Jazz for aficionados

An interesting version of the Soldiers Tale is narrated by Sting. I have that copy and the one with John Gielgud.

Both are excellent.

Thomas Wolfe was wrong. You can go home agian. I went yesterday.

Albert Collins, Robert Cray, Johnny Copeland -- SHOWDOWN

Ray Charles, Milt Jackson -- SOUL BROTHERS SOUL MEETING

Great to be back down home.

From The BBC Music Magazine

"Karajan was conducting a Mozart Concerto and leaned over to ask Dennis Brain something. He looked at his music stand, and of course he didn't have the score -it was a motoring magazine! That was quite a moment."

Great English understatement!!

The Orchestra was The London Philharmonica. The interview subject was Neville Marriner. He is 90 now. I gather Karajan was a part of the effort to get the English Orchestras up to 'continental' (German) standards.

Anyone know what this means?
"The example of Beethoven would suffice to convince us that, of all the elements of music, melody is the most accessible to the ear and the least capable of acquisition. Here we have one of the greatest creators of music who spent his whole life imploring the aid of this gift which he lacked."
Igor Stravinsky.

The disscussion was about 'Melody'

Also a great piece on Russian composers and plasyers. Who did, and who did not compose to satisfy the regime. Names a informant for the security police who was part of a famous string quartet.

Interesting stuff.

Cheers

Beethoven, in spite of all the brilliance, was a composer for who composing was a tedious process. It is well known and documented that he would often make revision after revision of a work or passage, and the sketches for a work would sometimes be three times as long as the final product. It can be fairly said that it was not an easy process for him; unlike a composer like Mozart for who composing was a seemingly effortless process and who would write down final drafts after conceiving the work (often very quickly) in his head. The difference in their respective outputs is probably further proof of this. I believe that is what Stravinsky meant with that comment.

****Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end.****

Igor Stravinsky

Albertporter:

Thanks for your recommendations.

I ordered the Soldier's Tale with John Gielgud, also a DG 'twofer' with Rite, Firebird and Petrushka.
The DG CD is conducted by Abbado,. who passed away recently.

Cheers

The Frogman:
Thanks for your answer.

Life spans:

Mozart -- 35
Beethoven -- 57
Stravinsky -- 89

Now think about musical impact and output. And The Masters did not live in the age of hype / media, and the advantages that can bring, if a person is a darling of the press.

IMHO, Igor was an arrogant twerk.

Cheers