This musical narrative
comes courtesy of the world’s largest
classical music radio station, Classic
FM, and is therefore crafted in
the spirit of that crowd-pleasing enterprise.
Aled Jones narrates
an entertaining script that paints vivid
biographies of important compositional
events from the Gregorian chants (600AD)
to present-day film scores. Along the
way it invites the listener to reflect
on speculations ("Imagine a world
without music") and on scientific
contributions – the gramophone in the
latter half of the 20th century,
for instance. Modern day comparisons
are also made including the late 19th
century celebrity status of Paganini
and Liszt contrasted with that of today’s
celebrity singers and musicians.
Although the main thrust
of this generous set of four compact
discs with CD-ROM features is towards
educating a ‘junior’ audience. Its breadth
– albeit popularly delineated – and
consummate presentational quality make
a welcome companion for classical music
novices and last-minute exam cramming!
The CD booklet alone provides a lucid
source of information, charting the
composers with dates and works as well
as a graph time-line pitting musicians
against important historical, artistic
and social events. This is not comprehensive
but it is a clear and approachable scratch
at the surface of a vast subject.
The trouble with the
‘The Story of Classical Music’ is the
trouble with anything that pretends
to reduce a complicated trajectory of
subjective (musical) artefacts to a
linear process of historical fact. Moreover,
be suspicious that a commercial body
– Classic FM – commands the selection
process and delivers with absolute certainty
the verdict that, excepting Hildegard
of Bingen and Clara Schumann, "…every
single composer in the development of
classical music has been a man…".
With clear instruction
comes a necessity for simplification:
of language and of information. Classic
FM’s world is a man’s world and
it is an exclusive one that accepts
and propagates the traditional canon
of Austro-Germanic musical hegemony.
"If the truth be told" says
Aled Jones as he credits the Finnish
legacy with a cue from 20th
century composer Jean Sibelius "I
haven’t [until now] had any reason to
turn to Finland".
Surely I am not alone
in regretting that both Medieval and
Renaissance periods are represented
each with a single composer. Nor will
it be denied that this reviewer buys
into the supremacy of German music through
the Classical and Romantic periods.
Preferences and predilections are inevitable,
but it is only fair that biases are
owned up to.
Nevertheless the benefits
of ‘The Story of Classical Music’ outweigh
these professional discrepancies. One
cannot imagine a more exciting way for
a child to be introduced to this rich
topic. As if in a time machine, a whirlwind
of sound carries us through the vividly
recreated musical periods and the tale
indulges in hysterical anecdotes and
role-plays – a grumpy Haydn muttering
German obscenities is definitely one
to hear!
Interesting issues
such as authentic performance practice,
music dissemination and pop celebrities
are raised in an engaging way by tying
them to their present day manifestations.
Musical forms are approached with practical
illustrations, such as the chanting
of Frère Jacques to explain the
canon; the excerpts themselves are generally
really good and often excellent. And
finally, we have a colourful CD-ROM
that provides games and quizzes to enhance
the experience and amuse the visual
senses.
This is an accessible
and enjoyable script, bolstered by the
perks of the glamorous accessories.
It is perhaps unfair to condemn too
harshly the chosen slant of the narrative
since distortion is unavoidable given
the particular circumstance of delivering
to a youth audience as well as promoting
popular tunes. Therefore, measured on
its own terms, this compilation is a
clear success.
Aline Nassif
NAXOS AudioBooks NA331012FM [4:28:45 = 78:04
+ 79:12 + 79:17 + 32:12 + CD-ROM features] 