I have to be honest and say I find discussions on steel tarrifs and Chopin less interesting than those on religion. When will normal service be resumed ?
<strong>I have to be honest and say I find discussions on steel tarrifs and Chopin less interesting than those on religion. When will normal service be resumed ?
[quote]Originally posted by FellowshipChurch iBook:
<strong>
RodUK nice to see you around! I do post on a variety of topics... This is AO. In FC I have put up a thread about Human Rights in the Middle East.
What drives me is beauty and love...
What bothers me is just the opposite of those things.
I do have opinions on a variety of issues. I would be more than willing to speculate that the same is true for most here.
Fellowship</strong><hr></blockquote>
In retrospect, my last post (although intended as a joke) was uncalled for. I'd be the first to admit that I only have an interest in a limited number of topics. Sorry if I offended you in any way.
In retrospect, my last post (although intended as a joke) was uncalled for. I'd be the first to admit that I only have an interest in a limited number of topics. Sorry if I offended you in any way.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Incidently did you know that in some countries music by Wagner was banned for a time because it was thought it inspired the Nazis to go to war?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Wagner is probably my least favorite composer. I think Igor Stravinsky* summed up Wagner pretty well when he said,
[quote]Wagner's work corresponds to a tendency that is not, properly speaking, a disorder, but one which tries to compensate for a lack of order. The principle of the endless melody perfectly illustrates this tendency... The effects it produces may accidentally amuse but are not capable of being repeated... for it can be repeated only to its detriment.<hr></blockquote>
I am a huge fan of the pre-Beethoven composers, especially Vivladi and Bach. For whatever reason, though the consensus is that Bach is the ultimate composer, I like Vivladi's work more consistently. I'd say give The Four Seasons a listen, and move through as much of his concerto grosso stuff (which is nearly all of his stuff) as possible. I really like the stuff out of Venice from the Baroque and late Renaissance era (Vivaldi, Corelli, Monteverdi, etc.). My favorite Bach stuff are his Passion operas, The Passion of St. John and the Passion of St. Matthew (mainly the overtures actually) and of course his Brandenburg Concertos. My personal favs are the first and third, though his second and fifth concertos are generally considered the real gems.
And I like renaissance polyphony too, Josquin Despres being the Bach of his era.
*I highly recommend that anyone interested in music, design or form in any sense read Stravinsky's little series of lectures, "Poetics of Music: in the form of Six Lessons." It's a quick read and incredibly profound.
OK, Fellowship, you and I could have an all-Chopin thread, with the only controversies being which pianists you prefer.
A lot of people think of Chopin as being just waltzes and the usual classical top-40 easy-listening, but any further exploration disproves this. Old frederic was able to kick butt on the keyboard (try the 'Ocean' prelude, or the Scherzos, try Argerich or Richter)
It's a cold world, and having composers and artists who know how to infuse it with powerful emotions is an essential way to stay sane.
Wagner was the pop artist of his day, not a musical genius by any stretch of the imagination.
It's funny to think that there are traditional "classical" works that were actually nothing more than the "bubblegum" of their day. It's just that American culture has been so ingrained with crappy music and a lack of musical education for so long, we think of any popular piece of classical music as a thing of greatness.
<strong>Arvo\tPärt: Te Deum.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I *love* Arvo Part's works. It really stands out from his peers IMO. His Litany is probably the best vocal work in English in recent (maybe not-so recent) memory.
Chopin's less well-known piano pieces are really difficult to perform, probably as difficult as Mozart's early piano works, which were more virtuoso performances than great compositions. Not at all the waltz-y stuff we associate with his work.
Sorry to go off on Wagner like that. I do actually like Flight of the Valkeries, though I think my association between it and Apocalypse Now affects my judgment.
Nocturnes of Chopin are amazing especially after a long day of work, late in the evening when the house is quiet. I have listened many versions of the nocturnes and the one i prefer is the Rubinstein one's. Argerich is a wonderful interpret of Chopin full of strenght virtuosity and passion ( listen to his second Rachmaninow concerto of Piano (Phillips live recording) : in comparison Horowitz is a pussie ) but there is place for many great pianist and Chopin : Samson François, Richter, Arrau, Kissin, Pollini, Michelangeli ...
And one of my favorite live concert was the first concerto of piano of Chopin with a chinese pianist : the sonority of the piano was absolutely mervellous (and i have been disapointed a little many times during classical music concerts).
Speaking of Piano : you should appreciate Debussy : especially the Clair de Lune (moonlight sonata) which is wonderful : i love especially the one from Arrau at the age of 88 years : very slow, but the sound (recorded by Phillips) is mervellous.
