How did classical music in movies and TV become synonymous with villainy?
&gt; <i>It was not always this way. Once, classical music was the backbone of American popular entertainment. Enrico Caruso’s rendition of the aria “Vesti la giubba” from the opera Pagliacci was the first record to sell a million copies. Looney Tunes lampooned The Barber of Seville’s “Largo al factotum,&quot;...</i><p>This is changing the goalposts. The article talks about &quot;serious&quot; classical music associated with evil characters... then uses two light-hearted comic operas as a counterpoint? Sure, technically both classical, but as far away from each other as you could get.<p>Look, this isn&#x27;t mysterious. <i>Rich</i> people are associated with evil in films, and their stereotypical &quot;too-good&quot; pursuits -- mansions, opera halls, tuxedos, and yes, classical music.<p>&gt; <i>Maybe millennials are repelled by classical music not for coherent reasons but by a vague sense of mistrust, nourished for decades by movies and media.</i><p>This is ridiculous for a million reasons. It&#x27;s simple, and I say this as someone who has studied classical music for many years (including conducting): classical music isn&#x27;t that much <i>fun</i>, compared to so many other options today. The kind of people who like classical music are the kind of people who enjoy watching documentaries or reading Shakespeare. It&#x27;s high-effort, high-reward for a particular kind of person.