https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/08/27/the-sounds-of-music-in-the-twenty-first-century
Interesting review by Alex Ross (of the New Yorker, and also author of the excellent "The Rest is Noise") of Tim Rutherford-Johnson's book "After the Fall: Composition and Culture since 1989," which details the "bewildering diversity of 21st century composed music."
I was especially interested in this, after seeing long lines for contemporary art at museums versus incredibly light attendance at some concerts:
"Modern classical music is bedevilled by what might be called the Kandinsky Problem. Modernist painters, writers, and filmmakers had a far easier time finding a wide audience than composers did. Kandinsky creates mob scenes in museums; the mere appearance of Schoenberg’s name on a concert program can depress attendance."
One reason might be that it takes a moment to view a painting and either linger or move on, but a concert requires an hour or two of sitting and listening (though some do vote with their feet!).
More accessible program notes, preconcert lectures and other efforts to help the audience enjoy contemporary classical works may help.
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