It
is no secret that sex sells, from fast food to beers, clothes, beauty products,
television shows, movies and of course, music. However, when it comes to music
there is a double standard that comes into play; for pop and rock artists it’s
ok to showcase their looks and have provocative performances including sexy
dance moves. However when it comes to classical music, looking good has become a
reason to be disowned by the purists and be automatically labeled as a bad
musician. God forbid that besides your musical talent, you actually are easy on
the eyes!
Controversy
has spawned for decades now, since the 1989 release of some provocative posters
of the English National Opera showing bare-chested men, to the 1996 cover of Lara
St. John’s Bach album that shows her nude, with the violin strategically placed
over her breasts, to the 2004 appearance of the British Bond String Quartet and
so on.
I do
have to agree with the purists in saying that much of the music being made today
and labeled as “classical” isn’t really classical, but it’s classical-based.
Crossover artists such as the aforementioned Bond String Quartet or Il Divo mix
classical music with worldwide influences, electronic beats and pop harmonies.
However, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Nigel Kennedy, Lang Lang, and so many others are
actually amazing classical musicians playing amazing classical music and
appealing to the masses because they know how to market their image. There is a
sense of showmanship that is appealing to a broader audience and that does
nothing to undermine their actual musical talent. Given, not all of the
classical musicians that have a strong pop image and high record sales are
good, but then again neither are many of the pop artists that are mainstream and
successful. I’ll even go out on a limb here and say that Anna Netrebko’s career
wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for her smoldering good looks and vivacious
personality. Not because she isn’t a good singer, which she is, but because she
has the plus of looking great on stage and being able to actually act.
So,
if the other genres are doing it, why not classical music? Is it a desperate cry
for attention or an honest effort to try and entice new generations of listeners
to market artist with a strong focus on their image? Manager Mel Bush, who
worked with the Bond String Quartet, Vanessa Mae and even David Bowie said it
quite nicely: “It’s really secondary, the looks, because if you have no music,
you have no future”. It is a marketing matter. It is a matter of making music
more approachable to younger listeners. Curiosity may spark because they like
the way the artist looks, but they will keep coming back because they actually
liked the music.
Classical
music has been regarded as dead, stiff, elitist and aimed at old audiences.
Classical musicians, then, have to start keeping up with the cultural changes.
Much as the 1979 song states, “Video killed the radio star”, in an environment
aimed mostly towards visual elements we cannot expect to keep classical music
alive by staying within the nineteenth century tradition of concerts.
