David Hurwitz

[Madiel]

Oh no, I'm certainly not saying it's all bad. The ones reviewing the best recordings of a work or set of works (and which ones to avoid) are genuinely useful, because that's pretty much what they are: reviews. I admit to often fast forwarding parts of them if I don't have patience for the asides, but the basic information in those videos is helpful in making decisions about purchases.

But that's my point: he has some categories of videos that have a long-term purpose. He has other categories that seem to serve little long-term purpose.

[Todd]

Creating YouTube content is free and available to all.  Perhaps someone here could start his or her own YouTube channel to show everyone how it's done.  Just click the camera icon in the upper right corner.

[Brian]

But in reality the concert repertoire has changed, but DH doesn't seem to know.

I'm not sure I understand this comment. Of course, I didn't watch the 1953 video. To my knowledge, DH's primary recurring complaints about concert repertoire are (a) no room for mini-concerto-like solo works of 15 minutes or so, except Rhapsody in Blue; (b) quiet endings doom pieces to be played less often; and (c) not enough of the obscure overwrought late romantic sludge he has a personal fondness for.

I'd also point out that the concert repertoires in the US and Europe are substantially different. We're about 15 years "behind" on adoption of works into the canon; Martinu is just gaining acceptance now, and Weinberg is still unknown, to cite two composers who are now in the Euro mainstream.

[Karl Henning]

As long as you click he's getting paid.

Whatever he's doing, he's succeeded in monetizing it.

[DavidW]

Creating YouTube content is free and available to all.  Perhaps someone here could start his or her own YouTube channel to show everyone how it's done.  Just click the camera icon in the upper right corner.

I took a stab at a booktube channel last summer.  What I learned from it is that if you don't create at least some idea of a script and do some editing you can end up blathering, exactly like how people describe some of Hurwitz' less inspired videos.

If any of you make a channel, I for one would watch it.  Especially if the videos are 5-10 minutes long.  Hurwitz' videos are too long and meandering for me to bother.

[Karl Henning]

Yes, peeps still go to Beethoven concerts, and rightly so. But in reality the concert repertoire has changed, but DH doesn't seem to know. And he knows the people who are watching his vids don't know. Because they're watching DH instead of going to concerts.

That's the whole point. Same with Lebrecht: "classical music is dying! Don't go, watch me instead!"

Seventy years ago (1950) nobody was making a name performing Mahler or DSCH, to mention two obvious names.

Tangentially, I was interested to learn yesterday that Mitropoulos' recording of the Mahler First was the very first (in 1940 with Minnesota)

[Karl Henning]

I took a stab at a booktube channel last summer.  What I learned from it is that if you don't create at least some idea of a script and do some editing you can end up blathering, exactly like how people describe some of Hurwitz' less inspired videos.

If any of you make a channel, I for one would watch it.  Especially if the videos are 5-10 minutes long.  Hurwitz' videos are too long and meandering for me to bother.

This thread is probably all the Hurwitz-founded content I require ....

[Todd]

I took a stab at a booktube channel last summer.  What I learned from it is that if you don't create at least some idea of a script and do some editing you can end up blathering, exactly like how people describe some of Hurwitz' less inspired videos.

Some YouTubers do well with a free form approach, but the channels I return to most tend to be either professionally produced or extremely focused, not uncommonly on arcane (sub-) topics.  I haven't searched too widely for classical music reviews, though I have had the famed YouTube algorithm push a couple Hurwitz knock-offs.  Maybe target 3-4 minutes max for single disc releases, 10-20 minutes for boxes depending on size, and a max of 30 minutes for surveys.

[Herman]

If any of you make a channel, I for one would watch it.  Especially if the videos are 5-10 minutes long.  Hurwitz' videos are too long and meandering for me to bother.

And yet, almost everything involving talking on youtube lasts way too long. Forty minutes seems to be the bare minimum.
Podcast are by definition crazy long and very slow, too.
Maybe you're supposed to be braindead, or watching tv at the same time.

[Todd]

And yet, almost everything involving talking on youtube lasts way too long. Forty minutes seems to be the bare minimum.

