Topic: Classical stupidities

[Renfield]

I think my greatest crime against classical music from my earliest listening days is considering Beethoven's 7th symphony a sequence of shallow, happy-go-lucky tunes with a euphoric conclusion.

Nowadays, I cringe even as I type that.

[CRCulver]

One of my stupidities: thinking that the exceedingly large dynamic range on a recording of a Kancheli piece was the result of incompetent sound engineers at Deutsche Grammophon.

[Mozart]

I think my greatest crime against classical music from my earliest listening days is considering Beethoven's 7th symphony a sequence of shallow, happy-go-lucky tunes with a euphoric conclusion.

Nowadays, I cringe even as I type that.

I called the 1st movement of Beethoven's 9th "no big whoop"

[Norseman]

Here's a stupidity for ya: When I was younger, at the time I first started caring a little more about vocal music, for a little while I thought the difference between the different singing voice groups (tenor, bass etc) was much greater than it actually is. I remember thinking that e.g. the tenor range started at about where the bass range ends! I think it has something to do with how different those voices usually sound, even when they're singing the exact same note.

[Est.1965]

I gave up the violin in primary school so I could watch Batman, which was on at the same time.
Then in high school I lost my cello.

[Mark G. Simon]

Then in high school I lost my cello.

But, assuming you left it in the back of a taxi, that would put you in the same class as Yo-Yo Ma.

[c#minor]

I only would listen to piano music until I was about 17. I thought the rest wasn't worth listening to. Though piano music still holds a special place in my heart I am not so stupid to disregard the wonders of instruments other than my own.

[MISHUGINA]

if this isn't pure classical stupidity (or ownage) I don't know what:

http://csobassblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/high-fidelity.html

[mr_espansiva]

First time I heard Ravel's Piano Concerto live, I was expecting it to start with a crack of a whip!

[eyeresist]

I gave up the violin in primary school so I could watch Batman, which was on at the same time.

Batman was a great show.

[The new erato]

First time I heard Ravel's Piano Concerto live, I was expecting it to start with a crack of a whip!

But more important; whom were you expecting them to whip?

[Diletante]

But more important; whom were you expecting them to whip?

The pianist? (Get started already!)

--------------------

Two more stupidities:

1) I used to think that it was a shame that the classical repertoire was so very small compared to popular music. I thought there were just a handful of composers (Beethoven, Bach, Mozart and a few others) who had composed just a handful of compositions each. 

2) I tried to get a friend of mine into classical music (the only 'classical' he'd listened to was Vanessa-Mae's rendition of Toccata and Fugue and some electronic-classical-fusion-thing of one of Vivaldi's Four Seasons [Spring or Autumn, can't remember which]).

Anyway, I was making him listen to the fourth movement of Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony, a movement that I find very easily likeable because of its sheer energy. At the end of it, this conversation ensued:


Friend: That sounds nice! Is that the original recording?
Me:      What do you mean?
Friend:  You know, the original.
Me:      Huh?
Friend: You know, man, when this was composed, was it recorded back then?
Me:      (Trying to keep a straight face.) Dude, this was composed more than 100 years ago. They couldn't record it back then.
Friend: Oh.

[Anne]

I don't know what made me think this but I thought every book about music would be filled with musical notes and no text.  I was filled with chagrin when I discovered that was not the case and lamented all the years I could have been learning about music on my own.

[pcrespoy]

I dislike the music of Debussy,Ravel,Once I told a girl from musical school,I dislike the music of Debussy and any musian at the same priod,as Scalati...,Shame!!

[Diletante]

Yesterday I was talking to this hard-rock fan (who, to be honest, wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed) and more or less this conversation ensued:


Guy: So, when you want to relax, what kind of music do you play?
Me:  Erm, classical. You weren't expecting me to relax to rock music, right?
Guy: You mean classical like Beethoven and Mozart?
Me:  Yeah.
Guy: I listen to Beethoven when I want to sleep.
Me:  Ah...
Guy: Yeah, I have the whole Beethoven and just put it on and go to sleep.
Me:  The whole Beethoven? You have the WHOLE Beethoven?
Guy: Yeah. I have it on a CD.
Me:  (thinking: 'this is gold') On a single CD? Are you sure it's the whole collection?
Guy: Yeah, I just put it on and go to sleep.
Me:  Ah...(long pause) And how many pieces are on the CD?
Guy: Erm... I don't know. The only thing I know is that it runs for about three hours.

That must be some abridged version! 

[Renfield]

That must be some abridged version! 

Not to mention a rather odd CD, if it runs for about three hours!


I listen to Black Metal before going to sleep, you can tell him: cleans out your ears.

[Diletante]

Not to mention a rather odd CD, if it runs for about three hours!

I wondered about that, too. There was actually a bit more conversation after that: he told me he also has a Mozart CD. When I asked him: 'Is the whole Mozart in that CD?', he told me: 'No'. 

It was all so bizarre!

[Christo]

I gave up the violin in primary school so I could watch Batman, which was on at the same time.
Then in high school I lost my cello.

My favourite tragedy in a nutshell. With superb understatement. For me, the winning entry in this thread! 

[Henritus]

This thread made my day. 
Ok, I think I can contribute a little.

 When I started collecting classical LPs in my early teenage years:

- my first 30 or so albums were all symphonies/orchestral pieces and concertoes because I thought I was getting more music (since played by large number of musicians) for the same money.

- I used to have a compilations of last movements from concertos on tape, so that I wouldn't have to listen through boring slow movements.

- I had a haydn violin concerto album by Grumiaux and Raymond Leppard, and I was genuinly concerned if Leppard was making enough money to buy food since I thought he was only good enough for conducting orchestral accompaniment.

[marvinbrown]

  Here's another one for you:  I thought that most of J.S. Bach's cantatas were....oh what's the expression I am looking for....."ONE AND THE SAME"  !!!

  marvin