Make Any Assertion Without Fear of Contradiction

[Turner]

Cruise tourists are generally ignorant and lazy, a burden to try to help.

[Karl Henning]

Everyone should own a gun.  Preferably two.

[Turner]

Spelling errors in geographical names should result in a week's prison sentence for adults.

[North Star]

Spelling errors in geographical names should result in renaming of said geographical names.

[Karl Henning]

There are no geogaphical spelling errfors.

[Spineur]

A spelling error turns Rasputin into gas Putin.  Or maybe it is just a question of language.

[Turner]

Pre-packed sliced cheese should be forbidden.

[Karl Henning]

Don't even start with aerosol cheese.

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[Omicron9]

Dvorak's socks never matched.  Ever.

[Omicron9]

Trump has only one testicle.

It's located between his ears.

[Karl Henning]

It's located between his ears.

Those aren't ears.

[Florestan]

Yesterday while driving I listened to Beethoven's 7th, live recording with Carlos Kleiber and the Bavarian RSO. Halfway through the final movement I suddenly remembered, and quite agreed with*, Weber's remark upon hearing it: Beethoven is ripe for the madhouse.

* in the sense that, this is indeed music that can drive one crazy.

And to think that 30 years ago this was one of my favorite symphonies. Truly and inescapably tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis.  

[zamyrabyrd]

Yesterday while driving I listened to Beethoven's 7th, live recording with Carlos Kleiber and the Bavarian RSO. Halfway through the final movement I suddenly remembered, and quite agreed with*, Weber's remark upon hearing it: Beethoven is ripe for the madhouse.

That is strange indeed coming from Weber. I would think that the 7th Symphony would be at the top of his like list.

[Florestan]

Don't get me wrong, Beethoven is and forever will be on my Top 10 list*. It's just that I much prefer his chamber and concertante output to his symphonies, and of the latter I much prefer the even-numbered ones.

* Although not the first and foremost, as he was 30 years ago. 

[zamyrabyrd]

Don't get me wrong, Beethoven is and forever will be on my Top 10 list*. It's just that I much prefer his chamber and concertante output to his symphonies, and of the latter I much prefer the even-numbered ones.
* Although not the first and foremost, as he was 30 years ago. 

I meant Weber's, in so far as he was a melodist, but nevermind.
My attitude towards Beethoven has changed over the years.
I think his best work may be in the string quartets.
I am not so sure about his fugal writing at the end of his career as in Op. 110 piano sonata (which I continue to break my head over) and the Grosse Fuge leaves me cold. In fact there are patches of his earlier piano sonatas that seem to me like filler. In contrast to a musician in a school where I was teaching, I don't think every note he wrote was divinely inspired. It's difficult for me to sit through 5 minutes of the Chorale Fantasy, for instance.
The 7th Symphony for me definitely emanates from Elysium, however.
The 4th and 5th piano concerti are very special and so is his violin concerto.
I appreciate deeply several of his violin and piano sonatas, and those for 'cello, especially the later ones.

[Florestan]

I meant Weber's, in so far as he was a melodist, but nevermind.

Well, I think Beethoven's 7th is not among his most melodious works.

It's difficult for me to sit through 5 minutes of the Chorale Fantasy, for instance.

Hah! I'd rather sit through the CF than through the whole 9th. 

Beethoven is the origin of much that was excellent in 19th century music, but also of much that was execrable.

[zamyrabyrd]

Hah! I'd rather sit through the CF than through the whole 9th. 

Funny, I know another Romanian who thinks this way. When I was teaching music history to high school conservatory students, I realized that the 9th Symphony first performed in 1824 was already a dinosaur, out of sync with the times. It really belonged together with the "Ode to Joy", to the revolutionary spirit of the end of the 18th century

Beethoven is the origin of much that was excellent in 19th century music, but also of much that was execrable.

I don't know about that. So much was different after the turn of the 19th century. Even Schubert who admired Beethoven, did not follow in his footsteps.

[Florestan]

Funny, I know another Romanian who thinks this way.

Must be in our genes. 

Even Schubert who admired Beethoven, did not follow in his footsteps.

Fortunately.

[eljr]

Trumpets are traders.

I know this is not something that anyone reasoned would take issue with but i posted it here for the challenged.

Hope this helps!

[NikF]

For the way most people employ it, the 85mm focal length does not make a 'good portrait lens' on a cropped sensor. And somewhat related -

- Flickr is just the Internet equivalent of a refrigerator door.