This reflects the content preferences of one viewer only. 

[Brian]

And yet, almost everything involving talking on youtube lasts way too long. Forty minutes seems to be the bare minimum.
Podcast are by definition crazy long and very slow, too.
Maybe you're supposed to be braindead, or watching tv at the same time.

I listen to podcasts, and Hurwitz videos, while cleaning. Especially good when scrubbing the bathroom. Although there is a little bit of a Zoom-induced irrational fear that maybe Hurwitz can see me cleaning the toilet 

[Karl Henning]

I listen to podcasts, and Hurwitz videos, while cleaning. Especially good when scrubbing the bathroom. Although there is a little bit of a Zoom-induced irrational fear that maybe Hurwitz can see me cleaning the toilet 

(* chortle *)

[(poco) Sforzando]

I listen to podcasts, and Hurwitz videos, while cleaning. Especially good when scrubbing the bathroom. Although there is a little bit of a Zoom-induced irrational fear that maybe Hurwitz can see me cleaning the toilet 

He can, he can. (No pun intended.) Try him for late-afternoon naps. I've yet to find anyone so effective.

[Karl Henning]

I am inclined to agree with this.

Just the other day I needed some guidance on how to fit <some component or other> into <something or other> and in the absence of anything useful on the manufacturer's laughingly-described "support" webpages, I turned to YouTube, where the choice of assistance seemed to be between:

1.  45-second wordless stop-motion animations with a pounding music track;  or

2.  45-minute rambles from some hands-in-pockets backwoods genius strolling around his "shop" and spending the first 10 minutes greeting all his "fans" - who I will do him the courtesy of supposing are not entirely imaginary - except to add that I am not and never likely to be one.

Intelligent succinct informational videos?  Fergeddaboudit.

You're making me grateful for videos like this:

[Madiel]

Creating YouTube content is free and available to all.  Perhaps someone here could start his or her own YouTube channel to show everyone how it's done.  Just click the camera icon in the upper right corner.

I see your ability to be a jerk about people using a forum to have conversations about things is not confined to any one topic.

[Todd]

I took the Eloquence survey, and ClassicsToday and David Hurwitz show up three times.  Looks like Mr Hurwitz's opinion is considered important by someone.

[KevinP]

Overall, I like Hurwitz. When he's good, he's good; when he's not, whatever. He strikes me less as a professional critic (though he is) and more of a guy at the end of the bar in a pub I might walk into, a guy who seems like a windbag at first but actually turns out to be kind of interesting at times.


I only watch the topics I'm particularly interested in. Consequently, I haven't watched anything by him in quite a while. He's been running on fumes but will likely hit on some new series sooner or later. Now he seems to be throwing topics at the wall to see what sticks.

[Ockeghem]

My observations on Hurwitz:
Overall an engaging presenter and staggeringly erudite when it comes to the volume of music he knows. Can there be anyone alive with more knowledge of classical music recordings? He is particularly useful in exploring more obscure composers. His blind spots are often bizarre (eg he finds the St Matthew Passion boring, thinks Sullivan is the greatest English composer and completely misses the whole point about lieder) but we all have similar aesthetic shortcomings.
I feel his channel would be improved if he allowed more discussion rather than deleting anything which riles him.

[Brahmsian]

My observations on Hurwitz:
Overall an engaging presenter and staggeringly erudite when it comes to the volume of music he knows. Can there be anyone alive with more knowledge of classical music recordings? He is particularly useful in exploring more obscure composers. His blind spots are often bizarre (eg he finds the St Matthew Passion boring, thinks Sullivan is the greatest English composer and completely misses the whole point about lieder) but we all have similar aesthetic shortcomings.
I feel his channel would be improved if he allowed more discussion rather than deleting anything which riles him.

Welcome to GMG!   

[DavidW]

Can there be anyone alive with more knowledge of classical music recordings?

There are a few posters here that probably have.  I'm still often surprised by some of the very deep and broad discussions that happen here.  Welcome!  I hope you enjoy chatting with us.