The most boring music you've heard

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

That said I think Act II of Tristan und Isolde may be the most boring music I have ever heard. Wagner is clearly trying to sustain tension throughout the entire act, supposedly in imitation of a lengthy sexual encounter or something, and therefore it's supposed to be excruciating and give us a truly insatiable desire for the resolution, but for me it crossed the line into tiresome and manipulative very quickly. Still had to hear the whole thing because I had to write a paper about it. :')

......................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Come on! Act II of T&I is pretty much the most engaging thing Wagner wrote!

[zamyrabyrd]

Most of CPE Bach, his Dad was NOT boring, though!

[GioCar]

......................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Come on! Act II of T&I is pretty much the most engaging thing Wagner wrote!

+1!!!!!

Together with Act I & III and:
- Act II of Die Walküre (but also Act III & I)
- Act III of Götterdämmerung (but also Act II, the Prologue and Act I)
- The entire Das Rheingold
- Act III of Siegried (but also Act I & II)
- Act III of Die Meistersinger (but also Act II & I)
- Act II of Parsifal (but also Act I & III)
- Act I of Lohengrin (but also Act II & III)
- The entire Der fliegende Holländer
- Act III of Tannhäuser (but also Act I & II) regardless the version.

Rienzi is a bit less engaging (just a bit), Die Feen & Das Liebesverbot are ok.

[Biffo]

Zelenka wrote a ton of sacred music, so I imagine some of it is not up to his best.  I have not explored his sacred music very much, but decades ago I was entranced by his Missa dei Filii.  This recording my have been surpassed since then:

[asin] B008FIED1G[/asin]

I have the disc (and another Zelenka mass) you mention as part of a box set of Bernius from Sony. I was loaned the set and only listened to what interested me, later I was given it as a gift so perhaps I will have to investigate the masses. Thanks also to Baron Scarpia, the recommendation looks promising.

Re. Biber: I suppose I should have checked the album in question, it is actually a Requiem for Biber, a compilation put together by Paul McCreesh for the 300th anniversary of the death of Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704). The album contains Biber's Requiem ex F con terza minore embedded in it. In any case I found the disc grindingly dull and didn't even make it to the end. The album concludes with a short piece by Lassus which I should really check out some time.

[Que]

I have the disc (and another Zelenka mass) you mention as part of a box set of Bernius from Sony. I was loaned the set and only listened to what interested me, later I was given it as a gift so perhaps I will have to investigate the masses. Thanks also to Baron Scarpia, the recommendation looks promising.

Re. Biber: I suppose I should have checked the album in question, it is actually a Requiem for Biber, a compilation put together by Paul McCreesh for the 300th anniversary of the death of Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704). The album contains Biber's Requiem ex F con terza minore embedded in it. In any case I found the disc grindingly dull and didn't even make it to the end. The album concludes with a short piece by Lassus which I should really check out some time.

As a general rule (there are always exceptions): try to avoid British performances of German(ic) choral music...
Definitely boring....   I know I'm going to be crucified for this, since people adore their McCreesh, Parrott, King, Christophers, and what have you more, doing "everything" ranging from Lassus, Victoria, Monteverdi, Bach and Vivaldi to music by their grandmother, but there you go... 

Zelenka is actually, besides JS and Vivaldi, a very original and exciting Baroque composer! 

As to choral performances that do the music justice:
The Collegium Vocale 1704 under Václav Luks did a terrific recording on Zig-Zag Territoires and now an entire Zelenka series on Accent.
Ensemble Inégal under Adam Viktoria (on the Czech label Nibiru)
Musica Florea under Stryncl (Supraphon)
Kammerchor & Barockorchester Stuttgart under Frieder Bernius (a whole series on Carus)

My favourites are Václav Luks and Adam Viktoria and their ensembles, with Luks egging on the "excitement" a bit more, and Adam a bit more sensitive.

Q

[ritter]

+1!!!!!

Together with Act I & III and:
- Act II of Die Walküre (but also Act III & I)
- Act III of Götterdämmerung (but also Act II, the Prologue and Act I)
- The entire Das Rheingold
- Act III of Siegried (but also Act I & II)
- Act III of Die Meistersinger (but also Act II & I)
- Act II of Parsifal (but also Act I & III)
- Act I of Lohengrin (but also Act II & III)
- The entire Der fliegende Holländer
- Act III of Tannhäuser (but also Act I & II) regardless the version.

Rienzi is a bit less engaging (just a bit), Die Feen & Das Liebesverbot are ok.

That leaves the Kinderkatechismus, which is too short to bore anyone. 

I agree with your list, but must admit I'm not that fond of Lohengrin (which, between you and me, I do find has its longueurs... ).

TD:

Most of Johannes Brahms's music bores me to tears. It's strange, because looking at it "objectively", his music has many of the components that should make me admire it, and yet, I find it insufferable...

