As classical music returned to the stage in 2022, a report suggests that the new normal includes a greater focus on gender equality and modern composers. The information comes from Bachtrack.com, a European-based website focusing on classical music, including a large and ongoing database of live music listings.
In 2022, the site published listings for 27,124 distinct events, which breaks down into approximately 14,000 concerts, 9,000 opera performances, and almost 4,000 dance performances. In 2019, pre-pandemic, the total figure was 34,648, evidence that the new normal isn’t quite up to normal levels yet.
While the data is admittedly limited in scope, the numbers nonetheless allowed the organization to make observations that they call statistically significant.
Canadians on the list
The listings only cover the places where the website’s listings are relevant, including Europe, the UK, and the US. Notably, it does not include Canada; however, a few Canadians managed to make the list all the same.
The top ten busiest conductors
- Andris Nelsons
- Yannick Nézet–Séguin 🇨🇦
- Paavo Järvi
- Klaus Mäkelä
- Sir Simon Rattle
- Daniel Harding
- Manfred Honeck
- Andrés Orozco–Estrada
- Iván Fischer
- Gustavo Dudamel
In the area of dance, Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite 🇨🇦 is the only woman who appears in the Top 20 living choreographers list. Another 19 women appear in the top 100 list.
There were 12 women among the top 100 conductors, two with Canadian connections:
- Elim Chan #29
- Karina Canellakis #35
- Nathalie Stutzmann #38
- Mirga Gražinytė–Tyla #51
- Marin Alsop #54
- Dalia Stasevska #61
- Xian Zhang #65
- Gemma New #65 (🇨🇦 currently with the Hamilton Philharmonic)
- Simone Young #75
- Joana Mallwitz #79
- Kristiina Poska #83
- Barbara Hannigan #92 🇨🇦
The top 10 pianists:
- Yuja Wang
- Daniil Trifonov
- Yefim Bronfman
- Víkingur Ólafsson
- Sir András Schiff
- Emanuel Ax
- Beatrice Rana
- Igor Levit
- Seong–Jin Cho
- Jan Lisiecki 🇨🇦
The top 10 violinists:
- Patricia Kopatchinskaja
- Renaud Capuçon
- Leonidas Kavakos
- Isabelle Faust
- Vilde Frang
- Hilary Hahn
- Augustin Hadelich
- Janine Jansen
- Nicola Benedetti
- James Ehnes 🇨🇦
General findings
Some of the lists look familiar to classical concertgoers the world over, including the Top Ten Concert Composers, where Mozart usurps Beethoven for top spot.
Modern music, including 20th century composers, who seem to be finally getting their full due, and living composers, are making bigger inroads into live concert programming.
- 19 pieces composed in the last century appear on the list of top 100 most performed works, representing a bigger slice of the pie than in any other year;
- Among other 20th-century composers, there are five works by Shostakovich in the top 100 in 2022.
Living composers — and greater gender parity
It’s among the ranks of living composers that women are making the most progress.
- The data includes 106 living composers who had more than eight performances during the year;
- Arvo Pärt is on top of the living composer list, and Philip Glass was the busiest operatic composer;
- Two women (Anna Clyne and Sofia Gubaildulina) appear in the Top Ten Contemporary Composers, and there are nine women when the list is extended to the Top 20.
Of note: in 2013, not a single woman figured in the top 100 list of contemporary composers, and in 2019 there was only one.
- Women make up more than half the list of the busiest violin soloists, including six of ten;
- When it comes to pianists, however, that number drops to two.
The details, and many other stats, can be found on the Bachtrack website here.
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