Do you beat your head against a wall by trying to listen to "lesser" music?

[Dave2002]

Prompted by various other factors I have been contemplating buying the Brilliant Reger Collection - around £20 if you know where to look, or under a tenner as a download. Before spending my wonga I thought I'd listen to some of the pieces on Spotify. Not unpleasant - vaguely Brahmsian - variations on a theme of Beethoven Op 86, and now variations on a theme of Hiller. Sometimes I wonder why I bother though. Wouldn't it be just easier to listen to Beethoven? This can happen quite a lot with obscure music or lesser known composers, though sometimes real gems are found, and sometimes it takes time to absorb the style of unknown composers, or less familiar genres.

Actually, even during the writing of this post I am revising my opinions, as the Hiller variations (which I have heard before) do seem to be "opening up". Doesn't always happen though - there are pieces I've heard many times which I still don't really like much!

So, to explore, or simply stick with the "known" - Beethoven, maybe Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Brahms? Dump 20th century music, choral music and anything before 1600!

[MrGongGong]

So, to explore, or simply stick with the "known" - Beethoven, maybe Mozart, Haydn, Bach, Brahms? Dump 20th century music, choral music and anything before 1600!

Loose the angst matey
and wade in

[Petrushka]

You only have to look at suffolkcoastal's symphonic journey to realise that there is an awful lot of music out there.

I long ago came to the conclusion that I'll never scratch more than the surface of what's available. Life's too short to waste in listening to music that doesn't quite make the grade so I filter it out now and don't bother with it. Of course, not everyone will share my view as to what makes the grade or fails but I know now what works for me and I lost the angst a while ago.

[teamsaint]

You only have to look at suffolkcoastal's symphonic journey to realise that there is an awful lot of music out there.

I long ago came to the conclusion that I'll never scratch more than the surface of what's available. Life's too short to waste in listening to music that doesn't quite make the grade so I filter it out now and don't bother with it. Of course, not everyone will share my view as to what makes the grade or fails but I know now what works for me and I lost the angst a while ago.

Pet, I have a great deal of sympathy with your view.
In earlier years I spent a great deal of time and energy (and very much enjoyed) searching for and finding the nuggets of gold in contemporary rock music.
However, at a certain point, I guess i decided, as you suggest, that life is too short to faff around, when, for instance, the Beethoven Piano Sonatas are sitting there waiting for me. So these days I take the short cut via the experience of others, rather than taking a complete gamble. As you say there is SO much out there, and people you can trust. So for instance, a quick look around or a question asked on here, and there is a good chance that a really solid body opinion will emerge. It doesn't reduce the thrill of new discovery, and sometimes something just doesn't do it for me, but that is part of the fun, and the mystery of it all.
I like to reduce time wasted, but its part of the deal.....you have to wait for a train, you just hope the wait isn't too long ! and checking the timetable helps !

[Serial_Apologist]

Pet, I have a great deal of sympathy with your view.
In earlier years I spent a great deal of time and energy (and very much enjoyed) searching for and finding the nuggets of gold in contemporary rock music.
However, at a certain point, I guess i decided, as you suggest, that life is too short to faff around, when, for instance, the Beethoven Piano Sonatas are sitting there waiting for me. So these days I take the short cut via the experience of others, rather than taking a complete gamble. As you say there is SO much out there, and people you can trust. So for instance, a quick look around or a question asked on here, and there is a good chance that a really solid body opinion will emerge. It doesn't reduce the thrill of new discovery, and sometimes something just doesn't do it for me, but that is part of the fun, and the mystery of it all.
I like to reduce tie wasted, but its part of the deal.....you have to wait for a train, you just hope the wait isn't too long ! and checking the timetable helps !

You might even discover jazz one day, teamy!

[teamsaint]

You might even discover jazz one day, teamy!

time and a pipe would help.
I toy with it. I am thinking about becoming obsessed with Charlie Mingus, because that would be cool.

