What are you currently reading?

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Finished Roughing it couple of days ago. It was an amazing read, even though, this being early Twain, some of the writer's views haven't aged well. Not always clear how much of this book was Twain's own invention and how much true. I do know that the main frames of this work are what really happened to Twain, but I cannot help thinking that some of the several anecdotes about other people were added in by the author to make the work more interesting.

[Florestan]

http://schillerinstitute.org/music/2015/murder_of_music.html

Compared to Lyndon LaRouche and his disciples, Rob Newman looks almost like a genuine scholar.

[Mahlerian]

http://schillerinstitute.org/music/2015/murder_of_music.html

Compared to Lyndon LaRouche and his disciples, Rob Newman looks almost like a genuine scholar.

Where do you dig this stuff up?  It reads like a screed from one of those cultish Ayn Rand followers or a conspiracy theorist who thinks that everyone is out to get them personally.

[Florestan]

Where do you dig this stuff up?  It reads like a screed from one of those cultish Ayn Rand followers or a conspiracy theorist who thinks that everyone is out to get them personally.

I stumbled upon Lyndon LaRouche and his Schiller Institute long ago, and it has been an inexhaustible source of fun ever since. Their outlandishness is fascinating in its own way. 

[kishnevi]

Henry James: A Little Tour in France

A bit disappointing, in fact: much of it a cursory description of Renaissance chateaus and medieval churches seen in the Loire, Burgundy, Provence. He doesn't evoke the human element until relatively late in the game, when seeing the Rhone approach and then surpass flood stage seems to have catalyzed him into paying attention to more than buildings.

[Christo]

[Jaakko Keskinen]

B. Traven's Treasure of Sierra Madre, the novel on which is based my favorite Bogart flick.

[bwv 1080]

I lasted through Napoleon then put it down, more my issue than the book's.  Some interesting personalities and family dynamics w/ Frederick the Great

[Christo]

I lasted through Napoleon then put it down, more my issue than the book's.  Some interesting personalities and family dynamics w/ Frederick the Great

Will be reading it next week during a sojourn in the German (lower) mountains, but hope that the story of the last emperor - William/Wilhelm - will be of some interest too. In preparance of our discussion of the book, my circle of friends plan to visit his final residence at Doorn in the Netherlands, where he lived from 1920 tils his death in 1941, and preserved all things Prussian dear to him (in a house that is kept completely intact as he left it, a true 'time capsule'). This one:

[Ghost Sonata]

On an Amtrak train, just finished Life and Death of Classical Music by Lebrecht.  Surely one of the most depressing reads ever.  For most GMGers parts of this book will not be news, though it's not unlike staring at a photo of a really bad train wreck, bodies hanging out of doors and windows, voices of anguish audible as is the steady drip of precious blood...  Of course, not everyone (inc. myself) will agree with the author (he's esp. merciless on Lenny and his "enthusiasms" - Nielsen and Milhaud are "underpowered").  The book seems hastily composed and Lebrecht has a predilection for focusing on personal foibles, but whatever its failings it is nevertheless well worth the read.  Also cleared-up many questions I had about who owned whom when and who distributed whose CDs in what country, etc.  The best and worst recordings are of course highly debatable and Lebrecht, to his credit, recognizes that.

[Ken B]

On an Amtrak train, just finished Life and Death of Classical Music by Lebrecht.  Surely one of the most depressing reads ever.  For most GMGers parts of this book will not be news, though it's not unlike staring at a photo of a really bad train wreck, bodies hanging out of doors and windows, voices of anguish audible as is the steady drip of precious blood...  Of course, not everyone (inc. myself) will agree with the author (he's esp. merciless on Lenny and his "enthusiasms" - Nielsen and Milhaud are "underpowered").  The book seems hastily composed and Lebrecht has a predilection for focusing on personal foibles, but whatever its failings it is nevertheless well worth the read.  Also cleared-up many questions I had about who owned whom when and who distributed whose CDs in what country, etc.  The best and worst recordings are of course highly debatable and Lebrecht, to his credit, recognizes that.

I'm curious about the 20 worst. One assumes all recordings of Gruppen are on the list.

