Music you've still not grown to like

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Wotchoo tawkin''baht, visnik?

[visualnickmos]

Bruckner. I listened to his 4th symphony recently, & have been listening to the CotW, but, apart from his writing for brass & percussion, really can't see (hear?) anything interesting. He very much seems to be the end of the 19th century, whereas Mahler, with whom he's often coupled (or compared) is definitely the beginning of the 20th.

I am still 'getting into Bruckner' and I do see what you mean. But what an exit, he's making! The grandest flounce imaginable! No-one can deny that.....

[visualnickmos]

I think my problem is that there is not much that I don't like - slightly more precisely, there is not much that I don't see value in, or find something worthy - for whatever reason. I think if a piece of music was discovered that was composed by Hitler, I would give it zero countenance on ALL levels..... much like his awful watercolours.

Talking of which - who now would ever want to admit to owning an original Rolf Harris? To say nothing of the fact that his art is rubbish, to start with.

[Barbirollians]

Arnold does nothing for me at all his first symphony puts my teeth on edge .

I suggest Rubbra's sixth symphony is an attractive work to start with .

[Beef Oven!]

I don't think that's what S_A was saying -

"Wagner's music prepares us for Mahler, who in turn prepares us for Shostakovitch, Zemlinsky, Berg, Britten, for example, and can only be appreciated in that light by the definition of hindsight."

I was being gracious in ignoring SA's tautological argument.

[Beef Oven!]

Try Antar ts

My first Rimsky experience.

[Beef Oven!]

I would agree if we're talking about music that's being listened to for the first time. That would go for improvised music, operating as it does on the "pavement art" theory. But most if not all of the music we're talking about here was intended to be re-presented in the form deemed by the conductor to be faithful to its composer's intentions, and listened to on the basis of growing acquaintance that makes its replication worthwhile, which in turn is a different listening experience, wouldn't one say, involving memory and association? Initial impressions can only take one so far...

Some of that might be true, but it's a shift from what you said earlier. And I don't think that your point about music that's being listened to for the first time is valid.

Going back to what you said about Wagner preparing us for Mahler, Mahler for 2VS etc (which I don'y buy anyway) it would mean that the scores of millions of people that are fans of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, can't appreciate them properly without first having heard Black Sabbath and Motorhead; and that Black Sabbath prepared thrash/death metal fans for Motorhead, and Motorhead in turn prepared them for Metallica et al. Well no, it didn't work like that. Plus, the experience of hearing thrash bands is repeated and your point about 'listened to for the first time' doesn't work.

[cloughie]

Arnold does nothing for me at all his first symphony puts my teeth on edge .

I suggest Rubbra's sixth symphony is an attractive work to start with .

Got to admit I find a lot of Rubbra goes on a bit. Arnold on the other hand I just get to like more and more - Cornish Dances are just full of tunes as are the English, Scottish etc and Tam O Shanter, Peterloo, Beckus and Padstow Lifeboat re unique! His symphonies, not typically British and unlike his shorter pieces in some way owe something to Shostakovich.

[visualnickmos]

What about Granville Bantock? Name alone is enticing.....
First CD I heard was awful. Listened two weeks later - loved it!

[Suffolkcoastal]

It tends to be certain works, rather than whole outputs, of composers that I have problems with. The composers where I just struggle with or just cannot get on with a considerable proportion of their output are: Mahler (of course), the 3rd Symphony is among my top 5 dislikes of all; Medtner, Beliini, Donizetti (though I have made some progress with some works of theirs in recent years); Poulenc (things have improved here though), George Lloyd, sorry I find absolutely nothing but empty floundering rhetoric in his music; J Strauss II, Arnold Rosner (shockingly bad composer), Arvo Part (bores me totally),Piazzolla, Birtwistle - I just will not do anything for me except give me a headache, the whole soundworld comes across as oppressively claustrophobic; Colin Matthews, Turnage & George Benjamin (not just the music, the man himself makes my flesh creep). Plus all those awful imitation composers such as Nyman, Whiteacre and similar bad jokes.
Sorry, rant over, having a rough time of it at the moment!

[visualnickmos]

Hello SC

Sorry that you're having a rough time. Hope things will smooth out.... whatever the vexation is.

I very much concur with your tack. Several of the composers you mention, I know only by name, but my impression is that quite a lot of contemporary music is, shall I say, lacking any real direction. Nyman, I particularly have a problem with in this regard. Maybe I'm being old-fashioned, and that is how things are - like it or not. But - I do love a damn nice tune or a bit of emotion, some drama perhaps, or just a plain old melody that you can second-guess at every bar-line!!! What's wrong with that?

[cloughie]

What about Granville Bantock? Name alone is enticing.....
First CD I heard was awful. Listened two weeks later - loved it!

You're just Fifine about there. Actually his Bach transcriptions are great!

[ahinton]

Colin Matthews, Turnage & George Benjamin (not just the music, the man himself makes my flesh creep)

Which one of the three that you hve just mentioned?

[Pabmusic]

Bruckner. I listened to his 4th symphony recently, & have been listening to the CotW, but, apart from his writing for brass & percussion, really can't see (hear?) anything interesting. He very much seems to be the end of the 19th century, whereas Mahler, with whom he's often coupled (or compared) is definitely the beginning of the 20th.

I can't recall the number of times I've tried Bruckner, but I can't fight the boredom that creeps in after a while - how ever much I enjoyed it at the beginning. And 'boredom' is the right word for me, because my usual thought - sometimes expressed out loud - is something like "get on with it! - oh, I can't be bothered with this!". And I do try decent versions (I have the Tintner and Wand Cologne sets).

So it's me...

[Beef Oven!]

What about Granville Bantock? Name alone is enticing.....
First CD I heard was awful. Listened two weeks later - loved it!

Can't get on with his music. I have tried and failed over about 25 years. Bought about three CDs and that was three too many. Don't even play them in a blue moon.