A fantastic new Tale by Julian Lloyd Webber!!!

[cocolinmichela]

I find his playing wooden and predictable.
I'm not sure that getting your brother or the phenomenon that is Eric Whitacre to write you a piece is a measure of
anything wonderful ?

His ignorant pontificating about music education has also done much damage so i'm not inclined to be a fan
BUT it's fine by me if you like his playing

His "damage" led to 7 programmes inspired by the Venezuelan El Sistema starting in England alone, to increased school attendance, better results in core subjects, more involvement in community projects, music exchanges with similar programmes from other countries, six years after a Proms performance by the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, the children from Liverpool make history as the first Sistema-based programme in England to perform at the Royal Albert Hall. Great damage.

[Flay]

Well defended, Michela!

[MrGongGong]

His "damage" led to 7 programmes inspired by the Venezuelan El Sistema starting in England alone, to increased school attendance, better results in core subjects, more involvement in community projects, music exchanges with similar programmes from other countries, six years after a Proms performance by the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra inspired the creation of In Harmony, the children from Liverpool make history as the first Sistema-based programme in England to perform at the Royal Albert Hall. Great damage.

I could go on at length about how his misunderstandings have caused huge problems for many in music education but I've said most of it before.
He believes (wrongly) that there is no Classical music in the English GCSE
The Sistema modelled projects are a bit of a vanity exercise that politicians love but cost massive amounts of money that means that if you aren't in one of their areas you get less. It's a bit "No Sh*t Sherlock" as it's not surprising that spending a huge amount of time and money on music has positive results .......... There's NOTHING wrong with young people getting involved in music of ALL kinds but JLW is rather ignorant of many things concerned with music education in the UK.

[Beef Oven!]

I think his variations project brought a lot of young people into classical music who wouldn't have listened otherwise and it lifted Melvyn Bragg's Southbank Show, so he gets my vote.

[cocolinmichela]

I find his playing wooden and predictable.
I'm not sure that getting your brother or the phenomenon that is Eric Whitacre to write you a piece is a measure of
anything wonderful ?

His ignorant pontificating about music education has also done much damage so i'm not inclined to be a fan
BUT it's fine by me if you like his playing

Oh, btw, yes I do like his playing, only wooden in the sense that he plays a wooden instrument!!
And I don't think a great like Joachin Rodrigo would have composed a concerto for him if he didn't think he was a good cellist....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsPKW4tZZBc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[cocolinmichela]

I think his variations project brought a lot of young people into classical music who wouldn't have listened otherwise and it lifted Melvyn Bragg's Southbank Show, so he gets my vote.

Yes!! Absolutely.

[Barbirollians]

His Elgar Concerto is a fine performance but are you sure that Gramophone said it was the " finest ever " - I imagine that generally the Gramophone lot especially old Edward Greenfield would never have dreamt of promoting it over the du Pre/Barbirolli .

[cocolinmichela]

His Elgar Concerto is a fine performance but are you sure that Gramophone said it was the " finest ever " - I imagine that generally the Gramophone lot especially old Edward Greenfield would never have dreamt of promoting it over the du Pre/Barbirolli .

Apologies, it was chosen by the Elgar scholar Jerrold Northrop Moore as the "finest ever version" for BBC Music Magazine (not Gramophone) and won a Brit Award for "Best Classical Recording" of 1985.

[BBMmk2]

I suppose being a brass bandsman, at heart, I rather like transcriptions of one thing or another. I have JLW's other naxos cd of English songs, which is rather good and this recording with him and his wife, looks trather enticing! Thanks Michela!

[cocolinmichela]

I suppose being a brass bandsman, at heart, I rather like transcriptions of one thing or another. I have JLW's other naxos cd of English songs, which is rather good and this recording with him and his wife, looks trather enticing! Thanks Michela!

Do you mean the Naxos "Evening Songs" CD of music by Delius and Ireland? Very nice. Also I love "English Idyll" CD conducted by Neville Marriner, some of the best British music!!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delius-Ireland-Evening-Songs-8-572902/dp/B006O51D7E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380486106&sr=8-1&keywords=evening+songs

http://www.amazon.co.uk/English-Idyll-Lloyd-Webber/dp/B00000419Z/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1380486170&sr=8-9&keywords=english+idyll

[Old Grumpy]

If you like the Piazzolla the Yo Yo Ma Soul of Tango CD is worth a listen. I also like the music of Dino Saluzzi (bandoneon) and Anja Lechner (violincello) on the ECM label

OG

[cocolinmichela]

I could go on at length about how his misunderstandings have caused huge problems for many in music education but I've said most of it before.
He believes (wrongly) that there is no Classical music in the English GCSE
The Sistema modelled projects are a bit of a vanity exercise that politicians love but cost massive amounts of money that means that if you aren't in one of their areas you get less. It's a bit "No Sh*t Sherlock" as it's not surprising that spending a huge amount of time and money on music has positive results .......... There's NOTHING wrong with young people getting involved in music of ALL kinds but JLW is rather ignorant of many things concerned with music education in the UK.

What are these things concerned with music education in the UK that JLW is supposed to be ignorant about?
He is the founder and chairman of Sistema England, not Sistema England itself. The programmes are run by hundreds of dedicated people, teachers, parents who believe that music can change lives. Are they all ignorant, then? It is a relatively young programme and it will take time to spread to all areas of England. It started with 3 programmes just 3 years ago and there are now 7.
We all agree that it is great that young people are interested in ALL forms of music but what JLW and In Harmony people want is to make music accessible to all children, not just the privileged ones who can afford it. Let's not forget that Sistema Music is primarily a SOCIAL programme, aiming at improving the lives of children and their communities in some of the most deprived areas of England through music, increasing motivation and sense of achievement, giving people hope and overcoming a sense of failure. Like Maestro Antonio Jose' Abreu insists, it is "a conception regarding the function of music within society".

[cocolinmichela]

If you like the Piazzolla the Yo Yo Ma Soul of Tango CD is worth a listen. I also like the music of Dino Saluzzi (bandoneon) and Anja Lechner (violincello) on the ECM label

OG

Thanks for the links!!

[EdgeleyRob]

This,Coco,is one of my all time favourite cds,do you know this music?

[cocolinmichela]

This,Coco,is one of my all time favourite cds,do you know this music?

Yes, sitting proudly in my CD collection!!
I LOVE scherzetto, but do you know the story behind that piece?
Michela