Prom 66 (1.9.12): Cameron Carpenter plays Bach (1)

[Keraulophone]

Magnificent first person plural to start your début post

A very fair review, FL (you are very welcome on here, btw), with a wise conclusion.

[mercia]

did we get an explanation of why the Toccata had to be in F# major ? or was that just showing off ? [did we actually get the fugue ? ]

[BBMmk2]

I am glad I went out withy MrsBBM then (Looking for cake tins!!!)

[amateur51]

We did not like it. Here is our review:
http://www.forumlamentum.com/2012/09...er-plays-bach/

Welcome forumlamentum!

Reading your review of the concert, I took to wondering why you had bothered, as this was your inaugural post in both the 'organ music' and 'classical music' categories.

And such a shame about the ice hockey

[Keraulophone]

did we get an explanation of why the Toccata had to be in F# major ? or was that just showing off ? [did we actually get the fugue ? ]

No explanation and no fugue. He might have wanted the extra brilliance of F# - as well as showing off!

[french frank]

Judge Frank enquires:

Is Cameron Carpenter a household name?

Another review here which says, "I'd love to see the stats on the last time a Prom was this packed for an afternoon organ recital."

[hmvman]

Another review here which says, "I'd love to see the stats on the last time a Prom was this packed for an afternoon organ recital."

I asked an organist friend of mine about Cameron Carpenter. He replied that as far as he was concerned "the jury's still out". My friend, who is a big fan of the late Carlo Curley, made the point that we do need people like Curley and Carpenter as ambassadors for organ music. If the latter is pulling in the crowds then that isn't such a bad thing although those crowds might then be disappointed when they hear other, more subtle and perhaps more musical, organists.

I'll listen to this afternoon's recital just to see if it gets any better than yesterday's......

[Alf-Prufrock]

We did not like it. Here is our review:
http://www.forumlamentum.com/2012/09...er-plays-bach/

Surely we all recognise the tone? Is it not that of a member not often in communication with us these days?

[Nick Armstrong]

Surely we all recognise the tone? Is it not that of a member not often in communication with us these days?

Stan the man?

[Tony Halstead]

Stan the man?

Has Syd 'grown' vicious?

[french frank]

I think a little more than a pronoun is necessary to posit identity. Fowler (2nd edition) states: "We may mean I and another or others, or the average man, or this newspaper, or this nation, or several other things." However: "Writers of books or articles should not use we in circumstances where the collective anonymity of the editorial of a newspaper is out of place." Then again: "Modern writers are showing a disposition to be beholder than was formerly fashionable in the use of I and me." (In other words it was once considered unacceptably egotistical to overuse the first person pronouns; less so now.)

Our own view, singularly, is that the technical comments on the Bach performances indicate more knowledge than we would attribute to an occasional member.

Speaking for ourselves, we dislike performers whose appearance and mannerisms seem purposely designed to distract from the music. It sounds a bit like crossover to me/us.

Personally, we frequently use we when writing to the BBC

[amateur51]

I asked an organist friend of mine about Cameron Carpenter. He replied that as far as he was concerned "the jury's still out". My friend, who is a big fan of the late Carlo Curley, made the point that we do need people like Curley and Carpenter as ambassadors for organ music. If the latter is pulling in the crowds then that isn't such a bad thing although those crowds might then be disappointed when they hear other, more subtle and perhaps more musical, organists.

I'll listen to this afternoon's recital just to see if it gets any better than yesterday's......

Not wishing to write ill of the very recently dead, I'd just say that I recall that the young Carlo Curley was a bit of a Flash Harry in his day (sparkly jackets etc) and appreciated and denigrated for that in equal measure. Gradually he became a more of a mainstream musician and was generally applauded for that.

Perhaps Carpenter will follow the same route

Whatever route he chooses, I suspect it will generate tremendous amounts of comment.

[Anna]

As I am home I will listen to his broadcast today. I could put a cd on but might as well listen as I certainly wouldn't search it out on iplayer. I really like organ music but it's rarely on R3. I think someone said that in the past there were regular organ music slots in the schedule?

[vinteuil]

Our own view, singularly, is that the technical comments on the Bach performances indicate more knowledge than we would attribute to an occasional member.

We tend to agree with FF that this is unlikely to have emanated from our "occasional member". The web-site referred to uses the "American-ism" - if not to say solecism - "maybe" - which said Member wd never have countenanced. And it refers with favour to the hobby of "American" ice-skating... No, this New Member is not that Old Member.

[Keraulophone]

I really like organ music

... unlike Cameron Carpenter.