Classical Music Torture?

[Mirror Image]

I'm more into the French (too many to name), Russians (Stravinsky, Glazunov) , American (eg Ives, Cowell, Cage), Austrian (eg Webern, Haas) and Hungarian (eg Bartok, Ligeti), interesting! 

Of Course there is also Schoenberg and Stockhausen 

Your choice of Glazunov is a strange one, but we all have own lists of favorites of course.

[Androcles]

Surely Morton Feldman or other minimalism or even someone like Sorabji would probably be the best kind of music to have in the situation posed (purgatory).

Worst would be endless repetitions of something by Johann Strauss I or II (assuming it has to be classical). The tunes, although infectious if heard once, would drive you completely mad by the 1000th repetition in succession.

[North Star]

I thought I'd put in an oddball, I like a few of his works, he's not a modern composer but he is one of the Russian greats. Of course I also missed Mahler, who's symphonies 5 - 9 (including Das Lied) really also effect me.
But it's starting to become a favourite composer thread, I apologise 

No need to apologize. And if some become annoyed by this digression into a GMG favourite subject - lists! favourite composers! - then we're still on topic, on some level.

As for the question - anything would surely have the same effect after a while.

[nathanb]

I'm sure I could come up with all sorts of extreme scenarios, google for composers that utilized farts in their music, etc...

...But I reckon a looped playlist of Puccini would kill me all the same.

[Karl Henning]

http://www.youtube.com/v/RdTBml4oOZ8

[Monsieur Croche]

http://www.youtube.com/v/RdTBml4oOZ8

Pavarotti + a microphone = a ham 'n' schmaltz fest, the schmaltz laid on thick.

Maybe something we can all agree upon?
https://www.youtube.com/v/-quQHNriV-Q

[Wanderer]

I'm not sure anyone has mentioned this but wouldn't no music at all be a form of torture, it'd be my soul ripped out of me then my body put through a shredder, to give a vague image of what it'd be like.
No music? then I'm gone

Then an eternity of Cage, Xenakis or pneumatic drills would be right up your alley.

[Wanderer]

An eternity of 4'33 jokes would be hell 


Though I'll gratefully take anything Cage or Xenakis any day 

God is merciful.  0:)

[Karl Henning]

Pavarotti + a microphone = a ham 'n' schmaltz fest, the schmaltz laid on thick.

You're welcome 

[Monsieur Croche]

An eternity of 4'33 jokes would be hell 

Amen! Brother and Sisters, Amen!

[Karl Henning]

Alas, it seems they just won't die off . . . .

[Wanderer]

An eternity of 4'33 jokes would be hell 

Or a hilarious diversion. Or part of the performance. 

[GioCar]

I also started making jokes on 4'33 but now I feel uncomfortable doing so, and also a bit annoyed when someone else does it.

A serious question for you guys: how many times do you listen to 4'33 in a day/week/month/year?

I do it quite often when I'm in a "right" environment or when I feel inspired to do so.
With a clock in my hand.

It's a great listening experience. It has always told me a lot on my listening attitude. Moreover, I believe it has somehow improved my listening skills.

God bless Cage for bringing 4'33 to the world.

I'd rather prefer jokes on the tons of junk music which is sold as "truly contemporary classical music" such as that by Giovanni Allevi. His music could be my torture. Luckily most of you probably don't know him.

[Monsieur Croche]

Alas, it seems they just won't die off . . . .

The folk wisdom on this has it that a wooden stake driven through the heart, maybe a silver bullet, or exposure to full sunlight would do the trick.

[Wanderer]

God bless Cage for bringing 4'33 to the world.

And not a second too soon (but several seconds too long).

[Karl Henning]

I don't want to leave another forum because of 4'33.
Even a conversation about how you may hate his prepared piano or aleatoric music would be more fruitful (even though I love a lot of that music)

Stick around!  Personally, I am quite a fan of the Sonatas and Interludes.

[North Star]

Stick around!  Personally, I am quite a fan of the Sonatas and Interludes.

I like them a fair bit, too.

[Scion7]

Okay, so if you were cast into a purgatory of suffering, where one piece of music was repeated back to back for ten thousands years, what do you think would be the most torturous piece of music?

I think Beelzebub would do a tape loop of Britten-Stockhausen - after which one would beg to be tossed onto the flaming brimstone as an alternative.

[Monsieur Croche]

And not a second too soon (but several seconds too long).

So, just which several seconds would you cut, or re-write ~ and why? 

[Mirror Image]

It makes me think though; Why are people so stuck up about 4'33 when Cage gave us so much beautiful and inventive music? (that actually contains notes!!!)

Not everyone has your same tastes. If someone speaks badly of Cage, don't worry about it.