Jocelyn Pook

[peterthekeys]

Did anyone else hear Jocelyn Pook's "We rode and we rode" on Record Review on 24/07? I just couldn't believe it. At best, it seemed like a very poor imitation of Steve Reich's "Different Trains"; at worst, it sounded like video game music.

Obviously, the memories of the Terezin survivors were harrowing. I'd just have preferred to have heard them without Jocelyn Pook's contribution.

Just my personal impression, and of course my ears could be on wrong.

[Serial_Apologist]

To the best of my knowledge Jocelyn Pook composes "nice music".

[jayne lee wilson]

Howsoever you respond, the JMI-Commissioned work is very deeply inspired and felt.....

https://www.thestrad.com/playing-and-teaching/jocelyn-pook-on-commemorating-the-children-of-terezin-through-music/13107.article

[vinteuil]

To the best of my knowledge Jocelyn Pook composes "nice music".

... and it's (painfully) heart-on-sleeve look-at-me right-on





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[HighlandDougie]

... and it's (painfully) heart-on-sleeve look-at-me right-on





.

Tsk, tsk! Uncharacteristically churlish - I feel the spirit of the (pretty dreadful) GB News hovering over such a comment. As Jayne says above, the commission may not please the purists ("Nice music", indeed) but that is not an excuse to doubt the sincerity of the composer. Shame on all of you.

[Bryn]

Tsk, tsk! Uncharacteristically churlish - I feel the spirit of the (pretty dreadful) GB News hovering over such a comment. As Jayne says above, the commission may not please the purists ("Nice music", indeed) but that is not an excuse to doubt the sincerity of the composer. Shame on all of you.

Sincere dross is no better than insincere dross, and that, (dross), is what I hear in Pook's output in general. It gives derivative eclecticism a bad name.

[HighlandDougie]

Sincere dross is no better than insincere dross, and that, (dross), is what I hear in Pook's output in general. It gives derivative eclecticism a bad name.

Ah, the judgement of Solomon. Not only do I sense the spirit of GB News but of Sid the Sexist. Whatever one might think about Jocelyn Pook’s oeuvre (and I suspect that she doesn’t see herself as the Elizabeth Lutyens de nos jours), my point was that it seems at best churlish to doubt the sincerity of her conviction in accepting the commission.

[vinteuil]

Not only do I sense the spirit of GB News but of Sid the Sexist. .

... Highland Dougie seems to have taken on the role of witchfinder-general

Perhaps I should stop having opinions or sharing them


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[HighlandDougie]

... Highland Dougie seems to have taken on the role of witchfinder-general

Perhaps I should stop having opinions or sharing them


.

I rather like the idea of being Witchfinder General but, given that I have no particular views about Jocelyn Pook’s oeuvre, dismissing it out of hand as “dross” - OK, but why is it dross? - or, on her approach to the work and commission as, “heart-on-sleeve look-at-me-right-on” - have you actually listened to it? - smacks to me of the “de haut en bas” aka “we know better” - and, yes, that’s your opinion - no problem with that - but I find it to be verging on the offensive.

[Bryn]

I rather like the idea of being Witchfinder General but, given that I have no particular views about Jocelyn Pook’s oeuvre, dismissing it out of hand as “dross” - OK, but why is it dross? - or, on her approach to the work and commission as, “heart-on-sleeve look-at-me-right-on” - have you actually listened to it? - smacks to me of the “de haut en bas” aka “we know better” - and, yes, that’s your opinion - no problem with that - but I find it to be verging on the offensive.

Which, is what I find Pook's music, in gereral, to be, for me, "offensive" to the ear. Gender has no role to play in this. It's a gut reaction to the music. I am with the sentiment attributed to Rossini re two kinds of music.

[Richard Barrett]

Sincere dross is no better than insincere dross

As Igor Fyodorovich once said, honesty is no excuse, or something like that.

[french frank]

I've just done a bit of research, listening (partially) to 5 works on YouTube which allowed comments/likes. Being objective, I wouldn't say it was dross or insincere, but judging by the massive Likes v Dislikes perhaps "If you like Downtime Symphony, Tearjerker &c, you'll love this." One of the videos of Masked Ball had 32K Likes v 940 Dislikes; Hell, Fire and Damnation had 7K likes v 137 Dislikes.

I wonder if the same person who commissioned Downtime Symphony &c and their presenters also commissioned this work (which I haven't heard), thinking it would appeal to a similar audience?