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| Author |
Message |
| 16 new of 40 responses total. |
md
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response 25 of 40:
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May 26 13:47 UTC 1995 |
The current BBC Music magazine has a review of the new recording
on Deutsche Grammophon of Pierre Boulez conducting Mahler's 6th.
They give it five stars ("perfection") for both recording quality
and performance. The reviewer makes some extreme claims for this
recording. So, I went out and bought it. I've listened to the
first movement a few times, the rest of it once through. It's
been a long time since I've listened to my old Jascha Horensytein
[Horenstein] LP of the 6th, but it still sounded pretty familiar.
For some reason, the sonata-allegro form of the first movement
is more evident on this recording. It sticks to the classical
first movement form quite strictly, in fact, complete with an
old-fashioned repeat of the exposition. The development section
has some nice special effects, which Boulez has fun with. Boulez
makes magic with practically everything he touches, and this
symphony is no exception. The 4th movement is awesome. The only
thing I would caution about is that if you like your Mahler messy,
which I gather many people do, this recording is not for you.
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chelsea
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response 26 of 40:
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May 27 13:28 UTC 1995 |
Those who like their Mahler messy don't really like Mahler but much prefer
the Brits (Elgar and company). Now, these Brits spent a good deal of time
trying to follow the Austrian's act of writing music that slowly reached
into your chest and pulled out your heart, but, because they were English,
this had to be done while keeping white gloves clean.
So when fans of early late Romantic English composers need a new tune to
hum they turn to messy Mahler. But messy Mahler is not Mahler anymore
than elevator Simon and Garfunkel is Simon and Garfunkel.
Mahler T-shirts are now available at Borders.
Mahler's Ninth will be performed by the Ann Arbor Symphony on Saturday,
October 21st.
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md
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response 27 of 40:
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May 30 18:35 UTC 1995 |
Well, after Boulez, it *all* sounds messy. ;-) (Can you tell
I'm a Boulezophile?) I've been listening to the 6th nonstop,
determined to give it a fair shake. The more I hear that finale,
the more stupendous it sounds. Someone compared it to a novel,
which is very apt. The slow movement is lovely, if you completely
throw your brain out the window. (This is the one movement where
the BBC Music reviewer says Boulez gets "impatient," and no wonder.)
It's movie music, pure and simple, best suited to the kind of scene
which a certain type of person will sob quietly through. It's Mahler
being what I think you'd call "sweet," Mary, so I doubt if you'd
think much of it. I happen to enjoy a warm syrup bath every so
often, myself, so I'm quite fond of it. If nothing else, this CD
has shown me that a Mahler symphony can be simply entertaining,
something I had thought impossible. Now on to the 7th and 9th when
they're released.
Mary, I realize I must sound to you like the sort of person who
won't buy a particular brand of pasta - no matter how good it is -
unless The Merchant of Vino carries it. Sorry.
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md
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response 28 of 40:
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Jul 19 12:34 UTC 1995 |
I got my CD of the 10th from BBC Music. It's a live performance,
with several horribly poorly timed coughs. Loud ones. Did you
listen much to your Simon Rattle recording of the 10th, Mary,
and if so, what do you think of it? (The music and the recording,
I mean.)
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chelsea
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response 29 of 40:
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Jul 28 14:04 UTC 1995 |
It's been a while since I listened to the Rattle/Mahler10th CD, so
I'll need to give it another play before announcing how absolutely
amazing it is.
From the Summer '95 SKR newletter:
Mahler Anyone?
We are planning to establish
Mahler and Wagner clubs
this summer, meeting monthly
to discuss the recordings, the
music and the milieu...
If you are interested in parti-
cipating or have suggestions,
give us a call!
313.995.5051
800.272.4506
skrclassical@schoolklids.com
http://www.schoolkids.com/skr/
(psst: an aside. I just love watching trends become the norm.
When was the very first time you saw a telephone number's segments
separated by dots instead of dashes? I remember mine.)
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md
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response 30 of 40:
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Sep 9 16:20 UTC 1995 |
Ours is the century of co-dependency, and Mahler is its
prophet.
Mahler is the Sally Kirkland of composers.
After being sprayed with a Mahler symphony, you can wash it
off with some nice, refreshing Brahms.
Mahler always leaves the door open when he's on the toilet.
Mahler is the crashing bore you get stuck next to on a long
plane flight who, at the very instant you were about to snap
and tell him to shut the fuck up, briefly interrupts his
interminable monologue about the politics in his church in
Grand Rapids to tell you that he has a brain tumor and is
supporting an entire family of homeless people.
