Hello everyone. I'm new to the forum and am looking forward to discussing music (and perhaps other things in time) with you. Regarding classical music-wise, my interests are fairly varied. Besides the [hopefully] obvious, I also love Vaughan Williams, and in general a number of composers from the 19th century up to and including Shostakovich....love opera....Mozart, Verdi, Handel, Haydn, Beethoven....and more. :)
Best wishes,
Pohjola's Daughter
Welcome Pohjola's Daughter from California. Might I assume based on your name you are also a fan of Sibelius/Finns? RVW and Shostakovich are two of my top five favorites. Welcome.
Welcome to GMG from Finland, Pohjolan tytär!
Welcome to GMG!
Welcome!
Welcome aboard and we look forward to reading your posts.
Welcome. I used to sell on eBay under the name Pohjola. Never been to Finland, although I have relatives in Turku and I feel like I should be an honorary citizen given the number of Sibelius recordings I have. :)
Quote from: relm1 on November 12, 2018, 06:34:38 AM
Welcome Pohjola's Daughter from California. Might I assume based on your name you are also a fan of Sibelius/Finns? RVW and Shostakovich are two of my top five favorites. Welcome.
Yes, I am a fan of Sibelius (and of some other Finnish composers too)....and so far in any event, the Finns that I've met have been very nice people. :-)
I hope that your home is far away from any of the current wildfires that I've been hearing about?
PD
....and thanks to all of you for your welcomes!
I have been to Finland but it was long ago and a pretty short visit too. Would love to go back there....maybe during the summertime....watch the LSO (Lahti Symphony Orchestra) perform live.... :)
PD
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on November 12, 2018, 08:23:55 AM
....and thanks to all of you for your welcomes!
I have been to Finland but it was long ago and a pretty short visit too. Would love to go back there....maybe during the summertime....watch the LSO (Lahti Symphony Orchestra) perform live.... :)
PD
Another Finn welcoming you on this board. ;)
Definitely come to Finland in the summertime. Somewhat warm weather and superlong days. 8)
Welcome aboard !
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on November 12, 2018, 08:20:31 AM
Yes, I am a fan of Sibelius (and of some other Finnish composers too)....and so far in any event, the Finns that I've met have been very nice people. :-)
I hope that your home is far away from any of the current wildfires that I've been hearing about?
PD
Sadly not far! Very much affected. Many friends evacuated and tremendous health issues resulting as well as loss of life or property. But thanks.
I'm also in California, but in my case about 150 miles away. Even at this distance there is a detectable change in air quality due to the smoke.
Although we have not met as the Atlantic divides us, we know each other well. PD is a kind and thoughtful person and I am delighted that she has joined GMG. Welcome aboard!
Welcome from me too. I'm also an admirer of Vaughan Williams, Sibelius and Finland, which I had the pleasure of visiting in 2013 and seeing the home of Sibelius.
Quote from: schnittkease on November 12, 2018, 10:36:35 AM
Welcome. I do love me some Rautavaara, but the Russians have me bewitched!
Yes, I agree: there are many fine Russian composers too--I particularly enjoy Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich (as I had mentioned earlier)....operas like Boris Godunov are thrilling....and the ballets!
PD
Quote from: relm1 on November 12, 2018, 03:55:49 PM
Sadly not far! Very much affected. Many friends evacuated and tremendous health issues resulting as well as loss of life or property. But thanks.
To Relm1 and Ghost of Baron Scarpia,
I'm very sorry to hear of it. I hope that no one that you personally were/are close to was/is physically hurt by the fires. I can only imagine that it would be horrible to lose ones home, but also life? Hope that they were (are) able to get away with at least their lives and pets.
And, yes, the air pollution must be horrible!
PD
Quote from: Irons on November 12, 2018, 11:40:53 PM
Although we have not met as the Atlantic divides us, we know each other well. PD is a kind and thoughtful person and I am delighted that she has joined GMG. Welcome aboard!
Delighted to once again be able to discuss music with you on this very welcoming forum dear Irons!
And you are too kind!
All the best,
PD
Quote from: vandermolen on November 13, 2018, 12:24:39 AM
Welcome from me too. I'm also an admirer of Vaughan Williams, Sibelius and Finland, which I had the pleasure of visiting in 2013 and seeing the home of Sibelius.
