Good art is good art no matter when it was created. I am no worshipper of innovation for the sake of innovation, which I think has become a fad with art of all forms, probably really accelerating with the start of the Modern Period. The sculptures of ancient Greece can be as moving and evocative as anything created today. Likewise, a 14th-century Gregorian chant can be as achingly beautiful as the Arvo Pärt choral work I recently heard at the Washington National Cathedral, and a Bach organ work can be as loudly thrilling as that Shostakovich symphony (or that heavy metal band).Thanks for the nice read about real experiences. (Yes, I read it all
What you tell in the first sentence could have been from me. See my "signature". Belief is everything, mostly. But I wouldn't call it 'illusion'. In regard to the orchestra, I'm not into old music, it's just the age. You know, as science progresses, so does art.
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So, no, I don't think art "progresses". I think it changes, to reflect the context and the times. Technique, and the technology of art delivery, may progress, but that progress often is not used to improve the art, but rather to make poor art easier. There are exceptions, of course.
That said, everything I wrote applies equally to any acoustic music presentation, even if what we are acoustically listening to is some band's road PA system. In that case, though, I usually have to ignore what is often bad sound amplification to hear and appreciate the art of the performance. I used orchestra music as an example because my experiences with it are varied enough to draw distinctions that seemed to me relevant to the points you raised.
But if I caution against letting the playback equipment supersede the music, I also caution against evaluating the playback equipment in terms of the art. "I don't like old classical music therefore I don't like systems that play it well." Believe me, my system can play any genre just fine.
Rick "just as apt to listen to prog rock or bluegrass as classical" Denney