Sarkozy and Merkel
Sarkozy answers well: “The music called ‘classical’ is by definition the most popular because it is that which has transcended time, fashion, and society to reach us. The music of Mozart and Beethoven was perhaps revolutionary, seen as elitist in the time of their contemporaries, but how can one pretend that it isn’t popular? The number of people who have heard this music over several centuries is simply incalculable! Even the music that certain cultural functionaries call ‘musiques actuelles’, even the most contemporary rock groups, draw their harmonies from the tonal system invented by Bach and Rameau.”
But look at this from German chancellor Angela Merkel on Wagner. Amazing.
Can you imagine any of our politicians talking about culture at this level? Half the world away…
posted by Stephen Stratford at 5:18 PM
3 Comments:
A little closer to home, Paul Keating liked to cultivate a public image as an aesthete, making much of his supposed love of Mahler. While his enthusiasm may have been genuine, I prefer Helen Clark's lack of pretension in these matters to Keating's 'the working class can kiss my arts' contrived snobbery.
David Lange's crass pandering to to an imaginary proletariat, with his claim to prefer Dire Straits to the NZSO, was hardly his finest hour. Presumably Margaret set him right on such matters.
Yes Paul "the best way to see Darwin is from 40,000 feet on the way to Paris" Keating.
Collected clocks too.
'Collected clocks too.'
Did that make him a tickman?
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