[Ghost Sonata]

I'm curious about the 20 worst. One assumes all recordings of Gruppen are on the list.

Nope, far from it! (Though notably it doesn't appear in the Top 100 either).  Here's his list which he observes is "generally subjective (though augmented by consultation with many artists and producers)."

1. Bach: Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra, Heifetz, RCA 1946
2. Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Richter, Oistrakh, Rostropovich, EMI, 1969
3. Elgar: Enigma Variations, Lenny, DG 1982
4. Klemperer: Merry Waltz; Weill: Threepenny; Hindemith: Nobilissima, Klemperer, EMI, 1961
5. Mahler: 2nd, Maazel, CBS, 1983 (Jessye Norman has the unfortunate distinction of appearing twice in the worst 20)
6. Kreisler: Concertos in the Baroque Style, Vorhees, RCA, 1945
7. Schubert, Winterreise, Pears & Britten, Decca, 1963
8. Albinoni, Adagio, Pachelbel, Canon, etc. Karajan, DG, 1983
9. Jazz Sebastian Bach (U.S.: Bach's Greatest Hits), Swingle Singers, Philips, 1962
10. A Different Mozart, Dawn Atkinson, Imaginary Road, 1996 "sounds like the scores Mozart sold to Starbucks."
11. Verdi: Requiem, Fleming, Bocelli, Borodina, et al, Decca, 2000
12. The Jazz Album, Rattle, EMI 1987
13. Mahler for Dummies, Tennstedt et al, EMI 1996
14. Beethoven: VC, Kremer, Marriner, Philips, 1982
15. Weill, September Songs, various artists, Sony, 1997
16. Bizet: Carmen, Ozawa, Philips, 1988
17. Scorpions: Moment of Glory, EMI, 2000
18. Satie: Vexations, de Leeuw, Philips, 1977
19. Christmas with Kiri, Decca, 1985
20. Pavarotti: the Ultimate Collection, Decca, 1997. "Most odious of all was Pavarotti's duet with the dead. In the Ultimate Collection the great man took on a tape of Frank Sinatra in 'My Way'... A record of sorts, an indelible stain that will linger for all time on the voice of the century."

[bwv 1080]

Will be reading it next week during a sojourn in the German (lower) mountains, but hope that the story of the last emperor - William/Wilhelm - will be of some interest too. In preparance of our discussion of the book, my circle of friends plan to visit his final residence at Doorn in the Netherlands, where he lived from 1920 tils his death in 1941, and preserved all things Prussian dear to him (in a house that is kept completely intact as he left it, a true 'time capsule'). This one:

He got let off way too easy, should have strung him up in 1918. 

[James]

Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol 1
They were visionaries. Explorers. Imaginauts. They were Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. And like the Fantastic Four, they continually strove to overcome the impossible and achieve the extraordinary. Now, the first three years of their landmark run are collected in one oversized volume. This keepsake edition also includes all original letters pages and pinups, critical commentaries, a historical overview, and other DVD-style extras. COLLECTING: FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) 1-30, FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL (1963) 1

[asin]0785185666[/asin]

and ..

[Ken B]

Nope, far from it! (Though notably it doesn't appear in the Top 100 either).  Here's his list which he observes is "generally subjective (though augmented by consultation with many artists and producers)."

