University Challenge

[Richard Tarleton]

The captain of St Cats just can't bring himself to say "we don't know", and has no sense of the passing of time. He must have wasted about 5 minutes - luckily of their time, because they lost

[Mary Chambers]

PS I flunked the opera question entirely, though got the Debussy ones right.

Same here. I would never have thought of Steve Reich as an opera composer, anyway.

[BBMmk2]

The only ones I got right, usually is, the music questions but not the Steve Reich!

[Pabmusic]

I got the Rossini, Strauss and Schoenberg. But not Reich. (I said Adams, but it was a guess.)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I got the Rossini

I didn't (like the contestants, I hazarded Verdi).

Strauss and Schoenberg.

(The Schönberg was from Act Two, just before the Dnace Around the Golden Calf. The Strauss was from Act One - as the head is being delivered?)

But not Reich. (I said Adams, but it was a guess.)

So did I.

[gurnemanz]

When operas on a biblical theme was signalled, I thought Moses and Aaron would be in there - which made it fairly easy to identify it when it arrived.

[jean]

I didn't (like the contestants, I hazarded Verdi).

I think I would have - even though I've seen the opera - if I hadn't read the answer here first! It was a very short clip, and late Rossini can sound very like early Verdi.

When operas on a biblical theme was signalled...

But it wasn't before the first clip was played, was it?

[Pulcinella]

Paxo didn't penailse the Cats team for interrupting with the wrong answer, but actually helped them by asking 'By?'. Would have been very unfair had they won by only a few marks!

And yes, diving 86 by 4 isn't that great a feat, but getting the operas composers right would have been: we didn't! In fact, I didn't catch the name of the Reich opera (and hence its biblical connection); sounded like The cave!

[Pabmusic]

I think I would have - even though I've seen the opera...

It's much simpler for me. I heard that same Rossini chorus when I was a boy (on the radio? Sunday Night is Music Night?) and was struck by the chord of a triad moving upward by a semitone (a sort appoggiatura - i can't identify it. Ferney, help me ). That effect stuck.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Paxo didn't penailse the Cats team for interrupting with the wrong answer, but actually helped them by asking 'By?'. Would have been very unfair had they won by only a few marks!

- what, like "five", f'rinstance?

And yes, diving 86 by 4 isn't that great a feat

But that wasn't how the wording of the question was put - nor was it "What is 25% of 86 kilos": it was "What is 86cm expressed as a percentage of 4 meteres?" The actual maths may not have been difficult, but sorting out the wording required some praiseworthy comment I felt. (Trans: "I didn't get it.")

but getting the operas composers right would have been: we didn't! In fact, I didn't catch the name of the Glass opera (and hence its biblical connection); sounded like The cave!

It was The Cave - but it was Reich, not Glass. (In fact, a brace of Reichs, as Beryl Korot [Mrs Reich] supplied the multi-faith sourced libretto.)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It's much simpler for me. I heard that same Rossini chorus when I was a boy (on the radio? Sunday Night is Music Night?) and was struck by the chord of a triad moving upward by a semitone (a sort appoggiatura - i can't identify it. Ferney, help me ). That effect stuck.

Yes - a "triple chromatic rising appogiatura" would describe what you're saying. (One of those expressions that take eight times longer to write down than the effect it describes takes place!)

Impressive playlist back then - better than Breakfast and Essential Classics these days!

[Pulcinella]

Ferney: yes, I just realised I had the wrong composer as I was checking if anyone had replied, so have edited my post; timing just clashed.
Thanks.
I did think that the Cats team might win, as it got very close at the end, but 5 points was all that it needed. Will be interesting to see how both teams fare in their next games.

[Richard Tarleton]

Hmmm, did Paxo say "Central European" to throw them off the scent? "Polish" would have been too easy, though isn't Poland more, er, Eastern Europe? It was about the only barcarolle left!

I'm not sure how much more of the timewasting, dithering and gurning I can take - someone should really have had a word. UC less enjoyable this season.

[ahinton]

isn't Poland more, er, Eastern Europe?

Central Europe, I'd have said; Eastern Europe's surely Belarus / Ukraine / Moldova / Georgia / Armenia / Azerbaijan / Turkey &c.?

[DublinJimbo]

I'm not sure how much more of the timewasting, dithering and gurning I can take - someone should really have had a word. UC less enjoyable this season.

Perhaps he'd read the comments here and was playing it up.