I just don't like the noise it makes.... (those 'blind spot' pieces)

[Bryn]

Yes

I would start with Swordfishtrombones

Not sure about George though

George was true Gentleman of Jazz, though probably more widely known for his slapstick routines in later years.

[visualnickmos]

Ev'ning Mr Gong Gong.

Thanks for your reply; I may investigate.....

[cloughie]

Ravel's Bolero - until 3 days ago when I heard Pierre Monteux's recording. Changed everything.

Not even Pierre can change my mind.

[cloughie]

George was true Gentleman of Jazz, though probably more widely known for his slapstick routines in later years.

Like Les Dawson and others George could successfully do the slapstick through the mastery of his instrument.

[cloughie]

Wasn't he on East Enders aeons ago & likes football

The guy with a funny trombone was George Chisholm, surely

Wasn't there a Swedish guy who played a funny trombone?

[Pabmusic]

In my experience as listener/music lover the blind spots are disappearing with age...

Yes, that's true. So much so, in fact, that I listen to my long-time favourites rather less often now because of all the other things I listened to so rarely before. I still find Wagner and Verdi operas (most operas in fact) become tedious rather easily, though.

[Lento]

Re: blind spots disappearing with age

With the passing of time I find myself less impatient with Bruckner and more inclined to tire of Mahler, if the mood isn't right.

[edashtav]

Aimez-vous Psalms?

I find the blind spots and dislikes of others fascinating.

I've been looking at a review of a hymn book that contains two contrasting quotes re congregational psalmody:

From London Daily News 19.11.1864:

“When Haydn heard a psalm sung by 4000 schoolchildren in St Paul’s Cathedral he was moved to tears, and declared that the simple and natural air had given him the greatest musical pleasure he had ever received from music.”

Dr Charles Burney, however, thought:

“The Puritans who, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, had devoted our Cathedral Services to destruction, and who seemed to wish not only to hear the psalms, but the whole Scriptures, syllabically sung in metre, assigned as a reason for such abuse of words (the Italics are Dr.Burney’s own) as well as annihilation of poetry and music, the absolute necessity of such a simple kind of music as would suit the whole congregation. But why is the whole congregation to sing any more than preach or read prayers? Singing implies not only a tunable voice but skill in music, for music is either is or is not an art, or something which nature and instinct do not supply; if it be allowed that title, then study, practice, and experience may at least be necessary to its attainment as to that of a mechanical trade or calling. Every member of a conventicle, however it may abound with cordwainers or tailors, would not pretend to make a shoe or a suit of clothes; and yet in our churches all are to sing.”

[Stanfordian]

For some reason I can't enjoy hearing César Franck's Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra.

[Nick Armstrong]

well Go you !!

I wonder if we were on the same syllabus. I was doing O and C (natch) 1977.

The other set works were some lieder, Schubert IIRC, but as you can tell, they didn't really resonate with that particular 15 YO.........

Me too! Apart from Mendelssohn 4, we did Debussy Préludes Book 1 and LvB 'An die Ferne Geliebte' (could the latter be the songs you may not have RC ? )

But the two most impactful lessons were the ones where our teacher (the father of Adrian Partingon of Gloucester Cathedral) played the slow movement of Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony, and the 'Joie du Sang des Étoiles' from Messiaen's Turangalîla...

[Serial_Apologist]

Me too! Apart from Mendelssohn 4, we did Debussy Préludes Book 1 and LvB 'An die Ferne Geliebte' (could the latter be the songs you may not have RC ? )

But the two most impactful lessons were the ones where our teacher (the father of Adrian Partingon of Gloucester Cathedral) played the slow movement of Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony, and the 'Joie du Sang des Étoiles' from Messiaen's Turangalîla...

I guess that, being risk-averse in everything but musical tastes, I would have gone for the Messiaen lesson there, Cali. I tend towards the John Ireland view of the classics, namely that they are fine, the trouble being that one can nearly always correctly guess what's coming next, even on a first hearing. That's what's nice about jazz at its best, Whitney Balliett's "sound of surprise".

[Barbirollians]

I didn't do music O Level . I imagine at my school they would have done as little classical material as possible. I do remember reading a poem or a piece of prose when i was about 16 of an English teacher playing Beethoven's piano Concerto No 5 to a class of recalcitrant children of about 11 and that they were apparently transfixed and were asked to write something that the music made them think of and it was clear it had led to their imaginations running riot.

[verismissimo]

I've never connected with Medtner. My loss?

Most recently Elizabeth Schwarzkopf singing his songs with the composer at the piano, several of them in a sort of strangulated English...

Perhaps I just have to grow even older, as Roehre suggests.

[Hornspieler]

For some reason I can't enjoy hearing César Franck's Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra.

I sympathise with you.

In the wrong hands, it can sound slimy - like two slugs ... (I won't go on!)

Endless Friday afternoons at the RAM with piano students trying their hands as soloists set me off on a bad start.

But only this last Christmas I picked up a recording of my dear friend Valeries Tryon playing it in a manner that, for the first time, gave me a real understanding of French romantic music.

Ignore those opening piano notes - "de de daaah da" - that helps.

HS

[Pabmusic]

I've never connected with Medtner. My loss? ...

I'd say not.