In Monday’s (11/25) Daily Telegraph (London), Hannah Furness writes about Clemency Burton-Hill, a violinist and BBC Radio 3 host. “ ‘It breaks my heart a little every time I hear some say, ‘Oh, I love classical music, but I don’t really understand it,’ [says Burton-Hill]… Admitting it is ‘one of the most intellectually complex art forms we have,’ she added: ‘To be “able” to understand classical music, all you need is ears, an open mind and to be able to feel.’ Burton-Hill disclosed that she had grown up listening to ‘anything I could get my ears on,’ including classical favourites and Britpop bands such as Oasis, Radiohead, and Blur. She argued that classical music was ‘exactly the same as any other type of music’ saying that everything from Vivaldi to a cover variation on The X Factor was all a ‘powerful means of communicating emotion.’ … ‘I’m pretty sure that figures such as Mozart or Verdi, who were the rock stars of their day and cranked out hit after popular hit, would be outraged to think that some people today might want to keep their music to themselves, the exclusive preserve of an educated elite who are already ‘in the know.’ The glorious music of these great composers speaks to everyone, and everyone should feel it is theirs.”
Posted November 26, 2013
