How do you listen?

[Dr. Dread]

Come visit, then. Dude. We'll go to Symphony, and you can tell me which CDs sound better 

I'm not going all that way just to prove you wrong. 

[karlhenning]

Come for the chowder; that will take away some of the sting of being mistaken 

[Cato]

As a former composer of absolutely no renown and possibly even of infamy, I am in the habit of following scores while listening, and hate NOT to have one available.  This is why I have become something of an addict to this website:

http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Composers

Sometimes I listen to my memories of works, especially in the car when my wife is along on trips. 

But that can be dangerous when I am the driver!        So I limit myself to things of Liadovian length: concentrating on Gurrelieder once led me to not pay attention too well!  SOOO...

[Bulldog]

Same standing invite to Don, so long as he leaves his bulldog back home 

Although Boston is ancient history for me, my son does live close by in Waltham.  I'm sure I will be visiting him at some point.

[Superhorn]

  You should listen to music the way porcupines make love - very carefully !!!

                  

[bhodges]

  You should listen to music the way porcupines make love - very carefully !!!

                  

"Quote of the Day"



--Bruce

[DavidRoss]

I'm not going all that way just to prove you wrong. 

Just go to Orchestra Hall.  Tonight the lovely and talented Leila Josefowicz is playing Bruch.  Next weekend Leonidas Kavakos is playing the Sibelius VC (not so lovely but he's aces in this) followed by the Beethoven 7th.  (McCoy Tyner's on tap, too!)

[Diletante]

Do you require complete attention to the piece, or can you multi-task—read, computerize, eat, etc.? 

I usually multi-task. However, when I'm listening to a work for the first time I always give it my full attention.

Do you like music playing in the house all day long, or do you devote certain periods to it?

I play music almost all the time I spend in my room.

Can you tune music out while doing other things, or are you distracted by it?

It depends on how much I have to concentrate for the other thing. Reading light books and doing simple homework to music is OK, but I need the quietness for studying

Do you use earphones?

Yes, when I leave my house and listen to my iPod.

Do you prefer live concerts to CDs--or are they two different animals?

CDs all the way, but you have to consider that there aren't many concerts in my area.

Do your housemates share your music listening habits or do they complain about the amount or type of music?

I live with my parents. My mother doesn't listen to classical but doesn't mind it, and my father listens to some Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Brahms. They only complain when I play my music too loud on siesta hours, or late at night.

[Harpo]

What about you?

It's only fair that I answer. My housemate and I differ on the quantity and loudness of recorded music--I prefer less and quieter. Since it's hard for me in general to tune things out, I get distracted, not soothed, by long stretches of music. Being an amateur musician, sometimes I'd rather sing and play instruments myself, alone or, even better, in a group. Re. concerts, I particularly like the interactive quality of live performances; as with theater, the audience becomes a part of the act. I enjoy the "social" part of music.

[bhodges]

Next weekend Leonidas Kavakos is playing the Sibelius VC (not so lovely but he's aces in this)

Totally agree.  I am not the biggest fan of that concerto, but when Kavakos did it here I was hugely impressed.  Somehow he made sense of it in a way that had eluded me before.

--Bruce

[Harpo]

  You should listen to music the way porcupines make love - very carefully !!!

                  

Love it!! Concise yet fraught with meaning.

[nut-job]

Although Boston is ancient history for me, my son does live close by in Waltham. 

Brandeis?