screenshot of the trailer of the Dutch National Opera’s production of Der Zwerg by There Stands the Glass.
My friend and colleague Aaron Rhodes gently poked fun at my recent focus on avant-garde jazz, opera and classical music at There Stands the Glass in the new episode of our In My Headache podcast. He characterized my recent rotation as “old man music.” I failed to properly defend my inclinations, mumbling something about the value in bringing attention to neglected sounds. I’m sure Aaron hoped I’d respond with more vitriol.
I’m not ashamed of my age but I look askance at my peers. The listening habits of most people of my generation are calcified. It’s embarrassing. The graying people immersed exclusively in disposable pop are only slightly less mortifying. As I recently noted in this space, I embrace the present even as I acknowledge my years.
I reject the conventional wisdom that jazz, opera and classical music should be of interest only to old folks even though the audiences for the forms are disproportionately elderly. And to be sure, the music is frequently stale and corny. Yet there’s nothing inherently decrepit about the most exemplary representatives of the forms.
The pretensions closely associated with opera are particularly egregious. I’m committed to helping dismantle the unhealthy affiliation. I implore There Stands the Glass readers to take a look at the Dutch National Opera’s stylish new production of Alexander Zemlinsky’s forgotten 1922 opera Der Zwerg. The tide is slowly turning.
On the jazz tip, I stand by my recent endorsements of imaginative albums by the European artists Mathias Eick and Nala Sinephro. The underground rebellion on Kansas City’s improvised music scene is no less encouraging. Nonetheless, Aaron and other advocates of popular music needn’t worry about me. I’m going to get my kicks at Marc Anthony’s arena concert tonight.