The Classical Chat Thread

[Lisztianwagner]

Excuse my ignorance; I have heard the term but do not know what it means exactly (though listening to his overtures, of course, I hear them). What makes a crescendo Rossinian?

In the Rossinian crescendo, a theme is repeated for some lines, growing more and more in intensity and starting at the beginning with few instruments, which then increase progressively in number every time, to arrive at the climax of the crescendo at full orchestra.

[Brian]

In the Rossinian crescendo, a theme is repeated for some lines, growing more and more in intensity and starting at the beginning with few instruments, which then increase progressively in number every time, to arrive at the climax of the crescendo at full orchestra.

Thanks for putting it perfectly - maybe the most famous example starts at 4:52 here and builds to 5:45 (and then repeats later).

[Brian]

to give moderate pleasure to lukewarm folk

This is the most quotable remark anyone's made here in months.   

[DaveF]

This is the most quotable remark anyone's made here in months.   

Well, thank you, my dear fellow, but not half as clever as inserting a quote into a different thread - that requires serious IT technique.

[Papy Oli]

Menahem Pressler has died earlier today aged 99.

[Franco_Manitobain]

Menahem Pressler has died earlier today aged 99.

Sad news but what a long life as a highly accomplished artist.

[Todd]

Yo-Yo Ma Goes Underground with the Louisville Orchestra: Teddy Abrams, the ensemble's music director, has created a work about Mammoth Cave—and staged the piece inside its reverberating walls.

Yo-Yo Ma should garner eyeballs and clicks, but the article focuses on the history of the Louisville Orchestra and why Abrams is basically a perfect fit as music director. 

[Brian]

Not sure if we have any basketball fans here, but today the New York Times reported that Victor Wembanyama listens to classical music every night after 9pm to calm down after a day's work.

[ritter]

I suppose he'll find Strauss' Elektra particularly soothing... 

[Brian]

I suppose he'll find Strauss' Elektra particularly soothing... 

Speaking of which, the Dallas Opera is performing Elektra in early 2024. Perfect date night?   

[vers la flamme]

I don't know if this topic warrants its own thread, but it crossed my mind and I wanted to post about it, so here goes.

I have noticed that quite a number of great organists are blind. Some that come to mind are Louis Thiry, Helmut Walcha, Louis Vierne, Gaston Litaize, and Jean Langlais. Louis Braille, inventor of the Braille alphabet, was also a blind organist. This strikes me as a fascinating coincidence, especially considering that if I were to compile a list of the harder instruments to learn as a visually impaired individual, the organ would definitely be on it. Can anyone fill me in as to why there seems to be a tradition of great blind organists? What are some of your favorite recordings or compositions by great blind organists?

[LKB]

Speaking of which, the Dallas Opera is performing Elektra in early 2024. Perfect date night?   

Nah, I'd take her to a performance of Die Frau ohne Schatten, she might behave better knowing she could be replaced by a gazelle.

[Florestan]

I suppose he'll find Strauss' Elektra particularly soothing... 

I suspect he's more a Cecile Chaminade-Mel Bonis-Signe Lund kind of guy. 

[Mapman]

Here's something that, although I have visited several musical instrument museums, I had not heard of until today. The archicembalo is a microtonal harpsichord from the 1500s!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archicembalo

[vers la flamme]

I'm considering going through my music library and listening to every single 20th century violin concerto that I have: either that and nothing but, or say, one or two a day over the course of however long it takes me to get through them. Someone talk me out of it... 

Has anyone ever done this kind of concerted genre binge-listening? I guess the idea came to me after I realized how many great ones there are, and how not familiar I am with the majority of them.

[Karl Henning]

Why We Still Pay to Hear Classical Music Live

[Brian]

This will amuse some GMGers, particularly @Todd I dare say but also many others:

Today I interviewed a 94-year-old couple who have committed $1M already, and a portion of their estate, to a fund for commissioning new music for the Dallas Symphony. Their memory is starting to shrink down to their favorite oft-retold anecdotes, but I did get this one excellent story out of them.

Norma: Oh, there was the time we were all visiting the great violinist - oh - who was it?
Don: Oh, uh -
Norma: He was sitting in a chair, and we were all in a circle on the floor, looking up at him.
Don: Who's the great violinist? Name a great great violinist. The greatest of his era.
Me: Perlman? Shaham?
Norma: Older.
Me: Menuhin?
Don: In that class. That age and that class.
Me: Milstein?
Norma: Isaac Stern!
Don: It was Isaac Stern.
Norma: I asked him, what do you think of these young female violinists? There were two female violinists. It was the 80s.
Me: Mutter must have been one.
Norma: Yes, Mutter was one. And he said, "They're nice, but a woman will never be able to really play the violin." He told me that!
Me: By the 80s, he wasn't so secure in his violin playing himself!
Norma: But he didn't know it!

[Brian]

I'm considering going through my music library and listening to every single 20th century violin concerto that I have: either that and nothing but, or say, one or two a day over the course of however long it takes me to get through them. Someone talk me out of it... 

Has anyone ever done this kind of concerted genre binge-listening? I guess the idea came to me after I realized how many great ones there are, and how not familiar I am with the majority of them.

I'm pretty sure I did a 20th century piano concerto binge listen a few years ago. Another very rich field. Only a few months ago, I went looking on streaming services for nonets combining string quartet and woodwind quintet. Shouldn't be any reason why a "listening project" couldn't be a genre focus rather than a composer or performer focus!

We used to have a member named Don who only listened to Bach organ works for fifteen whole years, which is the standard you should measure yourself against anytime you feel your genre listening might be crossing the line into insanity 

[vers la flamme]

I'm pretty sure I did a 20th century piano concerto binge listen a few years ago. Another very rich field. Only a few months ago, I went looking on streaming services for nonets combining string quartet and woodwind quintet. Shouldn't be any reason why a "listening project" couldn't be a genre focus rather than a composer or performer focus!

We used to have a member named Don who only listened to Bach organ works for fifteen whole years, which is the standard you should measure yourself against anytime you feel your genre listening might be crossing the line into insanity 

I can only salute that level of dedication. In any case, I am sure there is quite enough in the Bach organ works to warrant repeated listening over such a long time span.

[Todd]

Norma: But he didn't know it!

Gold.