Richard Strauss's house

Started by Bonehelm, March 24, 2008, 09:47:19 PM

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kyjo

Hey, guess what, GMG! It's actually happening! I now have a Strauss avatar! ;D

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Quote from: kyjo on November 18, 2013, 04:10:25 PM
Hey, guess what, GMG! It's actually happening! I now have a Strauss avatar! ;D

Damn, you're crazy! ;) :D Who would've thought that both of us are actually enjoying Strauss' music?

kyjo

Quote from: Mirror Image on November 18, 2013, 04:11:56 PM
Damn, you're crazy! ;) :D Who would've thought that both of us are actually enjoying Strauss' music?

I wouldn't have put it past either of us! ;)

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Brahmsian

Quote from: kyjo on November 18, 2013, 04:10:25 PM
Hey, guess what, GMG! It's actually happening! I now have a Strauss avatar! ;D

Hey, Kyle!!  :) I called it!!  A few weeks ago.  :D  Well, John still has to change his avatar.  :P

Kidding aside, I'm happy you guys are revisiting Strauss' music.

Damn, I want that mega Brilliant Classics Box set.  ;D

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Quote from: ChamberNut on November 18, 2013, 04:31:42 PM
Hey, Kyle!!  :) I called it!!  A few weeks ago.  :D  Well, John still has to change his avatar.  :P

Kidding aside, I'm happy you guys are revisiting Strauss' music.

Damn, I want that mega Brilliant Classics Box set.  ;D

Well, Delius will be my avatar for awhile now, Ray. As you know, I love his music. :) So you don't own Kempe's set of Strauss' orchestral works?

Brahmsian

Quote from: Mirror Image on November 18, 2013, 04:41:32 PM
Well, Delius will be my avatar for awhile now, Ray. As you know, I love his music. :) So you don't own Kempe's set of Strauss' orchestral works?

John, I do own that set.  It is the only Strauss I currently own.  ;D  I've sampled a lot of other works and recordings from the library.

I know, I hope you keep the Delius avatar.  :)

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#307
BTW, I don't think I could ever love Strauss' music, but it certainly is fun revisiting it and getting my head wrapped up in his sound-world again.

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Quote from: ChamberNut on November 18, 2013, 04:44:15 PM
John, I do own that set.  It is the only Strauss I currently own.  ;D  I've sampled a lot of other works and recordings from the library.

I know, I hope you keep the Delius avatar.  :)

Well this is excellent, Ray. You should consider Karajan's recordings at some point. They're just as masterful as Kempe's.

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He's certainly a composer that's full of surprises. Just when you think you're entering into a passage that's completely banal, he breaks that passage wide open with some rather inventive harmonic or melodic idea. I'm thinking here of Burleske, which I'm listening to now. 8)

kyjo

Quote from: Mirror Image on November 18, 2013, 04:44:39 PM
BTW, I don't think I could ever love Strauss' music, but it certainly is fun revisiting it and getting my head wrapped up in his sound-world again.

My thoughts exactly!

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#311
Quote from: kyjo on November 18, 2013, 04:50:47 PM
My thoughts exactly!

Yeah, I merely just like his music. There are some passages here and there that have impressed me, but it isn't music that conveys much emotional depth. Not that this criteria to judge a piece of music but it does keep me from fully appreciating it. I think with music we truly love we have to be enchanted on first hearing and I remain rather indifferent to Strauss, but I'll keep my ears open to the music of course.

The bolded text is just the kind of opening thought I needed for my Delius article!

Brahmsian

Quote from: Mirror Image on November 18, 2013, 04:49:15 PM
He's certainly a composer that's full of surprises. Just when you think you're entering into a passage that's completely banal, he breaks that passage wide open with some rather inventive harmonic or melodic idea. I'm thinking here of Burleske, which I'm listening to now. 8)

John, Burleske is a great piece!  :)  Have you heard Panathenäenzug, for piano (left hand) and orchestra?  Marvelous work also!

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Quote from: ChamberNut on November 18, 2013, 04:56:28 PM
John, Burleske is a great piece!  :)  Have you heard Panathenäenzug, for piano (left hand) and orchestra?  Marvelous work also!

It's next up, Ray! :)

Brahmsian

Quote from: Mirror Image on November 18, 2013, 04:58:31 PM
It's next up, Ray! :)

Cool!!  :)  Looking forward to your thoughts (positive or negative)  :D

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Well my reaction to Panathenäenzug is pretty negative right now as I'm just burnt out on Strauss for awhile. I think one of the problems I have with his music is it just doesn't seduce or entice me in any way. I also get quite tired of his overbearing orchestration. Yes, that's a nice brass line here and some nice string cascades there, but I need more from music. The enchantment just isn't there I'm afraid.

kyjo

#316
Again, your sentiments closely echo mine, John. I just finished listening to Ein Heldenleben and while I very much like the opening and the battle section, my interest waned in several other parts. If I recall correctly, this was the work that "turned me off" to Strauss in the first place. I wouldn't regard it as one of Strauss' better works and I think the earlier Don Juan is a much more compelling work overall. Up next on the chopping block for me are Eine Alpensinfonie, Symphonia Domestica, and Burleske. I'll be keeping my Strauss avatar unless my reactions to those works are also lukewarm, though.

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#317
Quote from: kyjo on November 18, 2013, 05:51:14 PM
Again, your sentiments closely echo mine, John. I just finished listening to Ein Heldenleben and while I very much like the opening and the battle section, my interest waned in several other parts. If I recall correctly, this was the work that "turned me off" to Strauss in the first place. I wouldn't regard it as one of Strauss' better works and I think the earlier Don Juan is a much more compelling work overall. Up next on the chopping block for me are Eine Alpensinfonie, Symphonia Domestica, and Burleske.

I never thought highly of Ein Heldenleben. I always thought it to be an overall weak work without much going for it. Again, the orchestration is top-notch but just over-the-top as I have found in so much of Strauss' music when I was listening to it years ago. Orchestration doesn't equal quality music. I mean Ravel was a magnificent orchestrator but, while his music can dazzle the listener, there are these moments in his music where a heart seems to be revealed or at least in some fragmentary sound bite, but it's still something to quickly latch onto. With Strauss, on the other hand, I have nothing to latch onto and there aren't many moments where he let his guard down to really let the listener access the music in some way. Of course, this isn't Strauss' fault and these are merely my own shortcomings in regard to listening to his music, but I'm finding myself not being swept away by the music in any way.

kyjo

Quote from: Mirror Image on November 18, 2013, 05:59:13 PM
I never thought highly of Ein Heldenleben. I always thought it to be an overall weak work without much going for it. Again, the orchestration is top-notch but just over-the-top as I have found in so much of Strauss' music when I was listening to it years ago. Orchestration doesn't equal quality music. I mean Ravel was a magnificent orchestrator but, while his music can dazzle the listener, there are these moments in his music where a heart seems to be revealed or at least in some fragmentary sound bite, but it's still something to quickly latch onto. With Strauss, on the other hand, I have nothing to latch onto and there aren't many moments where he let his guard down to really let the listener access the music in some way. Of course, this isn't Strauss' fault and these are merely my own shortcomings in regard to listening to his music, but I'm finding myself not being swept away by the music in any way.

I hate sounding like a broken record, but you are spot-on, my man! :)

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Quote from: kyjo on November 18, 2013, 06:02:10 PM
I hate sounding like a broken record, but you are spot-on, my man! :)

:D