(Woody Allen) - (Jerry Seinfeld)
-------------------------------- = (Gustav Mahler)
(Claude Debussy)
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chelsea
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response 31 of 40:
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Sep 10 12:12 UTC 1995 |
Our tickets for The Ann Arbor Symphony performing Mahler's Ninth
arrived yesterday. Fourth row, left, balcony. We have tickets
for about six other classical performances this season but the
Mahler is the one I'm most looking forward to.
Just because Mahler doesn't work for you, Michael, is no reason
to be bitter. ;-)
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srw
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response 32 of 40:
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Sep 11 07:18 UTC 1995 |
Those snippets were truly random ... as advertised.
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md
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response 33 of 40:
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Oct 23 17:55 UTC 1995 |
The current issue of Fanfare magazine has a review of the
Boulez recording of Mahler's 6th. It would make Pierre
blush if he knew what interperate things are being written
about him. (Although he probably noticed that Grammophone
magazine named him Artist of the Year.) The Fanfare review
says that Boulez's forthcoming recording of the 7th is going
to be another one to run out and buy the day it hits the stores.
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md
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response 34 of 40:
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Feb 18 21:42 UTC 1996 |
I have a new CD: Mahler's 1st Symphony, Sir Georg Solti & the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra. A DDD disk with superb sound.
I hear for the first time the "Star Trek" sound people talk about
in the first movement. The reason I didn't hear it before is
that the last time I listened to this piece was 32 years ago,
before there *was* a Star Trek. It's an unnecessarily long
movement with lots of unnecessary repetition, but still fun in
its own way.
The "big jolly laendler" I mentioned somewhere up there, which
I've been carrying around in my head all this time, is as big and
as jolly as I remember. For some reason it now reminds me of the
scherzo of Brahms's 2nd piano concerto, with which this symphony
has absolutely nothing in common. Something about the movement's
general mood of good-natured energy, I think.
The slow movement is the Jewish comedian of the symphony. It
does indeed almost turn into a klezmerfest, as someone up there
observed. It's a fine, witty piece of music.
The finale doesn't do much for me, although that might change on
repeated hearings. Overblown Wagner by way of Richard Strauss.
The "joyous" "triumphant" conclusion is extremely annoying. It's
as Shostakovich says: "Our business is rejoicing! Our business
is rejoicing!"
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srw
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response 35 of 40:
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Feb 20 01:25 UTC 1996 |
I have listened to the first movement many many times, but I am not familiar
with ths "star trek" sound. Is there anything more specific you can tell me
about it? I have not heard of this before, and I'm curious.
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md
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response 36 of 40:
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Feb 20 14:00 UTC 1996 |
I *think* it's supposed to be the effect of the long-sustained
note and the theme that starts with a descending fourth, like the
opening of the old Star Trek series. I mentioned it only as a
curiosity, not that it has anything to do with the quality of
the music, or that it makes it more or less interesting. I think
people sometimes grab onto slight resemblances like that to make
something seem more exciting. I bet if anyone ever asked Roddenberry,
or whoever wrote that theme, they'd've admitted they cribbed it
from Mahler, though.
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md
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response 37 of 40:
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Feb 20 15:47 UTC 1996 |
Btw, even if do you hear the voice of William Shatner saying
"Space: the final frontier," it instantly changes to "Austria:
the final frontier" when the cuckoo and the hunting horns make
their appearance. ;-)
Off the subject -- I've never tried to hide the fact that my
reaction to Mahler is mostly visceral. I simply don't like the
late romantic German-Austrian sound. When Mahler departs from
it, or when I'm able to make the listener's equivalent of the
reader's "suspension of disbelief," I usually like what I hear.
Also, a radical like Pierre Boulez, who turns his back on nearly
a century of stereotypical thinking about Mahler's music, can
help someone like me understand why Mahler's 6th symphony is a
masterpiece.
Anyway, it always saddens me how much rubbish has been written
about Mahler's music (read Deryck Cooke's horrible book, for
example, or the liner notes to almost any recording), and I'm
sorry if I'm adding my own pinch of rubbish to the mountain.
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srw
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response 38 of 40:
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Feb 21 07:29 UTC 1996 |
Remarkably, from your description I can now hear in my head the sound
and make the connection to Star Trek. I am quite familiar with that
long sustanied note and descending fourth theme, but never put it together.
I'll have to do it for real next time I get a chance to listen to a recording
of the Titan.
I try hard not to read much about Mahler's music. Mostly I just like it
without thinking about why. Come to think of it, I feel this way about most
music. It's a rare piece of writing about music that I find worth it.
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md
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response 39 of 40:
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Feb 21 13:44 UTC 1996 |
"When a group of musicians are talking about Beethoven's 5th
symphony, there always comes a point when they stop talking
and someone sings, "Da-da-da daaaaah." The limits of music
criticism could hardly be better defined."
-- Igor Stravinsky
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srw
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response 40 of 40:
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Feb 25 08:20 UTC 1996 |
Well said, Igor.
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