1. Bach: Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra, Heifetz, RCA 1946
2. Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Richter, Oistrakh, Rostropovich, EMI, 1969
3. Elgar: Enigma Variations, Lenny, DG 1982
4. Klemperer: Merry Waltz; Weill: Threepenny; Hindemith: Nobilissima, Klemperer, EMI, 1961
5. Mahler: 2nd, Maazel, CBS, 1983 (Jessye Norman has the unfortunate distinction of appearing twice in the worst 20)
6. Kreisler: Concertos in the Baroque Style, Vorhees, RCA, 1945
7. Schubert, Winterreise, Pears & Britten, Decca, 1963
8. Albinoni, Adagio, Pachelbel, Canon, etc. Karajan, DG, 1983
9. Jazz Sebastian Bach (U.S.: Bach's Greatest Hits), Swingle Singers, Philips, 1962
10. A Different Mozart, Dawn Atkinson, Imaginary Road, 1996 "sounds like the scores Mozart sold to Starbucks."
11. Verdi: Requiem, Fleming, Bocelli, Borodina, et al, Decca, 2000
12. The Jazz Album, Rattle, EMI 1987
13. Mahler for Dummies, Tennstedt et al, EMI 1996
14. Beethoven: VC, Kremer, Marriner, Philips, 1982
15. Weill, September Songs, various artists, Sony, 1997
16. Bizet: Carmen, Ozawa, Philips, 1988
17. Scorpions: Moment of Glory, EMI, 2000
18. Satie: Vexations, de Leeuw, Philips, 1977
19. Christmas with Kiri, Decca, 1985
20. Pavarotti: the Ultimate Collection, Decca, 1997. "Most odious of all was Pavarotti's duet with the dead. In the Ultimate Collection the great man took on a tape of Frank Sinatra in 'My Way'... A record of sorts, an indelible stain that will linger for all time on the voice of the century."

I can kinda agree on the Pears/Britten. The voice. But there is also a lot of musical intelligence there. Haven't heard the others.

I just had a fresh vision of musical hell:  Pavarotti sings La Mer.

[kishnevi]

Nope, far from it! (Though notably it doesn't appear in the Top 100 either).  Here's his list which he observes is "generally subjective (though augmented by consultation with many artists and producers)."

1. Bach: Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra, Heifetz, RCA 1946
2. Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Richter, Oistrakh, Rostropovich, EMI, 1969
3. Elgar: Enigma Variations, Lenny, DG 1982
4. Klemperer: Merry Waltz; Weill: Threepenny; Hindemith: Nobilissima, Klemperer, EMI, 1961
5. Mahler: 2nd, Maazel, CBS, 1983 (Jessye Norman has the unfortunate distinction of appearing twice in the worst 20)
6. Kreisler: Concertos in the Baroque Style, Vorhees, RCA, 1945
7. Schubert, Winterreise, Pears & Britten, Decca, 1963
8. Albinoni, Adagio, Pachelbel, Canon, etc. Karajan, DG, 1983
9. Jazz Sebastian Bach (U.S.: Bach's Greatest Hits), Swingle Singers, Philips, 1962
10. A Different Mozart, Dawn Atkinson, Imaginary Road, 1996 "sounds like the scores Mozart sold to Starbucks."
11. Verdi: Requiem, Fleming, Bocelli, Borodina, et al, Decca, 2000
12. The Jazz Album, Rattle, EMI 1987
13. Mahler for Dummies, Tennstedt et al, EMI 1996
14. Beethoven: VC, Kremer, Marriner, Philips, 1982
15. Weill, September Songs, various artists, Sony, 1997
16. Bizet: Carmen, Ozawa, Philips, 1988
17. Scorpions: Moment of Glory, EMI, 2000
18. Satie: Vexations, de Leeuw, Philips, 1977
19. Christmas with Kiri, Decca, 1985
20. Pavarotti: the Ultimate Collection, Decca, 1997. "Most odious of all was Pavarotti's duet with the dead. In the Ultimate Collection the great man took on a tape of Frank Sinatra in 'My Way'... A record of sorts, an indelible stain that will linger for all time on the voice of the century."

Eight of those--40%--are crossover CDs of one sort or another.  Well, for the rest, if he doesn't like Lenny's Elgar, that's his problem, not mine.

[Bogey]

Just finished the 1st in the Daniel Port series.  I read the 2 and 3 previously, but thought I would backtrack and fill in.  4 is in the mail.

[Christo]

[audio][/audio]

He got let off way too easy, should have strung him up in 1918.

The same would apply for many others responsible for the Great War.

[Florestan]

[audio][/audio]The same would apply for many others responsible for the Great War.

They were not only German, though. 

[bwv 1080]

[audio][/audio]The same would apply for many others responsible for the Great War.

but no one had greater responsibility, Germany knew issuing 'the blank check' to Austria-Hungary in regards to invading Serbia would lead to war with Russia.  Their strategic view that a war in 1914 was preferable to a later war against a Russia that was rapidly industrializing and modernizing its armed forces.