WHYPOD?

posted by James Reel

    The big buzz in classical music right now—until the next wet-T-shirt contest for all-woman string quartets—is that the New York Philharmonic is launching a music-download initiataive with Deutsche Grammophon. Here’s part of the New York Times report:

Deutsche Grammophon, using live recordings by the orchestra, will release four concerts a year, probably through iTunes and perhaps through other Web sites, said Zarin Mehta, the orchestra's president. The first is due in about two months and will be priced at about $8 to $10, he said. It will consist of this weekend's program at Avery Fisher Hall, Mozart's Symphonies Nos. 39, 40 and 41, conducted by Lorin Maazel. Listeners will probably have the choice of downloading a movement, a symphony or the whole concert, Mr. Mehta said.

    Pardon me while I yawn. First, there’s the matter of repertory. Lorin Maazel is an interesting conductor, despite what the zombie New York critics say, but the last thing we need is a new recording of Mozart’s last three symphonies. This music is already represented by decades and decades of previous recordings, some spectacular, some dull, some middling. Some are already available for download. This project just isn’t necessary. (The Philharmonic will be recording new music for the New World label, but that isn’t part of the download deal I’m discussing.)
    Second, and really more important, is that music downloads are inadequate for anyone who cares about audio quality. The stuff sounds OK through the little computer speakers on my desk, but if I’m going to feed limited-resolution audio through my main system, I’d rather listen to old mono Furtwaengler recordings. And as for the noise coming through earbuds attached to the ubiquitous iPod, that’s just an insult to audio engineers and music lovers alike. Besides which, I don’t want to be plugged in to music wherever I go. Music loses its importance and impact if it’s simply carpeting for one’s ear canal. Silence and ambient sounds can hold their own appeal, too.
    The blogger known as Pliable frequently posts his objections to music downloads, but his reservations mainly relate to musicians’ lost income. That doesn’t bother me, because these days making a recording is less a significant revenue stream than a marketing expense, like paying somebody to prepare and send out press kits. More important to me is the issue of quality. When I can play beautiful new high-resolution SACDs through my surround system, why would I want to stuff gooey MP3 files into my ears?