Wouldn't it? I need to check.....

[LeMartinPecheur]

A branch line of this activity is exploring the wider output of one- or two-work composers in the hope that there's plenty of similar ore just awaiting discovery. Sadly, one is often forced to the conclusion that the public has made the right decisions!

Bruch for example. Vln conc #1 and the Scottish Fantasia - magic. The 2nd violin concerto I bought on LP donkey's years ago: OK-ish but not sure I'd recognize it blind. Bought the Philips twofer of the violin concertante works but #3 and the Serenade have completely failed to register. Ditto the viola/clt concerto on Apex. Do I dare try the symphonies? - hope springs nearly eternal and I've just bought a cheapo biographical/analytical study of the man.

It sometimes seems that I've lost the ability to take on board a whole new composer. I can remember the joy of discovering vast amounts of little-known Holst on LPs as a student. These days I seem to grab the odd work of an unfamiliar composer (ancient, modern or contemporary) but rarely feel the same urge to fill the shelves. Erm, maybe that's because I don't really have any more shelves to fill

[Serial_Apologist]

time and a pipe would help.
I toy with it. I am thinking about becoming obsessed with Charlie Mingus, because that would be cool.

Wouldn't it? I need to check.....

Jazz is a bit like the Tardis: appearing small from the outside, but once inside, a palace of many corridors and rooms.

[teamsaint]

Jazz is a bit like the Tardis: appearing small from the outside, but once inside, a palace of many corridors and rooms.

and a glamorous assistant is usually available to help?!

The many corridors thing is a worry....is there any way out? What if I just stick with Mingus?

[Serial_Apologist]

and a glamorous assistant is usually available to help?!

Sorry - I'm just too busy as of now...

The many corridors thing is a worry....is there any way out? What if I just stick with Mingus?

He's a good starting point, coming as he did roughly halfway through the story, and being at the same time as he was both backwards and forwards-looking.

This is really for the jass bored - but jazz of any period offers more than rock, I've long thought.

[Flosshilde]

Jazz is a bit like the Tardis: appearing small from the outside, but once inside, a palace of many corridors and rooms.

My memories of seeing people run down the corridors of the Tardis is that there was only one very short corridor; the people ran down it several times in different directions.

Whether this is an appropriate analogy for jazz is not for me to say

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yes.

Because sometimes it works. Ten years ago, I bought the NAXOS CD of Martinu's 3rd & 5th Symphonies, determined to make yet another attempt to "get" what this composer was doing. It was no more successful than my previous attempts, so I decided "That's it: we were just not meant to be", and presumed that was the end of it. Then, three or four years ago, I heard the BBCSO/Belohlavek performances from their European tour - and was transfixed by the radiant harmonies, the pellucid orchestration and the joyful dancing rhythms. I love them!

There are worse things to do in life than spend time getting to know unfamiliar Art.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I had exactly the same experience with Martinu, Ferney.

Before hearing the BBCSO/JB set nothing had really worked except no. 4. (Not sure I get the reference to a Euopean tour though; these recordings are all BBC takes from the Barbican, no?)

I do concur with your last statement.

[jayne lee wilson]

My chief joy in music is discovery or rediscovery... this year I've had personal seasons of Lutoslawski, Schumann (especially chamber music), Berwald (music almost entirely new to me) and now Dutilleux, often finding works I didn't know or not well enough... then, when you go back to Haydn or Beethoven, you really do hear it with fresh ears!

Nor is a difficult first encounter any real guide - I couldn't get Roussel until 4 or 5 years ago, then it just clicked, now he's a true favourite and there isn't enough... same experience with Webern many years before that.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Not sure I get the reference to a Euopean tour though; these recordings are all BBC takes from the Barbican, no?

Yes - the recordings are from Barbican performances (and they are superb), but in 2010 there was a series of Afternoon on 3 broadcasts of the cycle they performed in Shanghai (not part of Europe, I admit!) - these were the ones that provided my Damscene experience.