Musical Forays
Last week my ears were firmly up against the wall taking in as much of ABC Classic FM's Classic 100 countdown as possible. The theme this year was nominally the 20th century but in practice it was anything from 1900 to today. For me the countdown was a culmination of a process of discovery; not that the journey is by any means finished it's just not so firmly focussed on one time period any more.
Going into the voting I had some absolute favourites, but I wanted to find out more about what my options were. It wasn't all that long ago I put aside the idea of all classical music coming from a bygone era and all composers being roughly contemporary. So finding out what happened in the last hundred or so years was really interesting. I won't bore you with all the details but classical music is more than you might think and worth trying out. I was lucky and grew up with it, but if you haven't given it much of a chance I encourage you to.
The countdown itself raised some interesting moments and opinions too. One thing it really showed up however was some very intolerant people who were constantly ringing in or commenting online about how dreadful some piece of music was and how it was a shame the ABC hadn't better educated its listeners in the finer points of this or that composer; or how everyone who voted for something must be tone-deaf. They couldn't accept that people have different tastes and that just because they don't like something doesn't mean it's a bad piece of music. I certainly hope the exercise has given people pause for thought and an appreciation for the wonderful variety of music and - most importantly - people out there.
Going into fanboy over-analytical mode I compiled a list of the composers who had the most entries, then did a weighted count with points awarded depending on which lot of 10 the entries came in at. In all Mahler had six entries but Rachmaninoff had his five pieces better placed. In fact, despite the lauded success of the Brits at the very top of the countdown, it was the four big Russian/Soviet composers who had the most entries and points. It's interesting to think then how much beautiful music came out of oppression and suffering. Shostakovich's symphonies were the big revelation to me in listening to the countdown and so many of them had to be written to please the State, but still manage to speak against it. Prokofiev seems to have followed a similar path.
This has further inspired me on my journey of discovery and I'm currently cruising the river of Shostakovich's 15 symphonies. There are some lovely serene meanders and lots of rugged white-water rafting sections.
On the topic of music, a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to accompany one of my oldest and dearest friends, John, to the 10th anniversary gig of Mikeangelo and The Black Sea Gentlemen. It was at Notes in Newtown, quite swish or swank depending on point of view, and was dinner and a show. Dinner was nice, show was better - and our seats were brilliant, as in directly next to the stage.
Opening the entertainment was the Transylvaniacs; sounds like a poor excuse for a goth band but they're nothing of the sort. In fact, hearing them continued my musical journey of discovery as they play traditional music from Transylvania - without a single vampire joke or widow's peak thankfully. The music was rich in tones and rhythm and was even accompanied by a dance solo which was breathtaking to behold - and more so to perform I imagine.
The main act itself was in a word spectacular. The decade of experience showed but clearly hadn't eroded the sense of enjoyment these guys have in their music. It was them having fun as much as them entertaining anyone else and that made it great for everyone.
Part of me wishes them every success and part of me hopes they stay at this level so they can keep walking down tables singing, stealing food from waiters who get too close to the stage and using audience members as makeshift portable mike stands. Highly skilled musicians, natural entertainers and consummate professionals always in character. I will buy some albums but they'll never compete with The Black Sea Gentlemen live.
Going into the voting I had some absolute favourites, but I wanted to find out more about what my options were. It wasn't all that long ago I put aside the idea of all classical music coming from a bygone era and all composers being roughly contemporary. So finding out what happened in the last hundred or so years was really interesting. I won't bore you with all the details but classical music is more than you might think and worth trying out. I was lucky and grew up with it, but if you haven't given it much of a chance I encourage you to.
The countdown itself raised some interesting moments and opinions too. One thing it really showed up however was some very intolerant people who were constantly ringing in or commenting online about how dreadful some piece of music was and how it was a shame the ABC hadn't better educated its listeners in the finer points of this or that composer; or how everyone who voted for something must be tone-deaf. They couldn't accept that people have different tastes and that just because they don't like something doesn't mean it's a bad piece of music. I certainly hope the exercise has given people pause for thought and an appreciation for the wonderful variety of music and - most importantly - people out there.
Going into fanboy over-analytical mode I compiled a list of the composers who had the most entries, then did a weighted count with points awarded depending on which lot of 10 the entries came in at. In all Mahler had six entries but Rachmaninoff had his five pieces better placed. In fact, despite the lauded success of the Brits at the very top of the countdown, it was the four big Russian/Soviet composers who had the most entries and points. It's interesting to think then how much beautiful music came out of oppression and suffering. Shostakovich's symphonies were the big revelation to me in listening to the countdown and so many of them had to be written to please the State, but still manage to speak against it. Prokofiev seems to have followed a similar path.
This has further inspired me on my journey of discovery and I'm currently cruising the river of Shostakovich's 15 symphonies. There are some lovely serene meanders and lots of rugged white-water rafting sections.
On the topic of music, a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to accompany one of my oldest and dearest friends, John, to the 10th anniversary gig of Mikeangelo and The Black Sea Gentlemen. It was at Notes in Newtown, quite swish or swank depending on point of view, and was dinner and a show. Dinner was nice, show was better - and our seats were brilliant, as in directly next to the stage.Opening the entertainment was the Transylvaniacs; sounds like a poor excuse for a goth band but they're nothing of the sort. In fact, hearing them continued my musical journey of discovery as they play traditional music from Transylvania - without a single vampire joke or widow's peak thankfully. The music was rich in tones and rhythm and was even accompanied by a dance solo which was breathtaking to behold - and more so to perform I imagine.
The main act itself was in a word spectacular. The decade of experience showed but clearly hadn't eroded the sense of enjoyment these guys have in their music. It was them having fun as much as them entertaining anyone else and that made it great for everyone.
Part of me wishes them every success and part of me hopes they stay at this level so they can keep walking down tables singing, stealing food from waiters who get too close to the stage and using audience members as makeshift portable mike stands. Highly skilled musicians, natural entertainers and consummate professionals always in character. I will buy some albums but they'll never compete with The Black Sea Gentlemen live.
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