Insipid Christmas Music

Oh dear, I'm going to step on some toes here.  But it seems here in Utah there is just a great demand for overly sentimental, minimally pleasing music.  Don't get me wrong.  I love Christmas music and I tune a radio station in my car to one that plays nothing else at this time of year.  And I like a combination of old traditional tunes as well as some modern.  Sadly, a lot of the modern music falls short.  In fact, some force me to change the station.

I'll begin with a long-time favorite here and elsewhere:  Mannheim Steamroller.  I find those orchestrations so trite, so tiresome, I feel more on edge than entertained.

And that very popular "Mary Did You Know?" is just like fingernails on the blackboard for me.  Seems just about everyone wants to do this one, and I have yet to hear an arrangement I like.

Now I'll step on what might be considered sacred ground locally, local favorite son Michael McLean's "The Forgotten Carols".  I was thrilled to have the opportunity a few years ago to attend a performance of the "Carols" -- thrilled that is until I sat through it.  A maudlin story and (ironically) forgettable music made me wonder what everyone else saw in this offering.

And it goes downhill from there.  Seems every local musician who has achieved any amount of fame has composed a series of original tunes as well as predicatable arrangements of traditional carols that all sound the same.  *Snore....*

And now I have to include the most sacred cow of all: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  I have a vinyl Christsmas album they put out in the 60's that is just wonderful.  The sound is crisp and bright, the arrangements very nicely done.  But of late the choir has attempted to achieve a 'one voice' sound through its very difficult system of auditions, accepting only those who can make their voices imitate the one acceptable tone and quality for the choir.  The result is a bland homogenized sound that frankly never sounds fresh or appealing any longer.  And I'm a great fan of choral music.  But sadly this old treasure has devolved into musical obscurity.

The sad thing is that locals fail to discriminate between the good and the bad and just encourage the insipid by buying up tickets and applauding wildly at the end of mediocre performances.  In fact, those concert-goers truly seem to fail to even recognize they are being served the musical equivalent of cold oatmeal.

I seem to remain remarkably alone in my curmudgeonly assessment.  You'll all be out there amongst the lights and festivities soaking up the atmosphere.  I'll be at home playing my old vinyl records and the few newer recordings that are truly well-done.  Like one of my favorites I'll offer here (these good Christmas videos tend to get taken down, so enjoy while it's there).