You either love him or hate him

[springrite]

This is in response to the "... you like a few of his works but otherwise bored to death" thread.

You know, with some composers you have no middle group, no exceptions. You either love his music or you don't. You can't love a few works but detest the rest.

I will give the first name:

Part

[North Star]

Varèse might fit here.

[Daverz]

Part

Really, not even, say, Cantus In Memory of Benjamin Britten or Fratres?

[springrite]

Really, not even, say, Cantus In Memory of Benjamin Britten or Fratres?

Save his early pre-mysticism works, they all sound the same to me.

[amw]

Karl Jenkins, apparently. (I've never knowingly heard a note)

Glass, Tavener, Nyman and certain other minimalists also tend to provoke strong reactions. Here's an example: http://5against4.com/2013/08/02/proms-2013-philip-glass-symphony-no-10-uk-premiere/ (note, also, the votes)

Not so much "hate", but there's a certain strand of late-romantic music of overwrought chromaticism and exhaustive development that some people love and others find meandering, boring or academic. The likes of Taneyev, Medtner, Reger, Myaskovsky and d'Indy come to mind. I've been in both categories with respect to various composers of that strand, so it's hardly a unified thing, but generally people seem to like (or dislike) these composers for similar reasons.

[71 dB]

People love to hate. That's what I have learned. I admit I have been like that too but I'm trying to get rid of that habit that creates negative energy between people. The word "hate" is so often synonym for "don't understand".

I know only one work by Schnittke, his Piano Quintet (it's on a Naxos disc together with Shostakovich's Piano Quintet, a work I adore). I don't have a clue what Schnittke is trying to do in his music. The work literally causes me headache to listen to because it's so incomprehensible and twisted music for me. So, I could say I "hate" Schnittke's music, but that would be stupid because:

1) I only know one work by him
2) I don't have a clue what he is doing with his art so how can I judge him?

Instead, I say I ignore Schnittke's music for now because:

1) There's tons of music I am more interested of at the moment. I can't really explore/study/enjoy EVERYTHING. Life is too short for that.
2) Someday I might understand and even like Schnittke's music. You never know.

I'm trying to use this kind of approach to all kind of music, not just classical. I even try not to hate Lady GaGa, only ignore!  This kind of approach has had funny consequences. I'm enjoying Bahamian funk (The Beginning of the End), Ke$ha/Katy Perry, Neil Cowley Trio, Liszt and almost anything in between. Nowadays I hate only my job (it's so hateful it's easily enough for one lifetime!). I also know that there's no reason to get offended when someone says she/he hates something I like. She/he probably just doesn't understand it. For example, Ke$ha is hated widely and REALLY loved by her fans ("animals"). The hater's don't have a clue what she is doing, how amazing, intelligent, talented, thinking, down-to-earth, compassionate and hardworking person she is. The hater's don't have a clue how much Ke$ha gives strength to her fans who suffer from the feeling of "not fitting in". She has saved lives preventing youngsters to commit suicides. Even I am taken by Ke$ha's "be yourself, unapologetically" -message and I was a teenager when Ke$ha was born!

So, why should you say you ignore Ke$ha instead of hating her? That's because:

1) There's tons of music you're more interested of at the moment. You can't really explore/study/enjoy EVERYTHING. Life is too short for that.
3) You don't really understand what she is doing, do you? So why judge her?
2) Someday you might understand and even like Ke$ha's music. You never know.

If you like her music then congratulations animal! 

That's what I think about loving and hating music.

[Octave]

...but I'm trying to get rid of that habid....

You just coined a necessary neologism!  I'm gonna use it.

[71 dB]

You just coined a necessary neologism!  I'm gonna use it.

Corrected. I hope it doesn't become a habit to write it that way! I would hate that. 

[North Star]

Corrected. I hope it doesn't become a habit to write it that way! I would hate that. 

It might well spread rabidly, though.

[DavidW]

Hate: Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf.  Sorry Gurn, can't like his bland music.  There was a poster (maybe he is still there) over on cmg (before I came over here) that liked Ditters more than Mozart!  Well frankly Ditters is too bland to even like let alone like more than Mozart.

Now for love: Beethoven.  From the masterpieces to the bombastic to the seldom played WoO's it's all good.

[Daverz]

Not so much "hate", but there's a certain strand of late-romantic music of overwrought chromaticism and exhaustive development that some people love and others find meandering, boring or academic. The likes of Taneyev, Medtner, Reger, Myaskovsky and d'Indy come to mind.

Myaskovsky became more succinct and simplified his style in his later works (well, was probably forced to do so).

I know only one work by Schnittke, his Piano Quintet (it's on a Naxos disc together with Shostakovich's Piano Quintet, a work I adore). I don't have a clue what Schnittke is trying to do in his music. The work literally causes me headache to listen to because it's so incomprehensible and twisted music for me.

The Piano Quintet does make me a bit seasick.  I don't think it's that representative.

[TheGSMoeller]

I already hate this thread.

[71 dB]

Hate: Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf.  Sorry Gurn, can't like his bland music.  There was a poster (maybe he is still there) over on cmg (before I came over here) that liked Ditters more than Mozart!  Well frankly Ditters is too bland to even like let alone like more than Mozart.

Everytime I listen to Dittersdorf I am reminded how much I enjoy it. I find the music flowing and entertaining. Bland? Perhaps if you expect to hear Turangalila Symphony, but who the hell would listen to Dittersdorf when hungry for atonal noise? 

The Piano Quintet does make me a bit seasick.  I don't think it's that representative.

Not perhaps representative but that's what I have.   

[71 dB]

I already hate this thread.

Try not to hate yourself for that!  0:)

[springrite]

I already hate this thread.

This thread is like that, only with a third option of "indifference". 

[TheGSMoeller]

Try not to hate yourself for that!  0:)

This thread is like that, only with a third option of "indifference". 

[Marc]

This is in response to the "... you like a few of his works but otherwise bored to death" thread.

You know, with some composers you have no middle group, no exceptions. You either love his music or you don't. You can't love a few works but detest the rest.

I will give the first name:

Part

Pärt: I'm in the middle group, sorry to say.

But maybe I do not (want to?) know what real hate is.

[Todd]

I can't think of a composer that falls into the hate category off the top of my head.  Not even Saint-Saens.  Glass probably comes closest, but it's hard to hate music that helps lull one to sleep.

[Brian]

I already hate this thread.

Me too. I thought this thread was about composers where you love some of their works and hate all the rest, but I think everyone had a different interpretation because some people are posting composers that other people love/hate without mentioning their own opinion, or just talking about who they hate without loving. I'm confused. At least 71 dB made a really awesome post.

[springrite]

High time to kill off this thread and put it out of its misery, I think...