The Classical Chat Thread

[Brian]

When I went to see Mahler 6 a couple of months ago with Brian, Bruce, and a few friends of mine, I told them that I listened to it at the gym. Brian specifically asked "When it is hammertime, what do you do?" Now I have a good answer: https://www.instagram.com/p/BFKdasmmDB3/

(since this is GMG, I should tell you that the audio clip used is from Bernstein's DG recording)

yessss!!!

[jlaurson]

In the latest pat-myself-on-the-shoulders news:


]Wohoo. My* first book has arrived from the printers!




(*Co-authored, rather than translated [done] or solely authored [to do list])

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:
Classical CD Of The Week: Post-Baroque Sluggard Demi-Genius

After a master-class tour of the Who's-Who of late-baroque/post-baroque composers – Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Adolph Hasse, C.P.E. Bach, and Georg Philipp Telemann – the aspiring composer Johann Gottfried Müthel settled in Riga with his new-won skills and composed. But, in his own words, only when he was in the mood. He didn't think much of working for work's sake or whenever anything but fully inspired and convivial. Sounds as prototypical romantic as impractical an attitude to have. J.S. Bach and P.G. Wodehouse would certainly have disapproved and look where steady hard work has got them!...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/05/26/classical-cd-of-the-week-classical-cd-of-the-week-post-baroque-sluggard-demi-genius/#4d8697d45f53

[jlaurson]

Happy Birthday, Wolferl!

Latest on Forbes.com:
An Introduction To Erich Wolfgang Korngold

...It wasn't that far from his Snowman to Korngold's first works of artistic maturity – and the Sextet, op.10, premièred in Vienna just before the composers' 20th birthday May 29th, 1917, already shows a composer in the fullest bloom of creative prowess. Think Arnold Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht or Richard Strauss' Metamorphosen and you get a fair idea of its perfectly developed chromatic romanticism. Add to that a touch of Viennese gaiety in the Intermezzo, and an Adagio that teases the ear with unfamiliar harmonies—not unlike the opening of Mozart's "Dissonance Quartet" or Alban Berg's Piano Sonata op.1—before offering up the notes that reel us back into familiar, lush territory...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/05/29/korngold_surprised-by-beauty/

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:
Classical CD Of The Week: Scarlatti Classical And En Suite

As every clever Scarlatti disc or recital should, this one has had some thought put into the selection and arrangement of the sonatas, rather than just willy-nilly lumping together personal favorites. True, the pudding-proof is in the listening, not the admiration of the thought behind it. But it's worth mentioning all the same in this case, especially since on Claire Huangci's disc it works so particularly well: The pianist (whom I heard at the 2011 ARD International Music Competition, where she came second, then still performing as Tori Huang) arranged bundles of sonatas in the form of baroque suites (disc 1) and classical sonatas (disc 2), as laid out by her lucid, well-written, and refreshingly level-headed liner notes:...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/06/02/classical-cd-of-the-week-scarlatti-classical-and-en-suite/

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes:

The Rebirth of Contemporary Classical Music?
The Vienna Philharmonic Plays Larcher

A balmy, sunny Sunday morning. A full house – twice now, counting the previous night –
at the venerable Musikverein's Golden Hall. The Vienna Philharmonic performs under top-tier
conductor Semyon Bychkov. And on the program – prominently, not hidden! – is a world
premiere: A living composer's work and the ink barely dry on it. Kenotaph, by Thomas
Larcher – his Second Symphony...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/06/06/the-rebirth-of-contemporary-classical-music-the-vienna-philharmonic-plays-larcher/

[Spineur]

Need a stradivarius ?
Go ask the Austrian central bank.  In their "unconventional" asset purchases, there is a collection of rare musical instruments including a dozen Stradivarius.
So why not ask for a loan ?
http://www.lesechos.fr/finance-marches/marches-financiers/021994773424-les-achats-non-conventionnels-de-la-banque-centrale-autrichienne-2003821.php

[North Star]

Need a stradivarius ?
Go ask the Austrian central bank.  In their "unconventional" asset purchases, there is a collection of rare musical instruments including a dozen Stradivarius.
So why not ask for a loan ?
http://www.lesechos.fr/finance-marches/marches-financiers/021994773424-les-achats-non-conventionnels-de-la-banque-centrale-autrichienne-2003821.php

Banks owning Stradivaris, Guarneris etc is not exactly uncommon.

[Ken B]

Banks owning Stradivaris, Guarneris etc is not exactly uncommon.

One of the big investment banks owns a Clinton.

[Brian]

Google just asked MusicWeb to remove the cover art from a CD review because it had a nipple.

[jlaurson]

Google just asked MusicWeb to remove the cover art from a CD review because it had a nipple.

