Memories and Associations (Unusual and Otherwise) Connected To Musical Works

Started by Cato, November 06, 2013, 01:44:26 PM

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Cato

Nearly a year has gone by since this topic was addressed.

I return to it today, after I had been thinking about Hermann Hesse's novel Das Glasperlenspiel (The Glass-Bead Game also known in English as Magister Ludi ).

If you do not know the book, it deals with a future society (somewhat resembling the Middle Ages) where the highest intellectual achievement is playing "The Glass Bead Game."  Exactly how one plays such a game - in a society where all creativity has been banned  ???  (no new stories, no new music, etc.) - is never completely clear.  However, from various clues it seems one must find or invent connections among ideas, artworks, scientific concepts, mathematics, etc. and then successfully show the logic behind making such connections.

e.g.  (This is my invention, not from the book) a game might take a fugue by Bach, the Chinese ideogram for "soul," the multi-dimensional E8 Theory of the Universe, and Grant Wood's American Gothic and attempt to show how they are inter-related. 

Anyway, oddly, listening to the Dvorak Symphonies I, II and III, and the associations they summoned forth from many decades ago, made me think of Das Glasperlenspiel.
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Capeditiea

...well i have a long list due to my overactive imagination.

First we shall start with
Beethoven's Op. 129 Rondo e Capriccio = Seeing him outstretching his arms as a coin sorta rolls away (having a mind of it's own) ...which is probably an accurate adaptation.

Beethoven's First Symphony Fourth Movement = having him gallavanting around saying "Cherryho" to every one and their dog.

Mahler's Tenth (unfinished version) = it just reminds me of him, sorta expressing similar to how jesus was asking "father why art thou forsaketh ye?" then suddenly shifts into jazz hands in a ballet style fashion.

(almost all) of J.S. Bach's Concerti kinda are similar to Beethoven's First... but instead Bach being a lot more flamboyant.

The HIP performance of Vivaldi's Autumn seems to have him headbanging.

Gloria Coates Symphony No. 7 = Jets taking off then timetraveling to a distant time and taking you to some dimension that you are unaware of your existence. :D

Albinoni's Concerto No. 2 Op. 9, Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C Major, Fanny Mendelsson's Trio and Felex Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 6 = just turns me on. (among a few others...)


Cato

Quote from: Capeditiea on September 02, 2018, 07:54:08 AM
...well i have a long list due to my overactive imagination.

First we shall start with
Beethoven's Op. 129 Rondo e Capriccio = Seeing him outstretching his arms as a coin sorta rolls away (having a mind of it's own) ...which is probably an accurate adaptation.

Beethoven's First Symphony Fourth Movement = having him gallavanting around saying "Cherryho" to every one and their dog.

Mahler's Tenth (unfinished version) = it just reminds me of him, sorta expressing similar to how Jesus was asking "father why art thou forsaketh ye?" then suddenly shifts into jazz hands in a ballet style fashion.

(almost all) of J.S. Bach's Concerti kinda are similar to Beethoven's First... but instead Bach being a lot more flamboyant.

The HIP performance of Vivaldi's Autumn seems to have him headbanging.

Gloria Coates Symphony No. 7 = Jets taking off then timetraveling to a distant time and taking you to some dimension that you are unaware of your existence. :D

Albinoni's Concerto No. 2 Op. 9, Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C Major, Fanny Mendelsson's Trio and Felex Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 6 = just turns me on. (among a few others...)

An overactive imagination is the only kind to have!  0:)

I will need to check out that Gloria Coates work! 
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

NikF

The first time I watched Michael Haneke's 'La Pianiste' was also my first time hearing any of Schubert's Winterreise. When I listen to it now - especially 'Im Dorfe' - it recalls sitting on a sofa under a homemade patchwork quilt with a glass of heady red wine in the company of the curly haired woman (Frau Doktor) who introduced me to so much music.

As far as pop music is concerned, another then girlfriend walking into my (home) office, returning the track currently playing (Poinciana - Ahmad Jamal) on the CD to the beginning, then turning to where I was seated and with a serious expression on her little face starting to dance uninhibited and with increasing abandon, remains strong, clear, vivid, and I'm grateful.
"You overestimate my power of attraction," he told her. "No, I don't," she replied sharply, "and neither do you".

pjme

On june 25th 1988 I went to the Koncertgebouw in Amsterdam. Reinbert de Leeuw was conducting Milhaud's complete "Orestie", with a large cast (Maria Oran, June Card, Charles van Tassel, Françoix Leroux ...), the Dutch Radio PhO and chorus.
I knew "les Choéphores" from the old Markevitch recording on DGG and was mightily nervous and intrigued to discover the rest of this , nearly three hour long mammoth score.
I was -at least- deeply impressed by the sheer physical efforts of all the musicians involved. The choral soprano's have incredibly high lying parts, Pallas Athena (sung by three singers) has an equally difficult (ungrateful) part and the orchestra (including 13 percussion players) underlined every move of the chilling tragedy.
During an interval I noticed some unease in the Koncertgebouw. Some ushers were listening to small portable radios... that afternoon the
UEFA Euro 1988 Final was being played in Munich (the Netherlands - Soviet Union). Tension was building up everywhere.
The last scene of l'Orestie is a huge Processional: Athena persuades the ancient Furies to give up their anger and be worshipped as benevolent and constructive forces of good. Milhaud unleashes a final mighty roar in chorus and orchestra ....
Dazed by the experience and with all kinds of images of hyper exited marching throngs in my head...I was swept away by hordes of hyper exited Dutch football fans who ran in the streets, brandishing flags and banners after the 2-0 victory. Athena was not to be seen - Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten were the gods!
In only a few minutes time - getting from the concerthall onto the Museumplein ,it seemed as if that musical processional became a reality.
I will never forget that moment.
P.




NikF

"You overestimate my power of attraction," he told her. "No, I don't," she replied sharply, "and neither do you".

Cato

Quote from: NikF on September 06, 2018, 05:28:49 AM
^   I enjoyed reading that. Good stuff.

0:) Amen!   0:)

Quote from: NikF on September 05, 2018, 06:54:26 PM

As far as pop music is concerned, another then girlfriend walking into my (home) office, returning the track currently playing (Poinciana - Ahmad Jamal) on the CD to the beginning, then turning to where I was seated and with a serious expression on her little face starting to dance uninhibited and with increasing abandon, remains strong, clear, vivid, and I'm grateful.


Very discreet!  ;)
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)