[North Star]

Boring? I think not...
https://www.youtube.com/v/sCa568QWzgo

[Biffo]

I should mention again that the Zelenka disc was a Hyperion release and the artists were Robert King and the Kings Consort - an ensemble I have found to be dull in Purcell, one of my favourite composers. Given the general enthusiasm for Zeleka perhaps I should try him again.

[Karl Henning]

I think because of all those complete this and complete that recordings filling up boxes of 80 minute CDs, people may be forcing Bach on themselves in a way Bach never intended.

Something to that.

Although, I do really like having the Cantatas on a thumb drive in the car, available whenever I want to (to borrow from our Jens) dip my ears.

[North Star]

I should mention again that the Zelenka disc was a Hyperion release and the artists were Robert King and the Kings Consort - an ensemble I have found to be dull in Purcell, one of my favourite composers. Given the general enthusiasm for Zeleka perhaps I should try him again.

Good idea.
Another suggestion, alongside with the choral stuff mentioned earlier.
[asin]B00TE1LWTE[/asin]

[Biffo]

Good idea.
Another suggestion, alongside with the choral stuff mentioned earlier.
[asin]B00TE1LWTE[/asin]

Thanks for the recommendation. Incidentally, I never suggested the Missa votiva was boring - I have never heard it - only the selection on the Hyperion disc. Also I did say that I was pleasantly surprised by the orchestral/instrumental music I heard on the radio.

[Karl Henning]

Thanks for the recommendation. Incidentally, I never suggested the Missa votiva was boring - I have never heard it - only the selection on the Hyperion disc.

May have been the one bad oyster 

[Que]

Thanks for the recommendation. Incidentally, I never suggested the Missa votiva was boring - I have never heard it - only the selection on the Hyperion disc. Also I did say that I was pleasantly surprised by the orchestral/instrumental music I heard on the radio.

It's too bad that the recording of Missa Votiva by Collegium Vocal 1704 under Luks is OOP, but I'm sure it will be reissued...
Always recommended it as a Zelenka starter.

Q

[North Star]

Thanks for the recommendation. Incidentally, I never suggested the Missa votiva was boring - I have never heard it - only the selection on the Hyperion disc. Also I did say that I was pleasantly surprised by the orchestral/instrumental music I heard on the radio.

Yes, I was just thinking of Zelenka in general. A bad recording can certainly do a lot of damage when it's your introduction to a work/composer.

It's too bad that the recording of Missa Votiva by Collegium Vocal 1704 under Luks is OOP, but I'm sure it will be reissued...
Always recommended it as a Zelenka starter.
Q

Indeed. Here's hoping they'll reissue the recording of the oratorio I Penitenti al Sepolchro del Redentore too. That one is on Youtube too, thankfully.

[Biffo]

Yes, I was just thinking of Zelenka in general. A bad recording can certainly do a lot of damage when it's your introduction to a work/composer.

Indeed. Here's hoping they'll reissue the recording of the oratorio I Penitenti al Sepolchro del Redentore too. That one is on Youtube too, thankfully.

There is a Supraphon recording of I Penitenti available from CDmusic.cz -

https://cdmusic.cz/en/old-czech-music/zelenka-j.d.-i-penitenti-al-sepolcro-del-redentore-oratorio-capella-regia-musicalis-%5Bid%3DSU37852231%5D

I have used this supplier several times and they are excellent for all kinds of Czech music. They have a fair selection (as far as I can tell) of Zelenka.

Meanwhile listening to the Missa Divi Xaverii from Collegium 1704 etc on Spotify.

[North Star]

There is a Supraphon recording of I Penitenti available from CDmusic.cz -

https://cdmusic.cz/en/old-czech-music/zelenka-j.d.-i-penitenti-al-sepolcro-del-redentore-oratorio-capella-regia-musicalis-%5Bid%3DSU37852231%5D

I have used this supplier several times and they are excellent for all kinds of Czech music. They have a fair selection (as far as I can tell) of Zelenka.

Meanwhile listening to the Missa Divi Xaverii from Collegium 1704 etc on Spotify.

Cheers. I think I've seen that before but have been skeptical about the performers, aside from Kozena.

[Omicron9]

Seconded.

Seriously, though, I think Dvorak's early symphonies are pretty hard to listen to.

Also his middle symphonies.  And the late symphonies.  His other orchestral works.  His chamber works.  The way he'd order from a menu....

[André]

Whenever I attempt to go through The Art of Fugue I feel like the old lady in Airplane   


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GxqgdU1QI5g

[Christo]

Most of Johannes Brahms's music bores me to tears. It's strange, because looking at it "objectively", his music has many of the components that should make me admire it, and yet, I find it insufferable...

Hah! A fellow cognoscenti! As much as I love Dvořák, I never came to terms with Brahms. Once locked myself a long Christmas weekend with nothing but his four symphonies, but came out with unaltered conviction: a bore. 

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

The most boring musical experience I've ever had was a performance of Rossini's Petite messe solennelle, in the stripped-down version with harmonium.

I don't know if this is good music, bad music, or somewhere in between. I do know I was bored stiff by the whole thing.