Delicious 'Guardian Einaudi review

[Richard Barrett]

He should be banned!!!

Surely no music and no composer should be "banned".

[oddoneout]

Surely no music and no composer should be "banned".

Agreed. Better that the youngsters continue to be engaged and playing as then they can be introduced to other material. Taking a wider view, isn't it a good thing(on several levels) that people are turning out to listen to a live musician, even if that performer is not one we would ourselves wish to hear?
I hesitate to make this comment, but listening to CotW today - Meredith Monk - it struck me that the pieces at the beginning would make a good 'follow-on' for those wanting to move on from Einaudi. And before anyone combusts, this is not to suggest that MM's music is on a par with Einaudi, just that the soundworld has similarities, but without the empty calories.

[Serial_Apologist]

Surely no music and no composer should be "banned".

Panned?

[Serial_Apologist]

Agreed. Better that the youngsters continue to be engaged and playing as then they can be introduced to other material. Taking a wider view, isn't it a good thing(on several levels) that people are turning out to listen to a live musician, even if that performer is not one we would ourselves wish to hear?
I hesitate to make this comment, but listening to CotW today - Meredith Monk - it struck me that the pieces at the beginning would make a good 'follow-on' for those wanting to move on from Einaudi. And before anyone combusts, this is not to suggest that MM's music is on a par with Einaudi, just that the soundworld has similarities, but without the empty calories.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with idiomatic simplification. CPE Bach's formal simplifications came immediately in the wake of his old man's contrapuntalist maximalism. The thing is, there wasn't the degree of musical commodification in mid-17th century Germany there is now, though the sponsorship quandary had in small ways started to enter the equation. The question is, is the simplification amenable to further elaboration, a case of reculer pour mieux sauter, and an entirely new direction? Or is it a rehash of what has already been done pretending to be new and an aid to sophistication in the masses?

[Richard Barrett]

Or is it a rehash of what has already been done pretending to be new and an aid to sophistication in the masses?

It's impossible in principle to know whether a composer (for example) is being honest in following their inspiration (whatever that is) or producing something as a cynical sop to mass acceptance, so one shouldn't really couch a discussion in those terms, as opposed to the effect of opening listeners' minds as to the scope and possibilities of music or on the other hand reinforcing their cultural conditioning, etc. etc. - while I'm at it, I thought the name of the review's author seemed familiar and then recalled that he had written a review of a London Sinfonietta concert, in The Wire something like ten years ago, where he described me as a careerist sellout. I have to keep up the payments on my yacht, y'know.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Surely no music and no composer should be "banned".

Brass Banneds?

[vinteuil]

Brass Banneds?

... and of course, the banned onion -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTofa-SAHHE

.

[Barbirollians]

Brass Banneds?

By all means remove my political comments which were in response to Richard Barrett’s sneering at Remainers which I see Remain in place - no doubt because one cannot be seen to edit the posts of a composer .

Time to take a break from here .

[Richard Barrett]

Richard Barrett’s sneering at Remainers

I wasn't sneering, actually, I was just pointing out one example of what I see as an unwelcome develoment in the way the discourse about many things is carried out these days. I was by no means including all Remainers in the comment. I think there are some very strong arguments for Remaining. Calling all Leavers stupid, however, isn't one of them.

[Serial_Apologist]

I wasn't sneering, actually, I was just pointing out one example of what I see as an unwelcome develoment in the way the discourse about many things is carried out these days. I was by no means including all Remainers in the comment. I think there are some very strong arguments for Remaining. Calling all Leavers stupid, however, isn't one of them.

And I hope I wasn't sneering at Mr Einaudi - though I do wonder what Luciano Berio might have thought about his music!

[LezLee]

I'm so sorry, once again what I intended as a light-hearted thread has descended into sniping. Because I don't know the personalities involved, I keep putting my foot in it. I'll try to gauge the mood better in future.
Sorry again.

[ahinton]

It's impossible in principle to know whether a composer (for example) is being honest in following their inspiration (whatever that is) or producing something as a cynical sop to mass acceptance, so one shouldn't really couch a discussion in those terms, as opposed to the effect of opening listeners' minds as to the scope and possibilities of music or on the other hand reinforcing their cultural conditioning, etc. etc. - while I'm at it, I thought the name of the review's author seemed familiar and then recalled that he had written a review of a London Sinfonietta concert, in The Wire something like ten years ago, where he described me as a careerist sellout. I have to keep up the payments on my yacht, y'know.

You mean that you're STILL paying for it?! I'd have thought that you'd have done with that ages ago! But yes, Mr Clark does indeed have an unfortunate turn of phrase when he believes that it suits him. I should know. My sole encounter with his "reviewing" talents in The Strad, IIRC - was as the target of a piece tha included the words/phrases "self-indulgent and pointless", "cranky note-spinners", "stodge", "so vapidly melodramatic that the toes curl" and ending with "I wonder how the musicians looked each other in the eye"; had he attended thet recording concerned (which of course I am relieved that he didn't) he would not have needed to wonder about that last bit. So being judged as a "careerist sell-out" (whatever that might or might not be) you've gotten away quite lightly, methinks!

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm so sorry, once again what I intended as a light-hearted thread has descended into sniping. Because I don't know the personalities involved, I keep putting my foot in it. I'll try to gauge the mood better in future.
Sorry again.

Awwwww!

To me this thread is the very epitome of light-heartedness!

[Richard Barrett]

To me this thread is the very epitome of light-heartedness!

Quite! Pardon me for bringing B****t into the discussion... living abroad as I do, it's hard sometimes to appreciate that any mention of it to a UK audience is going to get someone's back up! Let us lighten up.

I didn't realise until just now that Einaudi was the son of the founder of the publisher of that name, which until taken over by the Berlusconi monster was the most prestigious book publisher in Italy. I guess that sort of background would have given him quite a career advantage over similarly "talented" people from lowlier origins.

[Richard Barrett]

Oh and -

no doubt because one cannot be seen to edit the posts of a composer

- this is really unfair. My posts get edited/removed just like anyone else's. If anyone really thinks I receive some kind of special treatment they should take this up with the moderators!