What music can you not stick ?

[Uncle Monty]

As it was an American teenager, it would be textspeak. I'm quite impressed he had heard of Tchaikovsky. When I mentioned Boulez's pompous attitude on the BBC Messageboards, someone replied that (s)he was going to get rid of his/her CDs with Boulez conducting. I wouldn't go that far, as Boulez is a fine conductor - misguided, but still good.

I think he was a she, not that it matters. I didn't want to name & shame.

I could be equally cross with Boulez for his moronic comments about Vaughan Williams, but I'm the forgiving type

His Mahler recordings I certanly value.

[rauschwerk]

Very interesting to have a player's viewpoint, Monty. The music of Tchaikovsky that I have played (piano music, that is) and sung has none of the features that revolt you. I had always imagined that the orchestral music must be rewarding to play, but clearly that's not the case.

[Barbirollians]

A very old friend of mine many years back said he would have given up his youth orchestra and done something much more interesting with his time as a sixth former - had it not been for the fact that he got to play that horn solo in the opening of the slow movement of Tchaikovsky 5

[visualnickmos]

...is there any real point in this kind of thread?

Here, here....

[visualnickmos]

...or is it "hear, hear...???? " never having been an MP, I'm out of step with archaic terms!

[Uncle Monty]

A very old friend of mine many years back said he would have given up his youth orchestra and done something much more interesting with his time as a sixth former - had it not been for the fact that he got to play that horn solo in the opening of the slow movement of Tchaikovsky 5

The only trouble I have with that is that Tchaikovsky clearly plagiarised it from John Denver's "Annie's Song"

Ignore me -- I'm just grumpy because I've learned I've got to play the ****** thing again later this year

[Suffolkcoastal]

In all this Tchaikovsky slating, it is interesting to note that one of his most ardent admirers was Stravinsky. I agree with Stravinsky and personally adore Tchaikovsky's music.

Of course for me my pet dislike is Mahler whose music I loathe, other intense dislikes include Bel Canto opera, certain contemporary composers such as Birtwistle and Turnage, and composers such as Rosner and Part whose music I find featureless.

Outside of classical music, I cannot abide, modern jazz, modern musicals they all sound like cliches of themselves, certain types of pop music such as chart dance music and R&B and my pet hate of all country & western.

[Uncle Monty]

In all this Tchaikovsky slating, it is interesting to note that one of his most ardent admirers was Stravinsky. I agree with Stravinsky and personally adore Tchaikovsky's music.

Of course for me my pet dislike is Mahler whose music I loathe, other intense dislikes include Bel Canto opera, certain contemporary composers such as Birtwistle and Turnage, and composers such as Rosner and Part whose music I find featureless.

Outside of classical music, I cannot abide, modern jazz, modern musicals they all sound like cliches of themselves, certain types of pop music such as chart dance music and R&B and my pet hate of all country & western.

I could have written all that myself, suffolk, except the Tchaikovsky/Mahler bit! I would have loathed Mahler the person, I'm sure, but I find myself getting more and more deeply immersed in his sound-world. Well, and the "featureless" bit, perhaps -- I like interesting textures, and don't mind if there isn't much actually happening.

[Roehre]

.... is there any real point in this kind of thread?

No

[Barbirollians]

If you dislike a thread and feel there is no point in it then why post in it ?

[Roehre]

If you dislike a thread and feel there is no point in it then why post in it ?

As there is a difference between considering a thread being pointless and disliking it.

[ahinton]

In all this Tchaikovsky slating, it is interesting to note that one of his most ardent admirers was Stravinsky. I agree with Stravinsky and personally adore Tchaikovsky's music.

Of course for me my pet dislike is Mahler whose music I loathe

Yet Mahler himself adored Tchaikovsky - and a certain other Suffolk coastalian named Britten adored them both!

and my pet hate of all country & western.

Can't disagree with you there!

[Mandryka]

Mahler certainly didn't enjoy Eugen Onegin: 'Nonsense!' was his comment, slamming the score after an orchestral rehearsal.

I've said it before, but I find it very difficult to work up much, or indeed any, enthusiasm for unaccompanied choral music, or music of a religious bent generally: I acknowledge the genius of Bach and Handel but it is a genius which says very little to me. 'Heavenly' is the comment often applied to their large scale works: well, it's a heaven I'd be keen to blaspheme my way out of.

Listening to Gilbert and Sullivan makes me feel physically violent. Chacun a son gout and all that, but it's beyond me how anyone can find pleasure in Gilbert's pompous, fat-bottomed rhymes and Sullivan's sewing-machine rhythms. To me, they represent a particularly unpleasant aspect of 'Englishness': sexless, fogeyish and up itself. The only CD I've deliberately destroyed contained Sullivan's 'Irish' symphony and his momumentally unmemorable Cello Concerto. The infamous English love of mediocrity is, I feel, responsible for the fact that this pair of non-entities aren't long-forgotten.

In pop music, I really can't abide heavy metal (which is a separate entity from hard rock) and I have an instant, allergic reaction to 'hip hop', 'house', 'garage', or whatever other modish name that junk is going by these days. Though my instant allergic reaction also means I can't analyse it, so can't offer a proper judgement.

Country and Western aint actually all that bad...the cliche is that it's all about dogs dying, hitting the bottle and finding Jesus but , post-Hank Williams, that has not been the case.

[Ferretfancy]

Suffolkcoastal,

I wouldn't say that I loathe Mahler, but I have to say that all my Mahler CDs are in my reserve collection. I don't mind the song cycles now and again, and I can take the first four symphonies if they are performed well, it's the endless cult of this composer that makes me rage! All that neurosis and chest beating!

My only real pet hate is reserved for all those holy minimalists, and Taverner in particular. Utter pretentiousness combined with religiosity, and he could do with a haircut too!

[Mandryka]

Suffolkcoastal,

I wouldn't say that I loathe Mahler, but I have to say that all my Mahler CDs are in my reserve collection. I don't mind the song cycles now and again, and I can take the first four symphonies if they are performed well, it's the endless cult of this composer that makes me rage! All that neurosis and chest beating!

My only real pet hate is reserved for all those holy minimalists, and Taverner in particular. Utter pretentiousness combined with religiosity, and he could do with a haircut too!

John Culshaw absolutely loathed Mahler.....he said the sensation that he got from the music was akin to having snakes writhing about in his clothes. Producing Solti's (long oop) recording of the 4th was about as much as he could manage, then he bailed out of future Mahler sessions, leaving David Harvey to take over.