I have a feeling that that's not exactly what happened. I'm not suggesting Len is easily confused... but I am suggesting that putting up this picture will not draw the ire of the search engine that let's you have the best spit-roasting videos at the click of a button... if one were to desire that.

[North Star]

I have a feeling that that's not exactly what happened. I'm not suggesting Len is easily confused... but I am suggesting that putting up this picture will not draw the ire of the search engine that let's you have the best spit-roasting videos at the click of a button... if one were to desire that.

Google's hypocritical puritanism is certainly ridiculous enough for me to have no doubt that Brian's story is accurate. Reminds me of a story of an actress asking why a poster picture with her nipples showing through the costume (i.e., there were distinct bumps) "So why have you airbrushed my nipples, that's ridiculous. Why don't you just leave them?" - and the presenter's reply: "Well, perhaps they thought they weren't suitable for children"

Because, obviously, nipples aren't suitable for children.

[Karl Henning]

Because, obviously, nipples aren't suitable for children.

"Kids, don't try these at home!"

[Brian]

I'm not suggesting Len is easily confused...

I wouldn't be surprised if he was confused, but these behemoths are not somebody to mess around with. Did you see that YouTube recently deleted William Shatner's account with the explanation that he had violated their terms?
https://twitter.com/williamshatner/status/738136202436452353

Looks like they fixed it, but the philosophy is "Shoot first, ask questions later"

[jochanaan]

Google's hypocritical puritanism is certainly ridiculous enough for me to have no doubt that Brian's story is accurate. Reminds me of a story of an actress asking why a poster picture with her nipples showing through the costume (i.e., there were distinct bumps) "So why have you airbrushed my nipples, that's ridiculous. Why don't you just leave them?" - and the presenter's reply: "Well, perhaps they thought they weren't suitable for children"

Because, obviously, nipples aren't suitable for children.

"Blah blah blah feminist, blah blah blah gender-sh!t, blah blah blah OH MY GOD, NIPPLES!" --Amanda Palmer, "Dear Daily Mail"  (Which, ironically, is still up on Google despite the presence of not just one or two nipples, but Amanda "F#*%ing" Palmer in all her naked glory. )

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:
Classical CD Of The Week: That's Mendelssohn!

As every clever Scarlatti disc or recital should, this one has had some thought put into the selection and arrangement of the sonatas, rather than just willy-nilly lumping together personal favorites. True, the pudding-proof is in the listening, not the admiration of the thought behind it. But it's worth mentioning all the same in this case, especially since on Claire Huangci's disc it works so particularly well: The pianist (whom I heard at the 2011 ARD International Music Competition, where she came second, then still performing as Tori Huang) arranged bundles of sonatas in the form of baroque suites (disc 1) and classical sonatas (disc 2), as laid out by her lucid, well-written, and refreshingly level-headed liner notes:...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/06/10/classical-cd-of-the-week-thats-mendelssohn

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:
Classical CD Of The Week: Serenading The Green Eyed Monster

Riccardo Muti's Otello, his first commercial audio recording of Verdi's
far-and-away greatest opera, hasn't got an all-star cast by name but
hand-picked singers instead, who contribute...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/06/15/classical-cd-of-the-week-serenading-the-green-eyed-monster/#79d3b76e4895

[North Star]

Vatelot confirmed that these were indeed the bows of Ginette Neveu. Asked where they had been found, the visitors told of a man in the Azores village who was using the beautiful Hill & Sons bow: when questioned, he said he had found it on the mountain and promptly relinquished it. Hearing this incredible story, Vatelot asked, "And the violins?". The officials replied, "Oh, the violin played by that man was so old, and he played it so badly, that we knew it couldn't be important."

http://www.thestrad.com/cpt-latests/what-happened-to-ginette-neveus-stradivari/

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:

Making Music Visible: Peter Sellars' St John Passion From Berlin

Is a staging of a Bach Passion necessary? Peter Sellars' 2014 production from
Berlin, since published on DVD and Blu-ray, vigorously affirms that: Yes! It
does seem necessary. Or at the very least it is very moving....


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/06/21/making-music-visible-peter-sellars-st-john-passion-from-berlin/

[jlaurson]

Latest on Forbes.com:

Classical CD Of The Week: Handel At His Most English

If "no plot, no characters, no dialogue" (Ruth Smith) doesn't sound like a promising
premise for an entertaining musical work, think again: We listen to the music primarily
as it is (as we do with many very popular but daft operas and their excuses of a plot),
but if we chose to follow the text or listen carefully, we find ourselves immersed in an
enchanted literary world – very distant from ours, but beguiling...


http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2016/06/23/classical-cd-of-the-week-handel-at-his-most-english/#2c0582f8343d