Classical music hits and diffusion in the 21st century: The case of contemporary author cinema

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the recurrence of some works from European classical repertoire– that can be considered true hits – in author cinema in the 21st century. Initially, we make a brief historic directed to the specific diffusion of this repertoire within a panorama after the emergence of new media in the 20th and 21st centuries. It is taken into account the greater possibility of the dissemination of classical music through radio, cinema, records and, later, the Internet, but also the standardization both in 20th-century mass culture and in the 21st-century culture regimented by algorithms. The analyzed musical works were taken from our mapping of the use of classical repertoire in films selected in Cannes, Venice and Berlin film festivals in the 2010s. Based on these results, the focus is on the use of music by Vivaldi – particularly the “Presto” from The Four Seasons’ Summer – and two contemporary composers, Arvo Pärt and John Tavener. In all these cases, there is great permeability between the presence of these musical works in author cinema and other instances of cultural life, such as YouTube.