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There's a debate hosted by Cambridge University today at 2100GMT and you can follow the continuous live streaming on www.cus.org. Stephen Fry, Wagner fan and all-round good bloke (and actor) will be there. If past experiences are anything to go by, the debate will be lively, opinionated and robust, but will just fall short of pistols (or swords) at dawn .

He was on TV earlier today to publicise the debate, and when asked which piece of music he'd recommend to get a young person into classical music, he said 'Bach's Goldberg Variations performed by Glenn Gould'. His companion, a choral conductor, suggested Bach's Matthäus-Passion instead.

I really think there is no hope to get classical music into some peoples lives that are on a solid regimen of all the (censored word) coming out of the music business today. I hope I'm wrong. But, the exposure doesn't hurt.

The time metnioned on the web site is 7 PM local (Cambridge) time. That's 1800GMT, which is, for instance, 2 PM on the east coast of the US.

There's some hope, I would think.
When I was four or five, I saw The Nutcracker, and my mom went and got an album of the music for me. Between the music and tutus, I was hooked. I remember prancing around the living room dancing to that thing for months, and wanting to see more ballets and hear more "ballet music." I know I wasn't the first little girl to feel that way, and I'm certain I wasn't the last.

Aimee

Thanks for that, I must have misheard Mr Fry (or maybe his posh accent sounded something different.... ).

I really don't think the goldberg variations is a great piece to get young people interested in classical music lol. Its a bit long.

I may pull my hair out listening to someone argue for such a motion, but Stephen Fry is always worth a watch.

It has the same relevance today as it did to me when I was a teenager ... that is, very little. I don't expect we'll change that and I don't believe that it means that a similar percentage will grow to enjoy it as they get older as happens today.

Unfortunately, Not one little bit. I've loved Classical Music all my life, I'm 18 now so people are a lot more mature. But in High School, if somebody asked me what Music I liked - they would openly laugh if I said Classical. Sounds harsh but it's the reality. Young people believe it's 'boring' - which saddens me. Most people my age love synthesized Dance/Pop music with a heavy drum beat.

Doesn't this also happen with adults (unfortunately)? I mean, maybe they don't really laugh, but how many "adults" really like and appreciate classical music? Aren't we often considered "weird"?

Thank you so much for posting this. I am glad Fry gave the wonderful history lesson, it always bugs me when people call classical music an elitist product of the aristocracy, it just shows a fundamental ignorance.

Yes. Well, I can only speak for myself, but I've been loving classical music since I was a child, so if it was relevant to me, I'm sure there are more people to whom it is also relevant.

I like some songs in other genres, but it isn't a lot-- not to the point I can say I like certain bands, etc.

A song here, a song there.... and then the whole gamut of classical music, up to the present.

When people ask me what kind of music I listen to, and I answer that I listen classical almost exclusively, they're usually pleasantly surprised seem somehow impressed.

No, it is considered cultured for adults to appreciate classical music. My parents only like classical, jazz and semi-classical lyrical singers. They are baby-boomers, though, so maybe younger adults who appreciate classical would be considered weird? I was never fond of popular music growing up and would lug my instrument everywhere because I was in orchestra. Nobody beat me up for it. Probably around 20-30% of the kids in my class played a classical instrument and it was considered cool if you were really accomplished at it. Maybe I just went to a nerdy school.

When I was very little, my parents played classical music CDs (stuff like Beethoven Symphonies, Brahms' Lullaby, etc...) for me on the radio, etc... I've been hooked ever since.

Popular taste is fickle, but appreciation for great art is tough to root out. In our modern era of preserving everything, while I don't expect a huge number of kids to start loading up their ipods with Bartok any time soon, I'm confident that appreciation for classical music won't die out. Sooner or later, we'll see a popular revival, and classical music will be fashionable for a while, and then it'll probably fade again.

The only way to significantly improve popular appreciation for classical music is through education, in my opinion.

On the other hand, maybe it's just me, but it seems that when I play Beethoven and Chopin, the dedications above the name of the pieces involves people with aristocratic titles far more often than just plain folks.

It's relevant to anyone learning piano or an orchestral instrument.

Music is a reflection on inner thoughts and feelings.
Most of the young don't do so much inner reflection.
Also, it's not exactly socially appealing to play Chopin's Piano Sonatas while discussing your most recent lay.

Also, some classical music lovers refuse to admit that many works are long, monotonous, a.k.a. boring. Yes, I'm including "masters" like Bach, etc.

And above all (and the hardest for the classical (piano?) world to admit): many works have never been played correctly. Sadly many stick to BS like "Art is subjective!" etc. etc. bah

Study für elise, PROPERLY (it's hard, there's no perfect recording available as far as I know), and see the surprise on people's faces when they used to hate that song until they heard it played as: music.

People: Most of us suck at playing classical music, and it takes intellectual development to enjoy certain pieces / filter out horribly-played passages that sound like they mean nothing. Ever notice you enjoy a piece more once you've got the notes in your head, and can play it yourself?

Sadly, the denial often seems greatest in the established elite community: conservatories, etc.

But *sigh* this keeps falling on deaf ears, because: who am I to speak?

Perhaps you should spend some time learning about the history of Western Music. Carefully study this and get back to us:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-Hist..._1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305267419&sr=8-1

At only 51 pounds for 15 pounds of books in 5 volumes it is arguably the best value in music writing today, pound for pound.

Classical music has so much going against it, especially for the young - you have to listen (rather than just bang your head/tap your feet to), it rarely comes in bite-sized chunks for those with short attention spans (no wonder that Nessun Dorma, at less than 5 min, is the world's most recognized classical 'song'....), it often tugs at your heart strings (it's not cool to weep in public these days... ), and it's very addictive and time-consuming (are there any pop musicians who spend 4 hours+/day practising since they were 4, like so many pianists today?).

For all those reasons, it just doesn't make sense. Just as reading/learning the complete Shakespeare doesn't make sense. Just like reading Tolstoy's War & Peace (you could read several trashy novels in the same time....) doesn't make sense.

Apart from all its life-enhancing properties of course.

In repsonse to the original question "IS classical music relevant to the young" - I'd have to say no.

But is anything relevant to the young without proper presenation and context?
Are great paintings and sculpture relevant?
Is great literature relevant?

No, not unless someone takes the time to make it relevant.
Growing up we never really had any classical music in our home. I remember the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Dean Martin - but no intrumental classical music recordings.
In highschool I was truly blessed to have a fantastic music teacher (who just passed away in April). In class and in concert band we studied and played amazing music - Holst, Tchaicovsky, Bach, and so many others - a tremendous wealth of music that truly opened my ears to a new world, and set the stage for a life time of enjoyment.

If I had not had this guidance when I was so young, I really don't know if I would have come to love music the way I do now.
He made it relevant for me.