grudge match: brahms v. beethoven

Tonight a colleague and I went to the Symphony. The first half was a Brahms Symphony-- I believe the third of the four he wrote. He wrote in a single summer. The critics refer to it as a "spring" symphony. After intermission, they played Beethoven's Fifth. I was humming the iconic four notes all day in anticipation. The juxtaposition of the two symphonies did Brahms' no favor. It was cute vs. magnificent. The music solidified my distaste for the people and sub-cultures that employ "cute" and "nice" as compliments. It made me think about how I (and we) settle for the mediocre in lieu of the best. Brahms would have been nothing special... but okay. A person who listened to that symphony alone could draw the conclusion that classical music is lame. How does one even discover Beethoven (or Bach) to realize her appreciation for classical music? There are a lot of parallels to consider with this phenomenon. Christian subculture fawns at the altar of mediocrity because ambition and dedication are considered tacky. Listen to these two symphonies in one sitting and come out with a single evaluation that favors the Brahms, and I'll write an ode to all things mediocre.