Comments
[ 08-10-2002: Message edited by: RodUK ]</p>
<strong>I have to be honest and say I find discussions on steel tarrifs and Chopin less interesting than those on religion. When will normal service be resumed ?
[ 08-10-2002: Message edited by: RodUK ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
RodUK nice to see you around! I do post on a variety of topics... This is AO. In FC I have put up a thread about Human Rights in the Middle East.
What drives me is beauty and love...
What bothers me is just the opposite of those things.
I do have opinions on a variety of issues. I would be more than willing to speculate that the same is true for most here.
Fellowship
<strong>
RodUK nice to see you around! I do post on a variety of topics... This is AO. In FC I have put up a thread about Human Rights in the Middle East.
What drives me is beauty and love...
What bothers me is just the opposite of those things.
I do have opinions on a variety of issues. I would be more than willing to speculate that the same is true for most here.
Fellowship</strong><hr></blockquote>
In retrospect, my last post (although intended as a joke) was uncalled for. I'd be the first to admit that I only have an interest in a limited number of topics. Sorry if I offended you in any way.
Incidently did you know that in some countries music by Wagner was banned for a time because it was thought it inspired the Nazis to go to war?
<strong>
In retrospect, my last post (although intended as a joke) was uncalled for. I'd be the first to admit that I only have an interest in a limited number of topics. Sorry if I offended you in any way.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Not offended at all..
<strong>Flight of the Valkeries.
Incidently did you know that in some countries music by Wagner was banned for a time because it was thought it inspired the Nazis to go to war?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Very interesting, I did not know that.
Fellowship
[quote]Wagner's work corresponds to a tendency that is not, properly speaking, a disorder, but one which tries to compensate for a lack of order. The principle of the endless melody perfectly illustrates this tendency... The effects it produces may accidentally amuse but are not capable of being repeated... for it can be repeated only to its detriment.<hr></blockquote>
I am a huge fan of the pre-Beethoven composers, especially Vivladi and Bach. For whatever reason, though the consensus is that Bach is the ultimate composer, I like Vivladi's work more consistently. I'd say give The Four Seasons a listen, and move through as much of his concerto grosso stuff (which is nearly all of his stuff) as possible. I really like the stuff out of Venice from the Baroque and late Renaissance era (Vivaldi, Corelli, Monteverdi, etc.). My favorite Bach stuff are his Passion operas, The Passion of St. John and the Passion of St. Matthew (mainly the overtures actually) and of course his Brandenburg Concertos. My personal favs are the first and third, though his second and fifth concertos are generally considered the real gems.
And I like renaissance polyphony too, Josquin Despres being the Bach of his era.
*I highly recommend that anyone interested in music, design or form in any sense read Stravinsky's little series of lectures, "Poetics of Music: in the form of Six Lessons." It's a quick read and incredibly profound.
[edit: fixed all kinds of slop]
[ 08-11-2002: Message edited by: BuonRotto ]</p>
A lot of people think of Chopin as being just waltzes and the usual classical top-40 easy-listening, but any further exploration disproves this. Old frederic was able to kick butt on the keyboard (try the 'Ocean' prelude, or the Scherzos, try Argerich or Richter)
It's a cold world, and having composers and artists who know how to infuse it with powerful emotions is an essential way to stay sane.
It's funny to think that there are traditional "classical" works that were actually nothing more than the "bubblegum" of their day. It's just that American culture has been so ingrained with crappy music and a lack of musical education for so long, we think of any popular piece of classical music as a thing of greatness.
One man's Classical Thunder....
<strong>Arvo\tPärt: Te Deum.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I *love* Arvo Part's works. It really stands out from his peers IMO. His Litany is probably the best vocal work in English in recent (maybe not-so recent) memory.
Chopin's less well-known piano pieces are really difficult to perform, probably as difficult as Mozart's early piano works, which were more virtuoso performances than great compositions. Not at all the waltz-y stuff we associate with his work.
Sorry to go off on Wagner like that. I do actually like Flight of the Valkeries, though I think my association between it and Apocalypse Now affects my judgment.
And one of my favorite live concert was the first concerto of piano of Chopin with a chinese pianist : the sonority of the piano was absolutely mervellous (and i have been disapointed a little many times during classical music concerts).
Speaking of Piano : you should appreciate Debussy : especially the Clair de Lune (moonlight sonata) which is wonderful : i love especially the one from Arrau at the age of 88 years : very slow, but the sound (recorded by Phillips) is mervellous.