SOUND BEGINNINGS
The Whys and Hows of
Contemporary Classical Music
Do you sometimes find some of the pieces of classical music written in the last 100 years strange or baffling?
In this series of eight illustrated talks that took place in March and April 2026, John Mercer and Robert Stein attempted to explain why contemporary ‘classical’ music sounds like it does – what it’s trying to do, how it is put together, how it relates to other contemporary arts and why much of it is so incredibly good, given half a chance.
Versions of the talks prepared by the speakers, including listening lists and recommended reading, can be found here.
John Mercer is a composer of contemporary music involving electronic processing and computer sound generation, coupled with traditional orchestral instruments. As a record producer and head of Riverrun Records (RVR) he has made over 300 albums ranging from early music to the works of living British composers.
Robert Stein is a classical music critic who has for over 30 years written reviews of concerts, books on music and CDs for Tempo (Cambridge University Press), International Record Review and Musical Opinion Quarterly. He was formerly the Managing Director of The Little Orchestra, a London-based professional chamber orchestra.
Top left: Composer Meredith Monk (2nd from right) with her ensemble. Photo © 2012 Musée du Louvre / Olivier Ouadah
Top right: Composer Steve Reich, photographed in 1982. From www.bruceduffie.com
Bottom left: Metronomes ready to be started in György Ligeti’s Poème Symphonique
Bottom right: James Maddalena (as Richard Nixon) and Janis Kelly (Pat Nixon) in John Adams’ opera Nixon In China. Metropolitan Opera 2011 production. Credit: Ken Howard