New stars! You know, young 'n' hip so kids today can identify:
First of all, good for them; classical music sales had a bad slump along with everyone else. It's not dead - twelve percent of iTunes sales were classical in 2006, the last year for which I can find stats - but it's nice to see someone reaffirm that the good stuff has a future. But the idea that the genre has to be "relevant" to younger listeners sounds like something from the 60s, when orchestras would incorporate rock groups to reassure kids they wouldn't turn into boring oldsters if they heard something composed before they were born. It's relevant to anyone with ears and a brain and a heart.
By the way, that's Pavarotti up there, working all sorts of peculiar hair concepts.
