Post: #51

(01-09-2013 02:59 PM)Blaster Wrote:  For this reason it can be very enlightening to study the classical music forms and basic music theory principles. Although being preoccupied with identifying forms and theoretical features will probably harm enjoyment for most people, a basic understanding of the concepts of harmonic progression, phrasing, key relationships, thematic variation and maybe polyphony can go a long way to helping someone understand the point of classical music.

...

I appreciate the background info and I dig that sonata you linked, but I think you have a different type of enjoyment of music than most people.

For me, music is 100% emotional. If I have to understand what's going on at the mechanical level to appreciate it then it's more of an intellectual enjoyment and not very emotionally stirring. Which is odd because I find some classical pieces to be some of the most emotionally moving pieces of music ever written, such as Mozart's 25th Symphony, the Moonlight Sonata, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Handel's Messiah. I've heard those performed live and I had constant chills like nothing else, totally blew me away.

I think modern rock, pop, etc bashes around emotions with a sledge hammer whereas classical musical taps into emotions with needlepoint precision and subtlety. Both can be powerful.

Post: #52

I have a tendency to use too many words. We probably don't disagree as much as you might think.

You probably have a built-in grammar for interpreting classical music. Many people do, often because they are surrounded by music written with mostly classical rules from a young age even if they do not realize it: movies, anthems, weddings, childhood songs and so on. It's much the same way you can understand your native (spoken) language without being taught the mechanics. Also, the evolution of western classical music might have uncovered a lot of ideas and patterns that speak universally.

But I think that some people hear even some moderately advanced classical music and simply perceive a wall of notes. They might have some vague sense of beauty or emotion similar to the way I could could read the emotion and appreciate the beauty hearing a young girl speaking French, despite my not understanding a word she was saying. One role of a musician is to interpret the music, so that listeners can feel the emotion of the music through the performance.

I know that in my case, while I always appreciated orchestral and instrumental music I never liked "classical" and didn't know much about the famous composers at all. It wasn't until I started learning about the details that I really began to love it.

Anyway if you'd like to hear some emotion in a classical orchestral piece and have about an hour, here's my absolute favorite piano concerto:

http://vimeo.com/18664336

Post: #53

ps some of you will probably find the pianist in that last link bangable.

Post: #54

(01-10-2013 05:29 AM)Prufrock Wrote:  thedude, tenderman, and everyone else,

How do you rate this performance?

I have heard about Trio Wanderer, but have never heard them.

Tremendous performance.

Post: #55

My favorite Chopin, Polonaise in F sharp minor, done by the great Vladimir Horowitz.





I have a version that Evgeny KIssin did at Carnegie Hall. At some point in my "relationship" with a woman, I will put it on, and explain to her how she should listen to it (most women know shit about music). Listening to this, nice and close together on the couch, never fails to get them wet.

Post: #56

This stunt wasn't a fair experiment. When people are rushing for work - they don't care about anything but getting in on time. When I am in a rush - you could stop me in the street and offer me a free car, and I would ignore you.

A fairer experiment would be to do this in a park at a weekend, when people have the time to stop and listen.

Still - I agree that alot of experiences are heavily weighted by our expectations and how they are packaged.

Just seems a shame that an important fact (people in a rush for work) was overlooked since it muddies the outcome.

Post: #57

(01-13-2013 05:13 PM)cardguy Wrote:  Just seems a shame that an important fact (people in a rush for work) was overlooked since it muddies the outcome.

It wasn't overlooked.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #58

Sorry - I remember reading this a couple of years ago. And I remember thinking the same thing back then. Maybe I missed something back then.

Also - I am no expert in classical music. But it seems like the difference in quality between the best violinist in the world and the 200th best violinist in the world (who I am sure is still very very good) wouldn't be that noticable to alot of people. Indeed - I am sure even the occasional expert might confuse the two.

I remember a newspaper columnist a few years ago writing something interesting. He was reading the reviews for a concert he had been to. It was a concert of piano pieces by Rachmaninov.

One influencial newspaper reviewer gave the performance a 5 star review. And the other gave it a 1 star review.

Indeed - a papaer I read used to collate different reviews from other papers. And I often saw things getting reviewed very highly and very poorly by different reviewers who seemed very knowledgable of their field.

So - to sum up. I don't think most people (maybe even classical music fans) walking by Joshua Bell would have noticed he was much better than the unemployed music graduate who may have being playing there (to give a hypothetical example) the day before.

Post: #59

(01-13-2013 05:16 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

(01-13-2013 05:13 PM)cardguy Wrote:  Just seems a shame that an important fact (people in a rush for work) was overlooked since it muddies the outcome.

It wasn't overlooked.

By this I meant the possible explanation you pose was addressed in the full article. Not many seem to have read it before explaining it away.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...01721.html

Starts out slow but a very good read.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling