The New York Times is reporting that WQXR, New York City’s only classical music station, will unveil a new sound next week (when it also moves to a new position on the radio dial). The good news is that classical music will remain the focus. But WQXR may no longer be a place to discover unfamiliar or challenging music.
The Times article quotes a new WQXR mission statement that reads, in part, “There may indeed be times when the more radical and unfamiliar pieces work, but we will not favor them over the work that speaks directly to the needs of uplift, beauty and contemplation.”
Click here to read the entire article, including a sample list of the composers and works that are in and out at WQXR.
As a professional church musician, who is ‘classically’ trained, I find the decision by WQXR to only air music that is ‘less challenging’, distressing. The fact that they will no longer air sacred choral music is especially difficult to take, since what we know as ‘classical’ music, has its roots in the sacred choral tradition. An entire spectrum of music is eliminated from broadcasting. I believe that music has the power to transform lives and foster personal growth. It can challenge us to move beyond where we are to places we may never have imagined. It is very easy to stay within our listening ‘comfort zones’, but the formal variety of classical music can open up entirely new worlds. It speaks favorably of WDAV, that you continue to uphold high standards, and offer true variety in your programming. Thank you for the wonderful work you do!
And there’s more on this front. Today (10/6/09), KFUO, the 61-year-old classical music station of St. Louis has been sold for $18 million. Read more about that transaction and the politics behind it at http://tiny.cc/UrfXF.