BaL 24.03.12 - Schubert's Piano Sonata in C minor, D.958

[Nick Armstrong]

I don't know if he's ever recorded it, Calibs - he's rather an under-recorded artist of late, I feel.

Shame

Oh blimey, you heard him live? You lucky old thing, you

[Richard Tarleton]

In her interesting review, Harriet Smith came out with one classic piece of Colemanballs (for non-Private Eye readers, this is the sort of stuff normally uttered by sports commentators, and often involves misuse of the word "literally", e.g. as in "X literally lost his head", or "Y literally cut the legs from under him"). In this case, she said that in the last movement "Mitsuko Uchida is literally running for her life".

Otherwise a thoughtful 45 minutes. Hope Paul Lewis wasn't listening.

[Bryn]

In her interesting review, Harriet Smith came out with one classic piece of Colemanballs (for non-Private Eye readers, this is the sort of stuff normally uttered by sports commentators, and often involves misuse of the word "literally", e.g. as in "X literally lost his head", or "Y literally cut the legs from under him"). In this case, she said that in the last movement "Mitsuko Uchida is literally running for her life".

Otherwise a thoughtful 45 minutes. Hope Paul Lewis wasn't listening.

You are living in the past, RT. Colemanballs are no more, it would seem:

http://www.private-eye.co.uk/sections.php?section_link=colemanballs

[Nick Armstrong]

she said that in the last movement "Mitsuko Uchida is literally running for her life".

Didn't notice that! And the abuse of 'literally' is one of my pet bugbears, too! It was early...

[Don Petter]

(She is a bit 'sniffy' sometimes, isn't she - not enough to put one off completely - but think of the elegance with which Stephen Plaistow would have dealt with similar reservations. In fact I wish he'd been doing this survey... I must have listened to his review of Schumann piano music about 6 times: no more 'listenable' voice in broadcasting, to these ears!)

I enjoyed this BaL too, though I also have some reservations about Harriet Smith's presentation. Her vowels were often suspect, and I still don't know if John Ogden 'really did' or 'rarely did' something or other. (Her rendering of 'music' turned it into 'muzak' which might be appropriate for the concept of the Schubertathon.)

Interesting analysis and examples nonetheless, and that Uchida final movement was certainly hell for leather! Circumstances prevented me hearing the complete Uchida performance, but I will certainly try to catch up on it later. I'm not sure it will oust my favourite Brendel, though.

One other point. I seemed to spend the whole BaL reaching for the volume control, as the level to hear the music adequately resulted in HS blasting one out of one's seat. An effect which others have noted in other R3 programmes, as I recall.

[Richard Tarleton]

You are living in the past, RT. Colemanballs are no more, it would seem:

http://www.private-eye.co.uk/section...k=colemanballs

Thanks Bryn - I usually only buy the Eye to read on trains these days .

[Bryn]

Thanks Bryn - I usually only buy the Eye to read on trains these days .

I wonder if young master Thribb penned an obituary for Colemanballs?

[Estelle]

RE Message 47: Just for clarification--

I've just heard Harriet Smith's comment about Mitsuko Uchida. She said that she was "quite obviously running for her life towards the work's closing bars."

It would be quite an easy matter to mistake "obviously" for "literally."

[kernelbogey]

I enjoyed this BaL too, though I also have some reservations about Harriet Smith's presentation. Her vowels were often suspect[...]

I'm curious about what you mean by this Don. I don't know who Harriet Smith is, but I was also struck by her voice.

[Richard Tarleton]

RE Message 47: Just for clarification--

I've just heard Harriet Smith's comment about Mitsuko Uchida. She said that she was "quite obviously running for her life towards the work's closing bars."

It would be quite an easy matter to mistake "obviously" for "literally."

In that case my apologies to Ms Smith. I should have double-checked on iPlayer

[amateur51]

I enjoyed this BaL too, though I also have some reservations about Harriet Smith's presentation. Her vowels were often suspect,...

Nasty business, Irritating Vowel Syndrome

[BBMmk2]

It's a pity that when ypou have knowledgeable people doing a BaL, that their way of talking is spoilt by how they prounce their delivery of words?

[Tony Halstead]

"Prounce"...
What a wonderful new verb...
Pounce: to spring or swoop with intent to seize someone.
Trounce: to thrash or punish severely.
It gives a whole new meaning to Ms Smith's vowel delivery.

Returning to serious matters, there's quite a bit of mention of 'Cooper' on this thread.
I have a very fine LP of Rachmaninov's 2nd piano concerto played by Cooper ( Joseph, he of the dummy keyboard, would you believe?). Has he recorded D. 958?

[Pabmusic]

Nasty business, Irritating Vowel Syndrome

A little hard in an age of regional accents on radio and TV. I don't know anything about Harriet Smith, but she was obviously brought up in an area with a 'rhotic' accent (pronouncing the 'r's) - I'd guess at Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire or north Hampshire, but I'm not Henry Higgins.

Bring back RP!

[amateur51]

A little hard in an age of regional accents on radio and TV. I don't know anything about Harriet Smith, but she was obviously brought up in an area with a 'rhotic' accent (pronouncing the 'r's) - I'd guess at Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire or north Hampshire, but I'm not Henry Higgins.

Bring back RP!

Bit of a risk on this Board,I know but do you mean rolling her 'r's, Pab?