The Classical Chat Thread

Started by DavidW, July 14, 2009, 08:39:17 AM

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MN Dave

I, like Sarge, was going for 4, but got 3.

secondwind

You aspire to greatness and always give it your best effort no matter the endeavor. This perfectionist tendency earns you much respect and admiration, except from whom you most desperately need it: yourself. At times you could benefit from a little relaxation, or perhaps some downright laziness, but you get more satisfaction from hard work. Congratulations!

This is what is says about the 1st.  I'm just not at all sure it's "me".  :-\ So, what do I get in a trade? (I kind of wanted the 4th, too. . . )

MN Dave

Quote from: secondwind on February 03, 2010, 06:13:40 PM
You aspire to greatness and always give it your best effort no matter the endeavor. This perfectionist tendency earns you much respect and admiration, except from whom you most desperately need it: yourself. At times you could benefit from a little relaxation, or perhaps some downright laziness, but you get more satisfaction from hard work. Congratulations!

This is what is says about the 1st.  I'm just not at all sure it's "me".  :-\ So, what do I get in a trade? (I kind of wanted the 4th, too. . . )

Together, we can make a 4.  :-*

DavidW

I would have liked to be the 3rd but I am the 4th. :)

MN Dave

Quote from: DavidW on February 03, 2010, 06:33:02 PM
I would have liked to be the 3rd but I am the 4th. :)

Ah, someone to trade with.  0:)

karlhenning

The BSO are playing the Fourth this weekend.  (Not quite the topic, I know . . . .)

MN Dave

Ugh.

On iTunes, I just purchased what I thought was Reiner's Living Stereo recording of LvB 5 & 7 and what it actually was was just the 5th and an overture (the covers are identical except for the wording), and you can hear the needle drop in the groove of the "record" and everything. Some company named Hallmark put this travesty out.

I must look more closely at what I'm purchasing from now on.  ;D

I asked for my money back.  >:(

John Copeland

Took part in that Brahms Symphony quiz thing and it turns out I am the first symphony.
Well, must have been re-written a few times, mind you.   ;D

Elgarian

Quote from: Beethovenian on February 12, 2010, 05:42:18 PM
you can hear the needle drop in the groove of the "record" and everything.

Lucky fellow. Some people pay large amounts of money to get that good old genuine 'vinyl sound'.

MN Dave

Quote from: Elgarian on February 13, 2010, 12:01:12 AM
Lucky fellow. Some people pay large amounts of money to get that good old genuine 'vinyl sound'.

It was so strange...  ::)

Elgarian

Quote from: Beethovenian on February 13, 2010, 04:50:07 AM
It was so strange...
I have a CD set of Massenet's Sapho that's like that:



The blurb blathers on about the remastering they've done, but the first thing that's noticeable is the rumble of the turntable as a background to  the spits and pops of the dust jammed in the grooves. (In the bad old days when I had a turntable, I never did actually hear any rumble at normal listening levels, so in this case they must've tried extra hard to preserve it.)

George

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 03, 2010, 04:56:59 AM
I was hoping I'd be the Fourth, but no, not even close. I'm the Third: "When you decide you want something, you take it, but occasionally are stricken by bouts of deep sadness. You tend to polarize those around you."

Sarge

Me too.

(bet you're not surprised)  8)

Sergeant Rock

the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

DavidW

Do you ever find yourself struggling with a work or even a whole genre from a composer whose output you usually love?  I find that the case with Bach.  His concertos and suites are wonderful, his cantatas, oratorios, masses etc are sublime yet I'm not moved by Musical Offering.  Perhaps it's like the WTC and I just need to listen alot more (like ten times instead of five times).

But still there's that thing that some works are effortless to enjoy, and others take work.

Opus106

#314
Quote from: DavidW on February 17, 2010, 04:12:27 AM
Do you ever find yourself struggling with a work or even a whole genre from a composer whose output you usually love?  I find that the case with Bach.  His concertos and suites are wonderful, his cantatas, oratorios, masses etc are sublime yet I'm not moved by Musical Offering.  Perhaps it's like the WTC and I just need to listen alot more (like ten times instead of five times).

But still there's that thing that some works are effortless to enjoy, and others take work.

I don't enjoy MO in the same way as I do some of the other works you mention, but I like it as a piece filled with a lot of counterpoint. The only part where I find it actually feels like a single piece of work -- as opposed to a set of loosely-strung canons on a theme, is in the trio sonata. Try, perhaps, listening to one or two parts alone (like just the Riecercare a 6, the trio sonata) or maybe changing the order of some of the pieces in your recording.

And FWIW, I didn't struggle with das WTC. :) (Although listening to it as a single piece or work, when it was not actually intended to be one, can be very exhausting, I confess.)
Regards,
Navneeth

DavidW

Quote from: Opus106 on February 17, 2010, 10:04:46 PM
I don't enjoy MO in the same way as I do some of the other works you mention, but I like it as a piece filled with a lot of counterpoint. The only part where I find it actually feels like a single piece of work -- as opposed to a set of loosely-strung canons on a theme, is in the trio sonata. Try, perhaps, listening to one or two parts alone (like just the Riecercare a 6, the trio sonata) or maybe changing the order of some of the pieces in your recording.

The opening and ending Ricercare are the only parts that I like right now so you might be on to something...

QuoteAnd FWIW, I didn't struggle with das WTC. :) (Although listening to it as a single piece or work, when it was not actually intended to be one, can be very exhausting, I confess.)

I struggled with WTC as a whole, but then once I stopped seeing it that way and focused on individual bits the struggle ended. :)

karlhenning

My preferred Bach work for purposes of asking Just why did he bother, again? is the B Minor Mass ; )

DavidW

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on February 18, 2010, 04:47:16 AM
My preferred Bach work for purposes of asking Just why did he bother, again? is the B Minor Mass ; )

Yes a great masterpiece.  I actually plan on buying yet another recording of it sometime in the next few weeks.  I'm thinking Marc Minkowski. :)

DavidW

Well I've figured out what bugs me-- it's not the music, it's the performance.  It's just too fast.  You can't follow the harmony, and there is no sense of melody, just clanging and banging as fast as possible.  That is also what made the solo keyboard works so hard for me-- just crappy performances.  I've listened to (Paulb style) clips on Müchinger, and it sounded much, much, much, much better.  It actually sounded like Bach.

karlhenning

Clips do serve a good purpose, for those who know how to use the tool.