Most of you will know I’m a huge fan of organist Cameron Carpenter, a man who is single-handedly changing the world’s opinion of this most historic “King of Instruments” and the musicians who play it.
Cameron was recently in Australia and provided this fascinating insight into his views on music and the organ in particular as part of an interview for his Sydney Opera House performance a month or so ago. This is also one of the few interviews that Carpenter himself believes truly represents his views.
In the interview he discusses the often stuffy and boring way the organ is perceived and how it must change if it is to continue to be a musically relevant instrument in the future. His pet project: “The virtual organ”. I find this a fascinating discussion that is relevant to all musicians playing “classical” music and is just as pertinent to classical piano recitals as it is to the organ. More about the virtual organ here and an interview with The Australian before his recent Melbourne Town Hall performance discussing this same topic is here.
I often wonder: “How do we keep ‘classical’ music interesting and relevant to the next generation?” The answer: watch and listen to Cameron Carpenter! Click here to watch the Sydney Opera House interview and google his name for heaps more information about this polarisingly brilliant young musician.
