Old warhorses you're still glad to hear clip-clopping by

[Flosshilde]

Rigoletto, Traviata, Trovatore - plenty of welcome cavalry there. Likewise Cav and Pag.

But I'll be quite happy never to hear another note of Puccini, with the possible exception of Boheme.

Boheme is the one I can do without - it's the Cadbury's Milk Tray aspect of Puccini, whereas Tosca & Butterfly are the Green & Black darkest chocolate.

[Panjandrum]

Boheme is the one I can do without - it's the Cadbury's Milk Tray aspect of Puccini, whereas Tosca & Butterfly are the Green & Black darkest chocolate.

You'll have to explain that metaphor to me, I'm afraid.

[Flosshilde]

You'll have to explain that metaphor to me, I'm afraid.

Cadbury's Milk Tray = sickly sweet; Green & Black darkest chocolate = full flavour with bitter undertone; a touch of sweetness but not cloying & sugary

[johncorrigan]

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - always better than I think it's going to be!

[Chris Newman]

According to the programme playlist it was played by Philharmonic Orchestra Rudolf Kempe - not sure which Philharmonic or is it in fact Philharmonia?

Probably the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra which was often under threat of losing its Royal status, bankrupcy or both though he fought and kept it alive for years.

[Op. XXXIX]

Many examples I could mention. Nothing against warhorses, sometimes they can be fun and very refreshing.

The other day I was driving to the market and Elgar's P&C #4 came on the radio. It was so wonderful, I could literally see the tassels blowing in the breeze, then that utterly noble trio (btw, the only P&C march which Elgar uses the term 'Nobilmente'). I parked the car and listened enraptured.

With all the fuss about Mahler these days -it is not acceptable to question his supremacy- it was really neat to experience a moment of Elgarian satisfaction and pleasure in his delectable mastery.

What a glorious gift to mankind Elgar is.

[Richard Tarleton]

Boheme is the one I can do without - it's the Cadbury's Milk Tray aspect of Puccini, whereas Tosca & Butterfly are the Green & Black darkest chocolate.

I know what you mean about Boheme - I just have a soft spot for it as it was my first opera (in the old Sadlers Wells), and my first opera record was highlights with the incomparable pairing of Tebaldi and Bergonzi (I still have it, now on CD).

It at least has recognisable human behaviour and emotions at its core. The plots and characters of Butterfly, Tosca, Turandot and Manon Lescaut, I'm afraid, I find just plain nasty - there's a real emotional disconnect between Puccini and me.

Perhaps it's partly explicable by the fact I don't like dark chocolate, though I do take my (real) coffee black.

[Norfolk Born]

What a glorious gift to mankind Elgar is.

I couldn't agree more!

[Nick Armstrong]

I couldn't agree more!

Nor could I. EE can just 'get' you, whether it's a P&C, Enigma, Introduction & Allegro, the Symphonies or Gerontius. He last 'got' me with the ending of Symphony No 1 on a Eurostar train

(Apart from some of the other choral works which for me don't match up, my relative blind spot in the 'warhorse' department is the Cello Concerto. But I have a general 'thing' about cello concertos... Not keen, for some reason, with a couple of exceptions).

[Richard Tarleton]

Cadbury's Milk Tray = sickly sweet; Green & Black darkest chocolate = full flavour with bitter undertone; a touch of sweetness but not cloying & sugary

I should have made it clear in #37 that while I like milk chocolate it has to be Lindt, Suchard etc., not Cadburys.

[Nick Armstrong]

I should have made it clear in #37 that while I like milk chocolate it has to be Lindt, Suchard etc., not Cadburys.

I'm a Milka man myself (Or those red-wrapped Lindt "Lindor" balls. Amazing )

[gradus]

Arab thoroughbred really - Scheherazade never fails, as long as the conductor doesn't allow the spine-tingling harp glissandi in the Young Prince and Young Princess to be drowned out.

[Anna]

(Or those red-wrapped Lindt "Lindor" balls. Amazing )

Oh! I love those as well! My hand hovered over those today as I felt I deserved a treat but I went for the Pertzborn chocolate pfeffermusse instead. Yummy with some espresso!

[BBMmk2]

Yes, iof popular pieces of classical music are played very well, hen I would always be happy to hear any of them, eg the Dvroak, Elgar, Stravinksy(the 3 main ballets), Holst Planets etc.

[MrGongGong]

Stimmung is a bit of a "warhorse" for me
at times naive but having great beauty the same time