Indeed, but completely unable to hear these great works performed. Unless the anecdote is apocryphal, didb't Schuppanzig have to turn him towards the audience at the premiere of the Ninth so he could see the applause he could not hear? Hearing it in your head is insuffiecient and cannot compare to the sublimeness of hearing a performance. Also, when you lose hearing you lose the perception of dynamic range. So Beethoven's true genius lay in his ability to inject dynamic range of greatest sublety into his works past 1816. After all, even though you may posess the same ability as far as hearing a work in your head you still pop a CD into your player of a particularly enjoyable performance. When I was in Italy I heard works I had never heard before by composers unknown but to the cognoscenti. Part of the enjoyment was the setting, the ancient instruments played with ancient technique, the beauty of the singers and dancers. I can imagine it all in my head, but would love to see it all again. The workshop was in a 12th century monastery. The singers were from a nearby academy in Modena, the dancers from Florence and the director from Rome. I especially remember the percussionist. He could do things with a tambourine I never thought possible. I would be quite dismayed were I to go deaf and never be able to hear any of that again.
Originally posted by scacchipazzoOh I totally agree. Nothing compares to actually hearing it live. And I much prefer a live performance to a recorded one. Indeed, I consider all recordings to be phony. Ideally I want nothing to come between the performer and me, including microphones. I want to hear it directly, not electronically amplified through speakers.
Indeed, but completely unable to hear these great works performed. Unless the anecdote is apocryphal, didb't Schuppanzig have to turn him towards the audience at the premiere of the Ninth so he could see the applause he could not hear? Hearing it in your head is insuffiecient and cannot compare to the sublimeness of hearing a performance. Also, when you ...[text shortened]... ible. I would be quite dismayed were I to go deaf and never be able to hear any of that again.
Originally posted by uzlessApples and oranges. Love both dearly. They actually influenced each other greatly and were well aware of what the other was up to. Indeed Othello fulfills the Wagner ideal in a completely italianate manner. Thank God for both these composers. Puccini was also heavily influenced by Wagner, but attained the sweetness Wagner lacked.
Two opera fans walk into a chat room...
Verdi kicks Wagner's ass. Ring cycle was not bad even if held in the testament to mediocirty that is the new OH in Toronto. It has to be the biggest glass display case for automobiles i've ever seen.
I will never forget when I heard the Beethoven violin concerto for the first time live. Had never even heard a recording of it and only read about its greatness. I can be sentimental and despite it being a student orchestra I almost reached the point of tears and was quite overwhelmed by the beauty before my very ears. That's the first time I thought with sadness of Beethoven's deafness. My next experience was hearing Fidelio after first only reading about it. That time I did get teary eyed, but not for me but the great one!
Originally posted by scacchipazzoYou sound like Solyeri describing the first time he heard a Mozart tune in Amadeus
I will never forget when I heard the Beethoven violin concerto for the first time live. Had never even heard a recording of it and only read about its greatness. I can be sentimental and despite it being a student orchestra I almost reached the point of tears and was quite overwhelmed by the beauty before my very ears. That's the first time I thought wi ...[text shortened]... first only reading about it. That time I did get teary eyed, but not for me but the great one!
Originally posted by uzlessSalieri, you mean. Totally unintentional. You do understand the reaction, though. Have you ever experienced hearing a work for the first time after only having read about it before? Antonio Salieri was actually a decent composer whose misfortune was being overshadowed by greatness trice. First Haydn, then Mozart and finally Beethoven. I would include Schubert but I would find it hard to believe Salieri would have been exposed to a Schubertiada and Schubert was largely unknown until after his death. If you so like Verdi and you haven't already tried the other great Italians then try Bellini, Donizetti, Bocherini, Monteverdi, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Puccini, Cilea, Giordano, Ponchielli, Boito. What a country of musical greatness!
You sound like Solyeri describing the first time he heard a Mozart tune in Amadeus
Originally posted by scacchipazzoWow! You actually mentioned 4 composers who would be an answer to a favourite trivia question of mine: Name an Italian composer whose last name does not end in the letter "i." Many people and even musicians are hard pressed to think of just one quickly. My usual response is Palestrina.
Salieri, you mean. Totally unintentional. You do understand the reaction, though. Have you ever experienced hearing a work for the first time after only having read about it before? Antonio Salieri was actually a decent composer whose misfortune was being overshadowed by greatness trice. First Haydn, then Mozart and finally Beethoven. I would include Sc ...[text shortened]... Leoncavallo, Puccini, Cilea, Giordano, Ponchielli, Boito. What a country of musical greatness!
Originally posted by AttilaTheHornGesualdo... Nono... Now try to find one that doesn't end in a vowel!
Wow! You actually mentioned 4 composers who would be an answer to a favourite trivia question of mine: Name an Italian composer whose last name does not end in the letter "i." Many people and even musicians are hard pressed to think of just one quickly. My usual response is Palestrina.
Originally posted by NordlysJean Baptiste Lully, Giovanni Battista Somis, Ernesto Kohler and Stefano Donaudy. Lully I knew, the others I confess i had to look up and had never heard of them before or heard any of their works. Gesualdo is great of the ones you mention. Nono I have never heard any works by and the 20th century bunch, with some exceptions, is a little too modern for my more classical tastes. I love Italy, as you could gather from my handle, and everything Italian. You must like music a lot to even know Gesualdo. I love those ancient Italians like Palestrina, Allegri, Caldara, Gabrielli. Lesser known composers like Mauro Guiliani have music of great sweetness and appeal.
Gesualdo... Nono... Now try to find one that doesn't end in a vowel!
Originally posted by AttilaTheHornSo you are more than just into regicide? Surely the divorce was not that acrimonious? If someone does not want you then you should just move on for otherwise they win by sticking in your mental craw. The sea is full of fish and ready as long as you have the bait on hand. A man of your gentility, and cutlured refinement could surely not stoop so low as to even fleetingly contemplate dispatching an ex-spouse?.
After my divorce, I decided that Gesualdo was my hero because he hired a hit man to kill his wife, the deed was done, and he got away with it.
Also bear in mind Gesualdo subsequently lived a tortured life fraught with guilt and misery, more famous for his murder than for his art. Pretty creepy hero!
Originally posted by scacchipazzoOf course, I intended my last post to be humorous, nothing more. However, I have not seen my now 26-year-old daughter in 22 years and it's impossible to let go of that. Believe me, I've consulted a ton of psychologists and psychiatrists on this, and I don;'t think they know anything. They have not helped at all. Why my wife did that is a total mystery to me. Lawyers accomplished absolutely nothing. Court orders for access to children are not worth the paper they're written on, and I have had no idea where she is living since she was three.
So you are more than just into regicide? Surely the divorce was not that acrimonious? If someone does not want you then you should just move on for otherwise they win by sticking in your mental craw. The sea is full of fish and ready as long as you have the bait on hand. A man of your gentility, and cutlured refinement could surely not stoop so low as to even fleetingly contemplate dispatching an ex-spouse?