Our Summer BAL 59: Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade

[cloughie]

But anything can become "memorable" if it's short enough and repeated frequently - "Beanz Meanz Heinz", "I feel like chicken tonight", "Hard-working families". That doesn't necessarily make it worth remembering.


Urrgggh! I know I should ... and I probably shall ... but .... Oh, lor' ...

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=youtube+there+ain%27t+no+pleasing+you&rlz=1C1AKJH_enGB665GB666&oq=you+tube+there+ain%27t+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.15591j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=yo...hrome&ie=UTF-8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q87TmUmVg0Y

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

If my aural memory (and aural perception) is correct it is not plink plonk the first time, but plink beep - pizz strings then oboe solo. I have never understood why.

You're right (-ish: there's a flute as well as the oboe on the "beep").

[Richard Barrett]

if my aural memory (and aural perception) is correct it is not plink plonk the first time, but plink beep

exactly

[cloughie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q87TmUmVg0Y

https://www.google.co.uk/search?rlz=1C1AKJH_enGB665GB666&q=chas+%26+dave+the+sideboard+song&oq=youtube+there+ain%27t+no+pleasing+you&gs_l=psy-ab.1.2.0i71k1l4.0.0.0.842488.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1..64.psy-ab..0.0.0.Xa6jusRk-bg

[Alain Maréchal]

I have never heard the Reiner before I will spin it tomorrow.

Possibly my second favourite recording. Lodged in my memory is the suggestion that it was recorded the morning after a concert, in one take. (Beecham's is first, for the inventiveness of the wind solos).

[BBMmk2]

The Kiril Kondrashin, RCO recording is one of the best.

[Barbirollians]

The Kiril Kondrashin, RCO recording is one of the best.

The Silvestri is another very exciting account .

[gurnemanz]

I disregarded Rimsky for many years, owning almost no recordings. After we went to see The Tsar's Bride at ROH a few years ago and loved it, I decided to get to know his orchestral works and got the Brilliant Classics 4CD box. Enjoyable music-making including Scheherazade, which I'm happy to listen to without it ever becoming a particular favourite. Since then, now retired!, I've been getting to know other operas and songs. I love his Piano and Wind Quintet on this highly recommendable Ozzie Eloquence twofer.

[Once Was 4]

If "disliking it intensely" = "being quite snobbish about it", then I'm firmly with the snobs. Too much repetition of third-rate melodic material, it put me off R-K for decades - the Snow Maiden at ON earlier in the year amply demonstrated that he was capable of writing very good Music indeed.


Out of general interest, which Music is it permissible to dislike without being labelled "snobbish". (Not that I mind being so labelled; if it gets me out of having to listen to this piece it's a price well worth paying several times over.)

You have every right to dislike Sheherazade (which I love). And I have every right to dislike much (not all) of Benjamin Britten's music. I once got shouted at and called a 'barbarian' by a certain opera singer for admitting that. As he was in my car at the time (I was giving him a lift home from a performance of Gloriana which I actually liked although I would not go out of my way to hear it again) this was a bit of a cheek. And I am afraid that I then succumbed to the temptation to wind him up some more by asking who Renaldo Hahn was and saying that I am soon bored by lieder (actually not true and I know a lot of Hahn).

But there are people (not you I am sure) who will effect to dislike music, even worse call it'rubbish', purely because a lot of people like it. Does anybody remember the 'Music and Musicians' magazine of the 60s and 70s? It was a watchword for, well, snobbish comment from second rate writers. Now this really gets me mad. Discuss.

[cloughie]

I disregarded Rimsky for many years, owning almost no recordings. After we went to see The Tsar's Bride at ROH a few years ago and loved it, I decided to get to know his orchestral works and got the Brilliant Classics 4CD box. Enjoyable music-making including Scheherazade, which I'm happy to listen to without it ever becoming a particular favourite. Since then, now retired!, I've been getting to know other operas and songs. I love his Piano and Wind Quintet on this highly recommendable Ozzie Eloquence twofer.

Yes the P&WQuintet is a lovely work. By far my favourite RK work is Antar.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

But there are people (not you I am sure) who will effect to dislike music, even worse call it'rubbish', purely because a lot of people like it.

Yes - and affect to like Music they don't because they think it makes them "look good"! Don't understand it - people are much more interesting when (trying to) talking about what they genuinely enjoy.

[cloughie]

Yes - and affect to like Music they don't because they think it makes them "look good"! Don't understand it - people are much more interesting when (trying to) talking about what they genuinely enjoy.

...and those who hide behind the stupid term 'guilty pleasure' for pieces of music of whatever genre they don't like owning up to because they think it might harm their 'street cred'.
'

[Richard Barrett]

It's details like the aforementioned "plink beep" (and a performance which is alive to such microscopic attractions) that draw me more deeply into something like Scheherazade. So much orchestral music just isn't operating on that level of subtlety.

[Richard Tarleton]

I would find it an interesting work even if I didn't know the "story" (and actually I would be hard put to match movements against what they're supposed to represent).

This reminded me of the discussion around whether music could be about place, or other stuff beyond itself, here et seq...... I like it without having ever read or tried to follow the story beyond knowing in general what it is. I'm sure I used to have a recording but don't seem to still have it.....

Rodney Friend told a story in an interview about working with Haitink - the LPO played Heldenleben which led RF to hope they might be going to record it, only to discover BH had just recorded it, or was in the process of recording it, with the Concertgebouw. He let his disappointment be known, and was very touched when shortly afterwards BH put the LPO down to play and record Scheherezade.....