Author:
Gary Blimp (Colonel, Retd.)
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 15:24:03 23/04/2001
In reply to:
Simon
's message, "Re: Pseudo-intellectual dirges" on 13:53:37 23/04/2001
Well, it all depends on whether we are taking the cogno-intellectual approach to our own pseudo-cognate preconceptions or the ...
No, I can't keep that going - although I might be better by the start of the season as I am attending a discussion evening with, inter alia, Susan Sontag in June.
I try my inadequate best to take most music at face value, and in recent years have encountered only a few glaringly awful pieces at the Proms. Then again, I haven't managed to get to that many shows, so I may have been fortunate. Some new works have been quite pleasant, even exciting. Although I try to keep preconceptions at bay, I will answer 'guilty' to the charge of now avoiding anything which was written by Birtwistle. I've tried, honest. My wife has vowed that if in the future we should be attending a Prom with Birtie in the first half, she'd give it plenty of sea-room and join me at half-time instead.
The only time anyone has tried to explain the attraction (?) of Sir H's music to me, it seemed to boil down to the fact that Birtwistle is a genius because he doesn't care what people think about his music. Any advance on this would be gratefully received, or direction to some instructional book on the subject, because I genuinely would like to understand the phenomenon.
I once tried to translate the programme notes for 'Exody' into English, but the ensuing headache was too much to bear and this project, originally a selfless act on my part I think many of you will agree, had to fall by the wayside.
On those occasions where the contemporary muse failed to impress it has been, generally speaking, a failure to invoke or communicate any sort of emotion or thought other than 'how much longer is this?'.
So huzzah for the approaching season and the opportunities it will no doubt give us for occasional discovery, but coupled with another huzzah for the music with which we are already familiar and which we anticipate as the return of an old and well-beloved friend.
Now, where's that mess steward with my damned pink gin, blast his eyes?
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
|
Feedback: 