Classical Music

[trolls' bane]

I know this one guy who listens to punk and is this big biker who is obsessed with Wagner. All you need to do is get him going, and sit back and watch the real neat lecture he gives.
Which reminds me...have you ever heard of such an idea of the Carmina Burana being written by Wagner? If that's true, it;s news to me.

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

I know this one guy who listens to punk and is this big biker who is obsessed with Wagner. All you need to do is get him going, and sit back and watch the real neat lecture he gives.
Which reminds me...have you ever heard of such an idea of the Carmina Burana being written by Wagner? If that's true, it;s news to me.

Haha!
Well, you know, the composer of Carmina Burana and a few of his colleagues put together a "St. Luke Passion", supposedly by J.S. Bach

I'd like to hear the lecture[s] your Wagnerian friend gives ...

[trolls' bane]

It's pretty interesting to hear it from him, considering the first time I heard him rave about Wagner was at one of the Wildbunch meetings (many of whom are ex-cons turned actors. He's not an ex-con, but he is still not someone you would expect to hear that from.

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

It's pretty interesting to hear it from him, considering the first time I heard him rave about Wagner was at one of the Wildbunch meetings (many of whom are ex-cons turned actors. He's not an ex-con, but he is still not someone you would expect to hear that from.

A gray noodle is he?

Apperantly I am too...sortof. People my age respond with "oh" when I tell them I like classical (and I rarely do that now when the subject of music coimes up...instead its always my dad who does it), but older people take it quite naturally and if it's an interest of their too, we talk about it. And I usually end up knowing more

[trolls' bane]

People at my old school were always using that to make fun of me, or at least mock me. I mentioned the Ring cycle, the were interested for a little, but they ended up thinking that the Ring cycle was a series of collectible toys, and I was promoted from a G-Unit to a Straight-up G. Then I mentioned something else to the same group, and to my surprise, I was promoted to a Chollo. So you see? People who hate classical respect those who like classical. By the end of the month (which was the last of the year) they were saying "This foo's Diablo." Made the highest rank for not liking their music, and don't ask how that happened. I'm feeling like Donnie Brasco all of a sudden.

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

People at my old school were always using that to make fun of me, or at least mock me. I mentioned the Ring cycle, the were interested for a little, but they ended up thinking that the Ring cycle was a series of collectible toys, and I was promoted from a G-Unit to a Straight-up G. Then I mentioned something else to the same group, and to my surprise, I was promoted to a Chollo. So you see? People who hate classical respect those who like classical. By the end of the month (which was the last of the year) they were saying "This foo's Diablo." Made the highest rank for not liking their music, and don't ask how that happened. I'm feeling like Donnie Brasco all of a sudden.

When someone gave me The Ring cycle, it was in a pretty fancy box. People kept asking me "what game is that"?

[trolls' bane]

What is it with the ring cycle and classical ignorants?

[Fat middle]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

*sigh*
Fat Middle, Merc, Troll's Bane, and anyone else who posts here,
I want to put together a pretty sharp, smart and convincing primer for introducing someone to classical music. I have that part that I had Merc edit, but the rest of it just seems like an advertisement. I need to write something convincing.
If you guys would help me flesh out some questions (and the questions) that would actually be asked by people who don't listen to or like classical, it would be a big help.
All I seem to be able to do is write about what I like about it, and of course not everyone is going to relate to that...help!


btw: where's Chrys?

I'll try to come with something, but I always end saying what I like about it, so we're not going much further with my help

BTW, about Herreweghe: I hope my comment won't spoil your listening. After all, I have only listened to two CDs by him, so there is some hope he could be and excellent conductor

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

What is it with the ring cycle and classical ignorants?

And if you call it just "an opera" its both a lie (because its actually four), and they misunderstand you again and think its a soap opera!


No FM, don't worry, I know you arent much better than those picky Amazonians



I saw Spock!!!
Last night I went to the Nashville Symphony (2nd time, and once again ofr british music!), they were performing Mozart's no.41, and Holst's The Planets. Leonard Nimoy gave an introduction to each planet, and there was a somewhat annoying screen above the orchestra that showed real/animated pics of space.
He didn't stay for autographs but the audience clapped quite vigorously, and the maestro (sadly, not Mr. Schermerhorn, who passed away in june) and Mr. Spock took a bow thrice.

As to the actual performance of the music, it was superb. I even think they were better than the James Levine w/CSO recording that I have. And on par with my Gardiner recording.
They didn't dissapoint me when it came to Uranus, which is my favorite.

[Mercutio]

I wondered who Spock was. (Sorry but I've never seen Star Trek). Thanks to google, I am now knowledgeable (And read an article in the "Tennessean").

Interesting looking man...

http://vh10018.v1.moc.gbahn.net/apps...ef=AR&MaxW=180

I now have "Intruments of Classical Music: The Oboe." For $5 it's a great cd. It's from a series (I'll have to look into more), and has excellent small pieces & excerpts from orchestra/solo works for that particular instrument.

I'm just delighted

[Fat middle]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

No FM, don't worry, I know you arent much better than those picky Amazonians

LOL

[trolls' bane]

That's right! Those Amazonians move to Noachis or Hesperia or Hellas or Alba Patera or Xanthe Terra or Isidis Planitia where they belong! (Vastistas Borealis is suitable as well, if they can live underwater, because that is not going to be the "dead sea bottom" as Bradbury describes it much longer...least not till I'm through).

[trolls' bane]

I am now listening to a classical station in London--I'm in Indio, remember? (Palm Springs-area) What would we do without shortwave internet radio? (Since I don't have a shortwave radio, and those only work nation-wide).

[hectorberlioz]

You brats! No suggestions for my article?

I checked out a cd set called "Understanding the fundamentals of classical music". Pretty interesting so far. But, what a waste! The professor just jumps right into hard listening, and expects the listener to understand everything. I can understand it fine of course, but it claims to teach...something more general. Bah. Oh well.

So what does everyone else have in the ways of music books?

I have...

The Lives of the Great Composers, Harold C. Schonberg
rating: **** 1/2 (of five, and a dont give him a full five because he was wrong about R. Strauss' popularity)

The Symphony, Michael Steinberg
rating: ****
pretty good, informative book.

The Concerto, Michael Steinberg
r: *****
my only squalor bieng the omission about Dvorak's Violin Concerto, which in my opinion is as good as any of the ones by Elgar, Mendelssohn, etc...

Choral Masterworks, Michael Steinberg
rating: * 1/2
Here I can truly let out my rabid criticism, because this is the genre I care most about.
In the first place, it is the thinnest of the three he's written. Too thin.
Secondly, he chooses the small choral works of Brahms(!), but he omits Berlioz's Te Deum, and L'Enfance du Christ.
In the intro, he apologizes about the omission of Berlioz Te Deum, Pfitzner, Martinu, and Delius. Nowhere is there a word of apology about the omission of Rossini's Stabat Mater, anything of Poulenc's sacred works, or of Bruckner's.
And he dares to apologize about DELIUS!?

anyways...

Berlioz: Selected Letters

Evenings with the Orch. by HB

NPR's guide to Classical Music
rating: ***
Actually quite good for beginners, though I think that some of their recommendations are pretty tough for beginners...

The Story of Orch. Music and It's Times, by Paul Grabbe
r: ****
Pretty interesting little book, really enjoy reading about the events that took place when some of the works came into bieng (Wagner's Tristan und Isolde and Darwin's New Theory...that was too creepy for me!)

How Opera Grew, by Marion Bauer
**1/2
Decent enough. It commits the crime of saying that Wagner was a better composer than Berlioz...grr...but it does give Berlioz his proper place, however annoying they are about it.
It's good to read, because it mentions more than the Famous Hundred Operas. Quite comprehensive, considering its from the forties.
In it you can read the sentence "A few years ago Rachmaninov"...!!!

[Mercutio]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

NPR's guide to Classical Music
rating: ***
Actually quite good for beginners, though I think that some of their recommendations are pretty tough for beginners...

My dad had that from the library for a bit.

We have:

"Who Needs Classical Music?"

"The Billboard Encyclopedia to Classical Music"

"Classical Music for Dummies" (Don't laugh)

"The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs" (classical music CDs, large volume)

a music appreciation textbook

A couple of music theory books

a really good book on Bach (I don't remember anything else about it right now!)

and tons of music itself

[hectorberlioz]

A lady from church just gave me some college level theory books...whew!

A guide to buying? I think those are pretty snobby.

[hectorberlioz]

Wow! This thread is the second most replied to in the Entertainment forum!

[trolls' bane]

Originally Posted by Mercutio

"Classical Music for Dummies" (Don't laugh)

Oh, finally one I could make a profit on!

[Lotesse]

Here's what I'm listening to right now before bed, with my nice Ghirardelli's cocoa - thought I'd mention it here!

The Prelude to Act III of "La Traviata," conducted by MY favourite classical conductor, the late, great Herbert von Karajan. Mmmmmmm, nice.

von Karajan's tough to beat in the conducting department, sorry Hector Berlioz!

[trolls' bane]

I don't know any conductors well enough. All I know is that a few of these modern composers can't even conduct their own score. When I'm listening to KUSC (which luckily has a Coachella Valley extension) I hear so-and-so's blank symphony, (Jim Sjveda's famous pause), conducted by such-and-such.
And many of the so-and-so's (the composers) are rather young, as he sometimes explains.