Rather envious of you at the moment Vandermolen as I've been wanting to visit Ainola....also places like Down Ampney, the Fens, the Leith Hill Musical Festival....and many more places associated with Vaughan Williams--and other composers too. ;)
PD
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on November 13, 2018, 04:53:54 AM
Rather envious of you at the moment Vandermolen as I've been wanting to visit Ainola....also places like Down Ampney, the Fens, the Leith Hill Musical Festival....and many more places associated with Vaughan Williams--and other composers too. ;)
PD
Ainola is a great place to visit. Sibelius and his wife are buried in the garden. I've never been to Down Ampney or Leth Hill but I did visit Vaughan Williams's grave in Westminster Abbey a couple of weeks ago.
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on November 12, 2018, 03:58:47 PM
I'm also in California, but in my case about 150 miles away. Even at this distance there is a detectable change in air quality due to the smoke.
This is the otherwise lovely coast of Malibu from Saturday - 30 minutes drive from me. :(
(https://i.imgur.com/PXddcI5.jpg)
Vandermolen,
I've been to Westminster Abbey before but it was some time ago and at that time don't recall seeing his grave (the 'lightbulb moment' hadn't yet occurred ). I googled the image and saw that Ursula was given a small stone of her own too as she is apparently buried there with him. I noticed that Stanford and Howells are also near him...will have to revisit the abbey next time I'm in the UK.
Relm 1,
:( And, of course, all the traffic is outbound. Last I heard there were about 300,000 who had evacuated between the various fires? Any rain predicted in the near future?
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on November 13, 2018, 07:23:58 AMAny rain predicted in the near future?
Rainy season in most of California begins around November. Some rain is predicted late next week in the southern and central coast. If the winds would die down the Southern California fires could probably be brought under control without much further damage. Heavy rain could cause more problems, because coastal land cleared of vegetation is subject to mud slides. That is what happened in Santa Barbara last year.
One problem in California is that some of the most beautiful places, where people aspire to live, are vulnerable to relatively predictable natural disasters.
♫ . . . but, girl, don't they warn ya . . . .
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on November 13, 2018, 04:34:02 AM
Yes, I agree: there are many fine Russian composers too--I particularly enjoy Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich (as I had mentioned earlier)....operas like Boris Godunov are thrilling....and the ballets!
PD
Greetings!
Watch for remarks concerning the lesser-known Russian composers - whose works are not necessarily lower in quality than the better-known composers ;) - e.g.
Sergei Taneyev, Nicolai and
Alexander Tcherepnin, Serge Protopopov, Leo Ornstein, Ivan Wyschnegradsky* Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov.
Other suggestions will soon follow, I am sure! ;D
*
Wyschnegradsky q.v. is perhaps an acquired taste! 8)
I will certainly look out for a thread on either Russian composers or the individual ones that you've suggested at some point in time--thanks! :-)
PD
For a fan of Shostakovich, I'd definitely also suggest Weinberg, his younger colleague & friend whose music was very much influenced by Shostakovich, who was also influenced by Weinberg.
Quote from: North Star on November 14, 2018, 08:56:17 AM
For a fan of Shostakovich, I'd definitely also suggest Weinberg, his younger colleague & friend whose music was very much influenced by Shostakovich, who was also influenced by Weinberg.
Esp. the pf quintet and the string quartets!
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on November 14, 2018, 09:05:51 AM
Esp. the pf quintet and the string quartets!
Indeed! Although mostly because I don't know
Weinberg's symphonies, concertos, piano music, or operas, etc, well enough to comment..
Hi, Pohjola's Daughter, I missed your intro. Welcome!
There are not too many dames around here, but the guys are mostly OK.
Janet, the "zamyra-byrd" (singing-byrd)
Quote from: zamyrabyrd on December 09, 2018, 03:04:08 AM
Hi, Pohjola's Daughter, I missed your intro. Welcome!
There are not too many dames around here, but the guys are mostly OK.
Janet, the "zamyra-byrd" (singing-byrd)
I don't think "pohjola's daughter" is a dame. That is the name of a famous tone poem by Jean Sibelius, "Pohjola's Daughter" based on Finnish myth.
Welcome aboard, and great username! Looking forward to your posts. :)
Quote from: zamyrabyrd on December 09, 2018, 03:04:08 AM
Hi, Pohjola's Daughter, I missed your intro. Welcome!
There are not too many dames around here, but the guys are mostly OK.
Janet, the "zamyra-byrd" (singing-byrd)
Hi Janet!
Apologies for missing your (and the 2-3?) following 'welcomes' too; life has been incredibly busy over the past few months so I haven't had much time (or energy) to catch up on this forum. :(
Are you a singer (for fun or professionally)? If so, I am envious!
And, yes, I picked the forum name PD not only because I like Sibelius' music, but was also trying to think of something having to do with a female figure(s). ;)
Best wishes--and Happy Holidays too,
PD
Quote from: relm1 on December 09, 2018, 06:40:58 AM
I don't think "pohjola's daughter" is a dame. That is the name of a famous tone poem by Jean Sibelius, "Pohjola's Daughter" based on Finnish myth.
