Topic: Classical Music Chat Room

[Cato]

Our parish priest today related the following anecdote about himself:

For Christmas, he had received a ticket to an "All-American Concert" with the Cleveland Orchestra.  Bernstein's On the Waterfront Suite,  Copland's Symphony #3, and the Violin Concerto #3 by Augusta Thomas.

So on the courtesy bus from the hotel to Severance Hall, Father X  is starting to discuss the works with another priest, who has not heard any of them ever before.   Father X says that, to prepare himself, he found the Thomas work on YouTube.  A woman sitting in front of them overhears the conversation, turns, and asks: "What did you think of Jugglers in Paradise ?

Father X: "Oh, it was one of these noisy modern things.  It sounded like a bunch of First-Graders were given instruments and were told to bang and beat on them and destroy them."

She: "Didn't you like any of the violin melodies?"

Father X: "So you're acquainted with the work?"

She: "Oh yes!" 

Father X: "Well, now and then maybe, but they were just all over the place most of the time, really hard to follow."

She: "Oh, okay.  Well, maybe you'll change your opinion of it after today's performance."

Father X: "You seem to be a fan of the piece."

She: (winking) "I have to be.  I'm Augusta Thomas."

The congregation, of course, caught on where this was going well before he had caught on!  He said that he was 50 Shades of Red and both feet and both hands were in his mouth.  Augusta Thomas took it very well, and said it was fine if he did not like it.  He then politely asked about the premise, and she began to explain it, which he said was a little bit of a help.  Father X thanked her for her patience with an unwilling listener, and she simply commented: "I'm just hoping to roll away the rock."

In this case, not from the tomb of Lazarus, but from the ears of the audience.  And her comment explains why he used the anecdote in his sermon for today's Mass!

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

Our parish priest today related the following anecdote about himself:

For Christmas, he had received a ticket to an "All-American Concert" with the Cleveland Orchestra.  Bernstein's On the Waterfront Suite,  Copland's Symphony #3, and the Violin Concerto #3 by Augusta Thomas.

So on the courtesy bus from the hotel to Severance Hall, Father X  is starting to discuss the works with another priest, who has not heard any of them ever before.   Father X says that, to prepare himself, he found the Thomas work on YouTube.  A woman sitting in front of them overhears the conversation, turns, and asks: "What did you think of Jugglers in Paradise ?

Father X: "Oh, it was one of these noisy modern things.  It sounded like a bunch of First-Graders were given instruments and were told to bang and beat on them and destroy them."

She: "Didn't you like any of the violin melodies?"

Father X: "So you're acquainted with the work?"

She: "Oh yes!" 

Father X: "Well, now and then maybe, but they were just all over the place most of the time, really hard to follow."

She: "Oh, okay.  Well, maybe you'll change your opinion of it after today's performance."

Father X: "You seem to be a fan of the piece."

She: (winking) "I have to be.  I'm Augusta Thomas."

The congregation, of course, caught on where this was going well before he had caught on!  He said that he was 50 Shades of Red and both feet and both hands were in his mouth.  Augusta Thomas took it very well, and said it was fine if he did not like it.  He then politely asked about the premise, and she began to explain it, which he said was a little bit of a help.  Father X thanked her for her patience with an unwilling listener, and she simply commented: "I'm just hoping to roll away the rock."

In this case, not from the tomb of Lazarus, but from the ears of the audience.  And her comment explains why he used the anecdote in his sermon for today's Mass!

Cracking fun!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Cato]

Our parish priest today related the following anecdote about himself:

For Christmas, he had received a ticket to an "All-American Concert" with the Cleveland Orchestra.  Bernstein's On the Waterfront Suite,  Copland's Symphony #3, and the Violin Concerto #3 by Augusta Thomas.

So on the courtesy bus from the hotel to Severance Hall, Father X  is starting to discuss the works with another priest, who has not heard any of them ever before.   Father X says that, to prepare himself, he found the Thomas work on YouTube.  A woman sitting in front of them overhears the conversation, turns, and asks: "What did you think of Jugglers in Paradise ?

Father X: "Oh, it was one of these noisy modern things.  It sounded like a bunch of First-Graders were given instruments and were told to bang and beat on them and destroy them."

She: "Didn't you like any of the violin melodies?"

Father X: "So you're acquainted with the work?"

She: "Oh yes!" 

Father X: "Well, now and then maybe, but they were just all over the place most of the time, really hard to follow."

She: "Oh, okay.  Well, maybe you'll change your opinion of it after today's performance."

Father X: "You seem to be a fan of the piece."

She: (winking) "I have to be.  I'm Augusta Thomas."

The congregation, of course, caught on where this was going well before he had caught on!  He said that he was 50 Shades of Red and both feet and both hands were in his mouth.  Augusta Thomas took it very well, and said it was fine if he did not like it.  He then politely asked about the premise, and she began to explain it, which he said was a little bit of a help.  Father X thanked her for her patience with an unwilling listener, and she simply commented: "I'm just hoping to roll away the rock."

In this case, not from the tomb of Lazarus, but from the ears of the audience.  And her comment explains why he used the anecdote in his sermon for today's Mass!

Cracking fun!

The congregation felt the cringe effect    fairly early in the story! 

[Cato]

Our parish priest today related the following anecdote about himself:

For Christmas, he had received a ticket to an "All-American Concert" with the Cleveland Orchestra.  Bernstein's On the Waterfront Suite,  Copland's Symphony #3, and the Violin Concerto #3 by Augusta Thomas.

The congregation felt the cringe effect    fairly early in the story! 

For those who would like to hear what appalled our parish priest: the Violin Concerto #3 ("Juggler in Paradise") by Augusta Thomas.

Frank-Peter Zimmermann is the soloist.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/EUvD0mjlEuA" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/EUvD0mjlEuA</a>

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

Say what you like, love it or hate it, it doesn't sound anything like what would happen if a bunch of First-Graders were given instruments and were told to bang and beat on them and destroy them 

The priest really did set himself up there;  and perhaps it is an accident of his structuring the conversation for storytelling, but So you're acquainted with the work? is some distance from a retraction   

I understand that she is again Composer-in-Residence for the Chicago Symphony, so she's got a steady gig (and good for her).  At the time of an earlier residency, a friend on the West Coast (one who has commissioned a few works of mine) suggested that I send her White Nights (she was curating some new music concerts).  Her response was (I only mildly paraphrase) “Why don't you listen to more new music?”  So “Gusty” has her own pet prejudices, it seems.

[Cato]

Say what you like, love it or hate it, it doesn't sound anything like what would happen if a bunch of First-Graders were given instruments and were told to bang and beat on them and destroy them 

Yes, I was surprised that the work had such a placid and meditative feel most of the time, and there is even a Mahlerian touch now and then in the last 6 or 7 minutes.

So “Gusty” has her own pet prejudices, it seems.

Too bad: perhaps she should "roll away the rock" from her own ears!     Did she not understand the background and nature of your ballet?   Her loss!

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

It had much the same feel as the University at Buffalo vibe:  if you write music, but it is not The Right Kind of new music, you're almost a worse enemy than the symphony-goers who have to have their steady diet of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky . . . .

[eljr]

It had much the same feel as the University at Buffalo vibe:  if you write music, but it is not The Right Kind of new music, you're almost a worse enemy than the symphony-goers who have to have their steady diet of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky . . . .

QFT

[San Antone]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/EUvD0mjlEuA" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/EUvD0mjlEuA</a>

I think it is a very good work.   I have never trusted priests.