Vienna Philharmonic in Sarajevo June 28 2014

[french frank]

I listened to the twenty odd minutes of excellent introduction, including the contribution of Alan Little. I switched off a few minutes into the music - not my thing. It irritated and alienated me that this occasion was hijacked by the classical music minority mafia. It would have been more appropriate for a mass expression of world peace and fellowship to have featured popular music, in a Womad or Glastonbury style event.

Could you suggest a programme with the appropriate solemnity for the occasion?

[Honoured Guest]

Have a listen to the programme. It wasn't that sort of looking-back solemn occasion, more a looking-forward, peace and reconcilation one. Alan Little focused mostly on the war in Bosnia in the 1990s when the Serbs deliberately destroyed the Library and most of its historic books, in their barbaric programme of eliminating non-Serb culture and heritage in the Balkans. A potpourri of celebratory and joyful music from a range of world cultures would have been appropriate for this occasion.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

A potpourri of celebratory and joyful music from a range of world cultures would have been appropriate for this occasion.

Such as ... ?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It would have been more appropriate for a mass expression of world peace and fellowship to have featured popular music, in a Womad or Glastonbury style event.

Here we go again.

[BBMmk2]

I would think Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts, would hgave been a suitable work, for this occaision but the VPO, being what they are, probably wouldn't think of doing this, or even put it on.

[Zucchini]

...but the VPO, being what they are, probably wouldn't think of doing this, or even put it [Grand Messe des Morts] on.

Well, they wouldn't want to share the platform with riff raff extras would they?

[french frank]

A potpourri of celebratory and joyful music

"Rejoice, rejoice" to quote a late politician?

[BBMmk2]

LvB Ode to Joy? & put Bernstein's version and add 'Freedom'?

[french frank]

Isn't it rather like a mini-Prom? Everyone saying, Why hasn't it got this, that or the other?

[Petrushka]

It would have been more appropriate for a mass expression of world peace and fellowship to have featured popular music, in a Womad or Glastonbury style event.

Let's just be thankful we didn't get any of this nonsense, there's enough such tosh around as it is without any more.

The symbolism of the Vienna Philharmonic giving a concert in Sarajevo on this of all dates seems to have passed some people by. The shots in Sarajevo murdered the heir to the Austrian throne and took the Austrian Empire down with it. In the process it ignited a world wide conflagration the effects of which are still with us today.

It would have been even better if, in a very real spirit of reconciliation, on such an auspicious date if the VPO could have performed Beethoven 9 with a Serbian chorus.

[Honoured Guest]

Such as ... ?

The concert could have opened with Ena's unique rendition of On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The concert could have opened with Ena's unique rendition of On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.

In the never-ending battle against the Classical Mafiosi, this suggestion was more Catarella than Montalbano.

[richardfinegold]

Let's just be thankful we didn't get any of this nonsense, there's enough such tosh around as it is without any more.

The symbolism of the Vienna Philharmonic giving a concert in Sarajevo on this of all dates seems to have passed some people by. The shots in Sarajevo murdered the heir to the Austrian throne and took the Austrian Empire down with it. In the process it ignited a world wide conflagration the effects of which are still with us today.

It would have been even better if, in a very real spirit of reconciliation, on such an auspicious date if the VPO could have performed Beethoven 9 with a Serbian chorus.

[Sir Velo]

It would have been more appropriate for a mass expression of world peace and fellowship to have featured popular music, in a Womad or Glastonbury style event.

Quite right! Let's celebrate the mediocre.

[richardfinegold]

Quite right! Let's celebrate the mediocre.

I can see the program now

The Vienna Philharmonic plays Lady Gaga

Might cause WWIII.