In Tune

[Bryn]

I listened to the InTune highlights podcast featuring American pianist Jeremy Denk and was duly impressed, such that I wanted to investigate some of his recorded works.
Quick Google search however threw up the Telegraph's review of his London concert which was apparently 'unsatisfying'.

Anyone familiar with him and have any suggestions re. purchases/listening?

I denk you all in advance.

His CD of Beethoven's Op. 111 and Ligeti Études was my introduction to his musicianship. Strongly recommended:

[ostuni]

And an enthusiastic third rec for his Goldbergs: stimulating, quirky, beautiful. He's a wonderful writer, too - lots of good reading on his blog, think denk, though he doesn't seem to be doing any writing there these days.

[richardfinegold]

I have seen him in Concert twice, once here in Chicago and once while travelling in Philadelphia. I would not hesitate to purchase anything that he has recorded.

[Radio64]

Thank you all for your tips.

[Sharky]

I was inspired to finally register for the forum by accidentally listening to the first half hour of In Tune this afternoon.

The interview with the composer of tonight's live premiere was mainly about the name of his cat. The later article about digitising old recordings sounded interesting and I was excited to hear Louis Armstrong live in Manchester from 1962...for ten seconds before it was faded out. Then ten seconds of Figaro...

Presumably this short attention span nonsense must be motivated by some spurious research or other suggesting we can't possibly listen to anything longer than two minutes long?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Presumably this short attention span nonsense must be motivated by some spurious research or other suggesting we can't possibly listen to anything longer than two minutes long?

I doubt whether there's been any real research - just ill-informed assumptions.

[Don Petter]

Presumably this short attention span nonsense must be motivated by some spurious research or other suggesting we can't possibly listen to anything longer than two minutes long?

Welcome!

(But, we'd understand you better if you could break that long sentence down into smaller pieces. )

[Frances_iom]

this might amuse - a bit of Mickeysoft 'research' aimed at the advertising 'industry'

http://advertising.microsoft.com/en/cl/31966/how-does-digital-affect-canadian-attention-spans

One key point
Overall, digital lifestyles deplete the ability to remain focused on a single task, particularly in non-digital environments.
or as a commentator paraphrases it
While people could focus on a task for 12 seconds back in 2000, that figure dropped to 8 seconds in 2013 -- about one second less than a goldfish.

thus in-tune is merely going after the multitasking digital generation who like goldfish swim around in a confined environment into which they defecate

[Don Petter]

thus in-tune is merely going after the multitasking digital generation who like goldfish swim around in a confined environment into which they defecate

Hence the understandable interest in cats?

[Sharky]

Welcome!

(But, we'd understand you better if you could break that long sentence down into smaller pieces. )

Ha! Thanks.

(In hindsight, it was a bit of a mangled sentence.)

I grumbled a while ago to a friend who works in TV about the constant plenaries on documentaries. "We've seen how..." - yes we know, it was five minutes ago.

He mumbled something about short attention spans and channel-hopping, which seems like something of a self-fulfilling belief for broadcasters to hold.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I stumbled on the programme this afternoon, just at the point of the chummy handover. SR did his "I want to be popular" bit with the Hay-on-Wye tent audience. When he succeeded in this venture, the speaker grill in my car actually appeared to have a smug smile on it.

[LeMartinPecheur]

I stumbled on the programme this afternoon, just at the point of the chummy handover. SR did his "I want to be popular" bit with the Hay-on-Wye tent audience. When he succeeded in this venture, the speaker grill in my car actually appeared to have a smug smile on it.

I turned on roundabout then but quickly had to resort to one of the 3 CDs in the car. Blues and guitar solos from Lonnie Johnson, could have been worse! Definitely preferable to SR in live full-on audience-alienation mode anyway

[Padraig]

I think that if LeMartinPecheur et Eine Alpensinfonie had listened to the content of Tuesday's InTune they would have been pleasantly surprised. Lonnie Johnson would have been a welcome addition to the programme - as was Mary O'Hara, sans harp, in a vintage recording; but the quality and variety of the literary and musical talent in the tent was superb and Sean Rafferty was in his element in such company.

I hate to see Sean Rafferty disrespected.

[Tony Halstead]

I hate to see Sean Rafferty disrespected.

Indeed, so do I!
IMV he is one of the great 'professionals'.
Quite a few years ago when I was in Belfast conducting the Ulster Orchestra I was 'summoned' to the BBC Studios there for a 'live' interview with SR, however, the 'BBC taxi' that picked me up from my hotel was a few minutes late and - what with Belfast 4.30pm traffic, I ended up about 15 minutes late ...!
'Cooly professional' as always, SR played one of my CDs of the J.C.Bach 'Berlin' harpsichord concertos ( 15 minutes long) until I finally got there!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I think that if LeMartinPecheur et Eine Alpensinfonie had listened to the content of Tuesday's InTune they would have been pleasantly surprised. Lonnie Johnson would have been a welcome addition to the programme - as was Mary O'Hara, sans harp, in a vintage recording; but the quality and variety of the literary and musical talent in the tent was superb and Sean Rafferty was in his element in such company.

I hate to see Sean Rafferty disrespected.

I can only comment on what I heard - which was enough for me to rush to the off-switch.

And Tony, I don't doubt that SR is a decent and considerate person. But the issue here is the presentation style, and it's that, not the man, that is the main problem (though he does sound smug to me….)