tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post2150109872095075255..comments2024-03-27T23:06:03.736-05:00Comments on The Music Salon: Idola theatriBryan Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-37745507286507603752015-08-09T10:04:55.244-05:002015-08-09T10:04:55.244-05:00You bet! Because sooner or later, in order to make...You bet! Because sooner or later, in order to make the unworkable work, they will have to control the life of every citizen. And it still won't work!Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-63314000139552004452015-08-08T13:33:16.324-05:002015-08-08T13:33:16.324-05:00Communism was an interesting idea and I've alw...Communism was an interesting idea and I've always felt extremely fortunate that I never had to live in any of the countries that tried it out!<br />Christine Lacroixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02006109075551438090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-5332783199638308432015-08-04T09:22:51.622-05:002015-08-04T09:22:51.622-05:00My post may have been an instance of shooting flea...My post may have been an instance of shooting fleas with an elephant gun, but whenever possible I try to punch back at the sillier ideologies floating around the classical music world.<br /><br />I believe that Arvo Pärt does have a beard!<br /><br />Watching the video of the Tallis, in one shot it seemed as if one member of the choir, at least, was singing from what looked like the score: a very long system of many tiny staves. Choirs do usually sing from a vocal/piano score, but that would be awkward in this case.Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-35815341145329858312015-08-03T15:49:16.728-05:002015-08-03T15:49:16.728-05:00I tried to read that article too late in the eveni...I tried to read that article too late in the evening yesterday and my eyes had a difficult time making it past the beginning of the title, 'access all arias', which I still can't quite get my head around; glad you did. <br /><br />Will go back to the Bach Festival program-- one book for the entire series of concerts-- and read it from the perspective of 'sensible program notes?'. I recall lots of historical context sorts of details, and that Arvo Part has a long beard (am making that bit up); each one I read was by the same author. <br /><br />Toward the end of Lent I downloaded the score to Tallis's <i>Spem in alium</i> to try to follow along with different recordings. Had to use larger sheets of paper at the Fedex store because the print would have been too tiny for me to read otherwise. Do singers have scores with just their parts, I wonder....<br /><br /><br /> Marc in Eugenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04331547981498637474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-20483893334116315402015-08-03T08:55:55.806-05:002015-08-03T08:55:55.806-05:00Oh yes, it is very illuminating to look at life in...Oh yes, it is very illuminating to look at life in the Soviet Union. In some ways they were a musical superpower with great composers such as Shostakovich and Prokofiev. These composers found a highly appreciative audience. But this has to be balanced out against the appalling economic and other oppression that was also life in the Soviet Union. Shostakovich was nearly sent to Siberia for writing an opera that Stalin disliked. As a result, he never wrote another opera!Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-8862828658943036762015-08-03T08:05:49.664-05:002015-08-03T08:05:49.664-05:00One of my adult students is from Ukraine and exper...One of my adult students is from Ukraine and experienced life under Soviet domination. She said that though they were thrilled to be free from communist domination she still has wonderful memories from her childhood of the free music, art, and sports education that was available to all of the children. <br />Christine Lacroixnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-60721685180094118152015-08-02T13:27:51.072-05:002015-08-02T13:27:51.072-05:00Glad to hear that Gothenburg has good program note...Glad to hear that Gothenburg has good program notes! Regarding Sweden, I was just reading a very similar discussion the other day.Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-17829947535485389452015-08-02T13:07:40.396-05:002015-08-02T13:07:40.396-05:00Yes, when I read the quote I was thinking: These t...Yes, when I read the quote I was thinking: These things are distractions rather than things that enhance the experience. The music speaks for itself in most cases and the best listening experience comes from as little distractions as possible (this includes distractions such as coughs and various noises made by the audience (which are hard to get rid off)).<br /><br />Actually the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (GSO) has good concert notes in their magazine called "podiet". For instance there are concert notes for Bartok's 2nd piano concerto in one of the numbers and roughly 1/2-2/3 are about the music itself, the rest is mostly background information leading up to the work. From this example and other similar examples there's no deep background information unrelated to the music as in your example with Beethoven.<br /><br />Yes, I guess some government involvement in classical music and culture in general is needed. Some forms of welfare can probably be beneficial to a society, including things like state-funding for schools (including private options for those who want to pay) or free healthcare (including private options that are maybe partially state-funded). However, the big welfare system we have makes people dependent on welfare (i.e. lazy). Welfare should be used to get people back up if they fall on hard times rather than making it a way of getting an income. I've listened to an interview with Nima Sanandaji (Iranian immigrant who lives in Sweden) who argues that the economic growth in Sweden has in fact been reduced due to introduction of a big welfare system in the 70s and onwards. He argues that it in fact is the free market from the 1870s to about 1970 that allowed Sweden to become one of the richest countries and allowed Sweden to afford a big welfare system in the first place. Before the 70s the welfare system was relatively small but it worked better. Anyways, he has written several books, including this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scandinavian-Unexceptionalism-Third-Way-Socialism-Political/dp/025536704XRickardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08084578675339015204noreply@blogger.com