The Classical Chat Thread

[Karl Henning]

Or, it might be metamorphosis 

[Karl Henning]

I dunno. We seem to be suffering an outbreak of Elgar Symphony #1 on GMG ... 

Parry flaring 

[Fagotterdämmerung]

   I love the notion of Romanticism as some diabolical, decadent force. You can almost imagine a massive Brucknerian orchestra, Wagner tubas in hand, storming a classical era chamber concert like a musical shock troop powered by evil chromaticism.

   Practice safe listening, folks, it's extremely contagious.

 

[North Star]

   I love the notion of Romanticism as some diabolical, decadent force. You can almost imagine a massive Brucknerian orchestra, Wagner tubas in hand, storming a classical era chamber concert like a musical shock troop powered by evil chromaticism.

   Practice safe listening, folks, it's extremely contagious.

Perhaps Henk should be wary of Berlioz as well. 

[Moonfish]

Perhaps Henk should be wary of Berlioz as well. 

Good one, Karlo!

[Henk]

Well, I have considered to build a "music machine". It would be terrible music. And dynamics would be the only driving force in the world. I wisely have put down that excercition.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Why spoil time with late-romantic??

Because it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

"But assuredly frivolity or melancholy of every degree is better than a romantic retrospection and desertion of the flag, an approach to Christianity in any form; for according to the present condition of knowledge it is absolutely impossible to approach it without hopelessly soiling our intellectual conscience and giving ourselves away to ourselves and others."

You quote Nietzsche, yet you don't like late romanticism?  Nietzsche was ardent lover of Wagner's music and one of the greatest tone poems ever written was set to Nietzsche's text...

[Ken B]

Because it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Technically, it preceded sliced bread. 

[Henk]

You quote Nietzsche, yet you don't like late romanticism?  Nietzsche was ardent lover of Wagner's music and one of the greatest tone poems ever written was set to Nietzsche's text...

Read "The case Wagner".

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Read "The case Wagner".

From what I understood, Nietzsche never really stopped admiring Wagner's music, even after renouncing Parsifal's text as immoral but said about the prelude that Wagner probably never wrote anything more beautiful. At worst, I saw it as love-hate relationship.

[starrynight]

I think we shouldn't forget another quotation from the same man Karl quoted before (Wilde)

"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book.
Books are well written, or badly written. That is all."

And this applies to any art. Well, apart from the visual arts - they usually aren't written. 

I can see how some romantic music can be seen as being badly written, for kind of virtuosic effect and and/or some over-trying at emotional expression

[Karl Henning]

To some degree, any style of music must be evaluated on its terms.  Else you find the contrapuntal passages in Haydn, for instance, "inferior" to Bach.  Which is nonsense.

So, it's no good denigrating the Romantics for conceiving of music differently from the Viennese Classics.  The Art expands.

[jochanaan]

... The Art expands.

And sometimes contracts.

[Ken B]

And sometimes contracts.

Darmstadt as Black Hole! I love it!

[Karl Henning]

(* chortle *)

[Karl Henning]

And sometimes contracts.

To the Is a new musical movement needed? thread!

[Florestan]

Late Romanticism is indeed a disease. Its Latin name is margaritas ante porcos.   

(Sorry, Henk, nothing personal, I just couldn´t resist. I mean, it´s okay not to like it, but why denigrate it? Can´t you enjoy Rossini, or do you enjoy him less, unless you trash Wagner? Better leave the Wagnerites to do the other way around ( ) and heed the good-humored Gioacchino himself: [Tannhauser] is too intricate to be judged at a first hearing, but I shall not give it a second.". Much better than equating it with syphylis, don´t you think?   )

[North Star]

Better leave the Wagnerites to do the other way around ( )

They're coming for Henk. 
https://www.youtube.com/v/yRaPV1b-KOs

[Ken B]

Late Romanticism is indeed a disease. Its Latin name is margaritas ante porcos.   

I like mine with salt on the rim.