Coverage of the Inauguration on Aunt & Sky

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It almost resembles an early Stockhausen score!

A 1960s Berio Sequenza, perhaps? Dropped from the Sinfonia in favour of O King!?

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Stillhomewardbound (Msg. 19),
With respect, although it is true that a re-elected president is an incumbent, an inauguration ceremony is held on the steps of the West Front of the Capitol at the beginning of each new four-year term, regardless. I would guess that the reason is that the inauguration is one of Americans' few excuses for a national (and international) piece of public pageantry. I refer you to a Wikipedia article, "United States Presidential Inauguration," [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_inauguration"[/URL]

As a life-long listener to classical music, I am appalled and embarrassed at the musical performers' renditions of our great patriotic works at this inaugural ceremony. Is it impossible to sing even the National Anthem without all that embellishment? Only the arrangement of the Battle Hymn of the Republic escaped ruination.

What were viewers' reactions to Richard Blanco's reading of his poem "One Today?"

yes it is hard to hear the mash up and still regard it as the same work ...

as for the poem i was moved to tears and thought it brilliant and then was ashamed of myself and berated myself for the potency of cheap music etc ... but in the musical selections only the choir managed to arouse any emotion at all ... thought they were splendid in their effort and integrity .... as for the ladies well too much warbling/lipsynched or not ...

i have recovered from my reaction to my response to the poem; i imagined if i had written those verses how i would feel reading them myself to that audience .... way to go Mr Blanco millions are with you [me too] ...watching the mature ladies who know a thing or two respond to his reading was interesting, many people looked at him in some kind of slightly puzzled admiration like 'where did that come from?' - a form of high praise

[eighthobstruction]

Just listened to the Richard Blanco poem "One Today".....

Immediately thought of it being a sanitised way America might like to see themselves (and of course at such an ocassion what would one expect.....criticism??) it was a patiche of many a poem and lyric....

One more day on Crystal Meth, on Death row, in Guantanamo, of Fundemental Americano....

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

knockers and mockers eh .... muppets in the balcony ... i thought the optimism of Obama was pretty cold eyed ..... and if we do not affirm such things what then do we affirm?

seems to me that the real challenge is to be positive, especially for cynical old geezers like thee and me eighthO

and i am more firmly of the opinion today than i was heretofore that Aunt's know-all commentaries made a mockery of the ritual .... as if she dare not be away from perch of omniscient authority for a nanosecond ... not a scintilla of awareness, not a reflexive instinct in sight .... just drivel .... i think Aunt is embarrassed and can not take the honest affirmation of the Americans - it must be 'commented' away

there is no joy nor warmth in their Crystal Meth, prisons and punishments and just as little as there is in the good ol UK eh? .... tried a St Petersburg drying out cell lately?

sin stone etc ....

[eighthobstruction]

Oh for sure....thought all that while I was writing it,but still wrote it....only heard poem and the R4 broadcast on PM....

Yes a real challenge to be positive....how's it done?....I dislike these water colour washes over the truth....if I have to replace the truth with being positive, I'll take the truth everytime....illusions are devices produced for entertainment and peace of mind. I find peace of mind in the truth, not always but with certain truths the cup is always full....

[Mandryka]

Whereas many of the composers contemporary with or older than Britten turned left at around the time that he did - the time of the Spanish Civil War. Some like Bush, most notably, and Rawsthorne, became actual Communists, big C, and afaik remained so for the rest of their lives. Tippett was a Trotskyist for a brief while, up to and possibly including during WW2. Not much seems to have been written about the political leanings of emigre composers such as Reizenstein, Seiber, Gerhard and Wellesz.

On a slightly different topic, one thing that has interested me since joining the old BBC forum 3 years ago is the degree of coalescence between posters of ostensibly left wing and right wing views, as revealed on other non-musical threads here on this forum. I have often considered trying to start a thread on this very topic, but have been at a loss to know how to introduce it, or provide a suitable thread heading. Undoubtedly there are also divergences. Many who come across here as being right wing in their thinking cleave on the other hand towards a populist view that is in general supportive of the direction Radio 3 has taken under RW, possibly persuaded by "commercial logic", that others of their persuasion might, in the name of consistency, have thought more appropriate to the left - "music for the masses", whereas others of either persuasion hold to the earlier standards of Radio 3. As someone of the left, myself, I continue in the probable teeth of evidence to the contrary to find those areas of coalescent thinking around music promising in terms of fruitful dialogue elsewhere.

In the wake of Ted Heath's unexpected election victory in June 1970, Walton telegrammed the new PM: 'Thank God, you're in!'

Sir John Barbirolli, afaia, did not resort to telegrams, but he may have shared the sentiments.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Oh for sure....thought all that while I was writing it,but still wrote it....only heard poem and the R4 broadcast on PM....

Yes a real challenge to be positive....how's it done?....I dislike these water colour washes over the truth....if I have to replace the truth with being positive, I'll take the truth everytime....illusions are devices produced for entertainment and peace of mind. I find peace of mind in the truth, not always but with certain truths the cup is always full....

know the truth then be positive .... no pollyanna or spin doctoring required eh

[eighthobstruction]

know the truth then be positive .... no pollyanna or spin doctoring required eh

I'll go for that....

[Serial_Apologist]

I'll go for that....

Illogical Positivism.......

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Illogical Positivism.......

as William James and John Dewey would have said

[Estelle]

(RE #27) Dear Oddball,
I did only what I could do--voted Republican, but the candidate wasn't strong enough to oust the incumbent.

As for singing the National Anthem as though she was on a football field, Beyoncé should have known better. She needn't be an opera singer to sing the anthem straight rather than trying to make a pop tune out of it.

[Mr Pee]

(RE #27) Dear Oddball,
I did only what I could do--voted Republican, but the candidate wasn't strong enough to oust the incumbent.

Careful Estelle, saying you voted Republican around these parts is liable to get you into trouble!

(Not from me, I hasten to add!!)

[Richard Tarleton]

(RE #27) Dear Oddball,
I did only what I could do--voted Republican, but the candidate wasn't strong enough to oust the incumbent.

As for singing the National Anthem as though she was on a football field, Beyoncé should have known better. She needn't be an opera singer to sing the anthem straight rather than trying to make a pop tune out of it.

Hi Estelle

It's being reported here that it was pre-recorded and that she was miming....

[amateur51]

Walton was right-wing.

Did Paul Johnson tell you that?

[Quarky]

(RE #27) Dear Oddball,
I did only what I could do--voted Republican, but the candidate wasn't strong enough to oust the incumbent.

As for singing the National Anthem as though she was on a football field, Beyoncé should have known better. She needn't be an opera singer to sing the anthem straight rather than trying to make a pop tune out of it.

Thanks for replying Estelle. I find US politics interesting, but don't really know enough to go beyond elementary comments. However it seemed to me that, since Barack was the winner, it was his show, and his choice of music. Or probably the choice of Michelle et al.. That is fair enough in my book. America is apparently a divided country, and these divisions may show up in musical tastes. But nowhere near as divided as this country. I would happily swap with you any day!