A new member (with ambitions)

[bassio]

Hello everyone, my name is Ahmed, from Egypt (anyone African here?). I am an amateur pianist and love classical music. I used to read the older forum regularly and loved the informative discussions .. and I recently found out that a new forum opened so I decided to register for an account. 

For me Bach is always the greatest composer of all. Everyday, I discover more of his genious works. My favorites also include Beethoven, Liszt, Rachmaninoff and Chopin ..etc etc

Currently listening to:
Bach - The Brandenburg Concertos (sublime)
Bach - Lute works
Beethoven - Piano Concertos - particularly no.4
Prokofiev - Piano Concerto No.1

Still wants to discover: Shostakovich symphonies - Mahler

I look forward to learning much more about music by following your discussions.

So how do discussions go on around here? Who does the talking?  Any fights? Any bullies? Any weapon-raising arguments? 

For years, listening to various recordings and selecting my favorites and comparing interpretations has always been a hobby of mine. So I decided to open a blog to write my reviews/thoughts .. but since programming is a hobby of mine [plus the usual disappointment with amazon reviews and others], I decided to open a new site which I hope will become a free educational resource for people on anything related to classical music.

The site will -hopefully- include an "open-source" (CD and concert) reviews section; anyone can join and add his reviews; but it will be somehow reviewed or moderated to avoid weak reviews or nasty comments and to maintain high quality.

And -to continue dreaming  - if the project succeeds - the site may issue a free online magazine too and maybe even compete with gramophone  . So if anyone likes to write reviews and wants to join the reviewers' board or is willing to contribute his reviews for free, or even just wants to check the site out then please tell me and I will send him a private message. I just posted my first review there.

_{[PS: I apologize, but I cannot mention the site on the forum in public for ethical reasons - (I am new here, and I don't know who the site administrator is to get his permission) - but I have no other way to get this over to you - so I apologize for the apparently blatant advertising]}

[Mark]

Welcome, Ahmed, from an outgoing (for now) member.

And yes, please PM me the details of this site of yours. It sounds very interesting.

Look forward to discussions with you in the spring of next year.

[Hollywood]

Greetings from Austria, Ahmed. Welcome to the forum. 

[Harry]

By all means send me the details of your site, and let me see all the fun you are talking about.
You landed at the best classical forum allready though.
Be welcome, and enjoy your stay...Ahmed.

[bhodges]

Hi Ahmed, and welcome.  Hope you get around to Mahler and Shostakovich soon!  (And just FYI, you can put your website URL on your "Profile" page.)

--Bruce

[Mark]

Ahmed, thanks for the PM. Expect to hear back from me in due course.

[greg]

Welcome, Ahmed!

you still have the Shostakovich and Mahler symphonies ahead of you, eh? Now that's the real stuff 

[Keemun]

Hi Ahmed, welcome to GMG.   

[Wanderer]

And just FYI, you can put your website URL on your "Profile" page.

Indeed.

Welcome to the forum, Ahmed, and by all means do haste your way towards Shostakovich and Mahler! 

[bassio]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. 

Thanks for the suggestion, I will put my site in my profile page. I guess this will be acceptable.

And I am already taking your advice .. and yesterday I listened to
Shostakovich 5th, 8th
Mahler 6th

I feel the Mahler will get to me eventually, it is a great work; but the Shostakovich still did not strike with me.

The problem is, in fact the two (make that three) problems are:
1) I listen to too much piano repertory
2) I listen to too much Bach
3) I listen to too much Egyptian classical music

and especially for the third reason - which makes me not able to grasp some of these works

Eastern ears may differ from western ones 

[Mark]

I don't think I've ever heard Egyptian classical music.

[greg]

And I am already taking your advice .. and yesterday I listened to
Shostakovich 5th, 8th
Mahler 6th

I feel the Mahler will get to me eventually, it is a great work; but the Shostakovich still did not strike with me.

oh, he may...... 
as for the Shostakovich symphonies, i like most of them, but i, too, feel that 5 and 8 very far from his best. My favorites include 4, 10, 11, 13, and 14....

[bassio]

I don't think I've ever heard Egyptian classical music.

Then, Mark, you are missing a lot. In fact I was also thinking of writing about that (introducing Egyptian classical music to western ears).

But to my loss is, all the recordings of this music date from 1900-1930 and then the whole genre stopped due to invasion of western standards / social reasons / other reasons which I would not discuss right now.

In the near future I will make sure you will get introduced to this marvelous music.

[bassio]

oh, he may...... 
as for the Shostakovich symphonies, i like most of them, but i, too, feel that 5 and 8 very far from his best. My favorites include 4, 10, 11, 13, and 14....

Yes 

But don't you like the final blow in the last movement, sends shivers through your spine.
I guess this is the most desperate ending I will hear in anything.

[Harry]

Then, Mark, you are missing a lot. In fact I was also thinking of writing about that (introducing Egyptian classical music to western ears).

But to my loss is, all the recordings of this music date from 1900-1930 and then the whole genre stopped due to invasion of western standards / social reasons / other reasons which I would not discuss right now.

In the near future I will make sure you will get introduced to this marvelous music.

Count me in as well, for I know quite a lot of Egyptian music, that is, I heard a lot of it, due to a friend that has a lot of recordings on tape.
He was born in Cairo, and his father was a classical musician.

[greg]

But don't you like the final blow in the last movement, sends shivers through your spine.

not only that, but it also makes me jump every time! (no matter how prepared i am)

I guess this is the most desperate ending I will hear in anything.

yep, that AND a few of his other symphonies, specifically 2 and 9....


btw, i'd be interested in Egyptian classical music, too. Haven't heard any of it.

[bassio]

So, I see there are many of you who would like to get to know Egyptian classical music. I am flattered. But I remind you that 90% of it is vocal.
(and it is the main reason I am not a big fan of opera .. what canI do? - when you can get modulations in a piece of 10 to 15 minutes that can supersede those of an entire opera of 3 or more hours)

not only that, but it also makes me jump every time! (no matter how prepared i am)

Yes, strangely enough I was going to mention the same thing. 

I was just thinking the other day while I was listening to this, that if I was the conductor, I will try to preplan it somehow with the orchestra to play the bang with a very small sign from me not visible to the audience, without a huge or sudden gesture.

This will make the chill make it through even for those who think they are smart and can guess it coming.  And it will be a complete horror for the uninitiated