Jessica
Listening to the pulse of each note with eyes closed is not the only way
to enjoy a piece of classical music anymore. Nowadays, a successful
classical music performer needs to arouse not only the acoustic but also
visual excitement from their audience. Classical music fans had better
open their eyes wide.
In early times, musicians needed not only talents but also diligence
to make themselves noticed, especially those who are not wealthy enough
to receive regular education. 「Practice makes perfect.」 The audience
usually judged them mainly by how skillful and touching their musical
expression was. Frederic Chopin, the most famous Polish composer in the
Romantic period, started his piano training at the age of 8 until his
death at 39. His hard work and devotion gave birth to many best-known
works like the Polonaise in A-flat major. Another legendary violinist,
Nicolo Paganini, who was born in Genoa, Italy, 1782, also started his
musical career at the early age of 6 despite his poor family.
Imprisoning himself in a small room to practice day and night, he
sharpened his skills to the extent that people thought that he had sold
his soul to the devil in exchange of the enchanting melodies.
However, the musicians』 skills and talents are no longer the major
measure of their appreciated classical music now. The total appearance
of the musicians as well as the packaging by the mass-media are also
important factors. Classical music is now a more complicated
performance that requires visional attraction. Joshua Bell, a
35-year-old American violinist, is cooperating with the Sony Music
Company. With prince-like appearance, he took thousands of salon
pictures as pop singers do and put the pictures on the websites or have
them reprinted as posters. Another Singapore violinist, Vanessa-Mae,
who has been trained in London since she was 4 years old, always wears
sexy clothes while performing. She even sells her music through her own
MTV. Ironically, Vanessa-Mae, whose birthday is the same with
Paganini』s, once said that she wants to do something new with her
performance just as Paganini had done with his skills two hundred years
ago.
Today, classical music combines both audition and visual acuity.
People not only 「listen」 to classical music, but also 「watch」 it!