Hi Relm1,
Yes, you're correct about the tone poem, but ahem, please see my above reply. :)
Though, alas, I'm not a dame (Dame) in the British sense! :(
Warm wishes and Merry, Merry!
PD
Quote from: kyjo on December 21, 2018, 10:37:38 AM
Welcome aboard, and great username! Looking forward to your posts. :)
Thank you very much Kyjo!
Happy Holidays too,
PD
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on December 21, 2018, 02:32:21 PM
Hi Janet!
Apologies for missing your (and the 2-3?) following 'welcomes' too; life has been incredibly busy over the past few months so I haven't had much time (or energy) to catch up on this forum. :(
Are you a singer (for fun or professionally)? If so, I am envious!
And, yes, I picked the forum name PD not only because I like Sibelius' music, but was also trying to think of something having to do with a female figure(s). ;)
Best wishes--and Happy Holidays too,
PD
Hi PD,
I just noticed your answer to my post a year later (well, not really).
To answer your question about my being a singer, I prefer to say I am an all-around musician.
I taught piano, voice and music history at the Edward Said Conservatory and other institutions.
So maybe I spoke more about music than actually performed it, but practiced a lot both piano and voice and learned violin in high school that I always wanted to take up again.
I did sing some soprano solos in oratorios, Beethoven's "Christ on the Mt. of Olives", for instance.
If I really had to define my musicianship, I would say I am a listener, having started out that way.
Hearing something beautiful gives me the incentive to try and reproduce it.
Musical analysis always fascinated me, so I did pursue that subject on university masters level.
As an adolescent, I wanted to compose music but a conservatory teacher told me my compositions weren't "modern" enough. So I gave that up.
It's good that this was not told to Emily Bear or Alma Deustcher.
That's about it.
Janet
Quote from: zamyrabyrd on January 04, 2019, 12:56:23 AM
Hi PD,
I just noticed your answer to my post a year later (well, not really).
To answer your question about my being a singer, I prefer to say I am an all-around musician.
I taught piano, voice and music history at the Edward Said Conservatory and other institutions.
So maybe I spoke more about music than actually performed it, but practiced a lot both piano and voice and learned violin in high school that I always wanted to take up again.
I did sing some soprano solos in oratorios, Beethoven's "Christ on the Mt. of Olives", for instance.
If I really had to define my musicianship, I would say I am a listener, having started out that way.
Hearing something beautiful gives me the incentive to try and reproduce it.
Musical analysis always fascinated me, so I did pursue that subject on university masters level.
As an adolescent, I wanted to compose music but a conservatory teacher told me my compositions weren't "modern" enough. So I gave that up.
It's good that this was not told to Emily Bear or Alma Deustcher.
That's about it.
Janet
Hi Janet,
Oh, neat! And impressive! When asked whether or not I am a musician (after I've voiced an interest in music, etc.), my reply is "I like to say that I clap well".
And regarding the part of your quote that I highlighted: I understand you're feeling. With me, however, well, let's just say that you don't want to be around me when I have a Callas recording on and I have the impulse to sing along with her; the results ain't pretty!
Best wishes,
PD
p.s. And your conservatory teacher should have been fired for discouraging you like that! >:( :(
Welcome aboard! Love your screen name! Certainly one of my favorites from Sibelius.
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 13, 2019, 07:13:21 AM
Welcome aboard! Love your screen name! Certainly one of my favorites from Sibelius.
Thank you on both accounts!
PD
Hello fellow vinyl enthusiast! Where in California are you? My wife and I live in Pasadena, which I have a soft spot for, but I viscerally hate the rest of SoCal, and I long to be in the Bay Area, or better yet Ireland (whence my ancestors came), or possibly further north in the land of the Hyperboreans. I love that avatar and have had a fascination with the aurora borealis and northern latitudes for many years.
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on January 30, 2019, 11:20:03 PM
Hello fellow vinyl enthusiast! Where in California are you? My wife and I live in Pasadena, which I have a soft spot for, but I viscerally hate the rest of SoCal, and I long to be in the Bay Area, or better yet Ireland (whence my ancestors came), or possibly further north in the land of the Hyperboreans. I love that avatar and have had a fascination with the aurora borealis and northern latitudes for many years.
Pasadena sounds lovely--and warm compared to where I'm currently residing alas! Yes, the Bay area is lovely (last time I visited which was ages ago). :)
Thank you so much for your warm welcome and looking forward to hearing about your vinyl adventures and lessons that you've learned along the way.
Best wishes,
PD