Music that excites audiences and bores players

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  • Ariosto

    #16
    Originally posted by Caliban View Post
    In my limited experience, orchestras are pretty cynical about British music. A friend who played front desk fiddle for one of the London orchestras suggested that competition was heated when it came to trying not to have to play the Three Choirs Festival. He had failed to avoid it the year I went, and I remember he and colleagues being very very withering about Bax's 'Garden of Fand' (I think they had found an obscene variant of the title, but I can't remember it - not that I could post it if I could ) and the V-W 'Sea Symphony'. The second of those certainly excites me.

    And my personal highspot was playing in 'Serenade to Music' (in the presence of Ursula V-W in fact) and I found it very very moving, I was in positively cavatina-esque raptures... Well, almost.
    I once changed the title in the Planets from "Venus, bringer of love" to ... well, I'd better not say. It was enough to make the front desk nearly collapse in the concert, and Boult wondered what the hell was going on.

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    • Nick Armstrong
      Host
      • Nov 2010
      • 26575

      #17
      Originally posted by Ariosto View Post
      I once changed the title in the Planets from "Venus, bringer of love" to ... well, I'd better not say. It was enough to make the front desk nearly collapse in the concert, and Boult wondered what the hell was going on.


      Your final clause turns a good story into a great one (and a magnificent name-drop into the bargain)
      "...the isle is full of noises,
      Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
      Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
      Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."

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      • VodkaDilc

        #18
        There must be plenty of examples of music which excites the players but bores the audience. For example, virtually the whole Piano Duet repertoire!!

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        • ardcarp
          Late member
          • Nov 2010
          • 11102

          #19
          I would imagine the trumpet and timpani parts in many Mozart and Haydn symhonies are very boring. I mean you're only playing two or three different notes throughout, aren't you?
          Now therein lies a nice distinction between amateur and pro players! The conductor of an amateur orchestra rehearsing, say, a Haydn symphony will constantly be aware of how little his trumpets have to do (ie playing very few different notes amd sitting out whole movements) and will be worried about them being bored. He need have no worries about the pros. They will be paid, per note, at about 10,000 times the rate of the 1st violins.

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          • Pabmusic
            Full Member
            • May 2011
            • 5537

            #20
            Originally posted by cavatina View Post
            To be fair, a lot of orchestral writing for the viola isn't very interesting-- but then, it's not meant to be.
            This is interesting, from Leroy Anderson: http://www.pbs.org/sleighride/From_Leroy/LA_Replies.htm

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            • rauschwerk
              Full Member
              • Nov 2010
              • 1482

              #21
              Originally posted by VodkaDilc View Post
              There must be plenty of examples of music which excites the players but bores the audience. For example, virtually the whole Piano Duet repertoire!!
              I know what you mean. However, good duet playing takes a lot of hard preparation which it doesn't always get. It's not necessarily the music that is to blame. I recently gave such a recital, and our performance of Debussy's Marche Ecossaise (the original duet version of which is rarely heard) elicited such cheers from the audience (which was not packed with friends and family) that I immediately wished we had placed it last on the programme!

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              • Mary Chambers
                Full Member
                • Nov 2010
                • 1963

                #22
                I suppose different things excite different audiences, and different things bore different players/singers. From my perspective as first alto in the choir for many years:

                I have never been bored singing Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Mahler or Britten. I would add Handel, except that I did eventually get bored with Messiah - though I came back to it, and do consider it great music.

                I have frequently been bored singing Elgar, Mendelssohn, Finzi and Vaughan Williams. There are certain exceptions in each case.

                I have always been bored singing popular opera choruses and Rutter. I also found Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms boring to sing, which rather surprised me.

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                • VodkaDilc

                  #23
                  Originally posted by Mary Chambers View Post
                  I also found Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms boring to sing, which rather surprised me.
                  But great fun to play the piano in!!
                  (Is there a first chord in any other piece which is so instantly recognisable?)

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                  • rauschwerk
                    Full Member
                    • Nov 2010
                    • 1482

                    #24
                    Gorecki's Totus Tuus is, I am reliably informed, desperately boring for the second altos who have long stretches of E flats in uninteresting rhythms.

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