Classical Listening

Among the finest living and performing female singers you would have to include:

Cecilia Bartoli
Angela Gheorghiu
Anja Harteros
Anna Netrebko
Anne Sofie von Otter
Christina Schäfer
Danielle de Niese
Dawn Upshaw
Deborah Voigt
Diana Damrau
Edita Gruberova
Elina Garanca
Joyce DiDonato
Kristine Opolais
Natalie Dessay
Patricia Petibon
Renée Fleming
Vesselina Kasarova
Vivica Genaux
Veronique Gens
Magdalena Kozena
Sandrine Piau
Waltraud Meier
Mariella Devia
Nina Stemme
Camilla Nylund
Bernarda Fink
Karina Gauvin
Christine Schäfer

The names in bold are those singers who I am quite familiar with.

Older (retired or diseased) female singers:

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Lucia Popp
Joan Sutherland
Maria Callas
Kiri Te Kanawa
Montserrat Caballé
Renata Tebaldi
Victoria de los Angeles
Mirella Freni
Shirley Virrett
Christa Ludwig
Ileana Cotrubas
Leonie Rysanek
Astrid Varnay
Barbara Hendricks
Elly Ameling
Maureen Forrester
Lisa della Casa
Mady Mesple
Elizabeth Grummer
Rita Streich
Jessye Norman
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
Leontyne Price
Frederica von Stade
Leyla Gencer
Lotte Lehmann
Teresa Berganza
Marilyn Horne
Katia Ricciarelli
Galina Vishnevskaya
Pilar Lorengar
Regine Crespin
Renata Scotto
Kathleen Ferrier
Kathleen Battle
Janet Baker
Irmgard Seefried
Kirsten Flagstad
Teresa Stratas
Gundula Janowitz
SENA JURINAC

Among the finest living/performing male singers you might include:

Placido Domingo (still performing at 71!)
Bryn Terfel
Philippe Jaroussky
Juan Diego Florez
Thomas Hampson
Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Jonas Kaufmann
Roberto Alagna
Thomas Quasthoff
Andreas Scholl
Rolando Villazon
Bejun Mehta
Matthias Goerne
Ian Bostridge
Simon Keenlyside

Male Singers from the past:

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Hans Hotter
Tito Gobbi
Nicolai Gedda
Beniamino Gigli
Fritz Wunderlich
Jussi Björling
Franco Correlli
Hermann Prey
Peter Schreier
Peter Pears
Lauritz Melchior
Wolfgang Windgassen
Luciano Pavarotti
Jon Vickers
Robert Merrill
Jose Carreras
Richard Tauber
Gérard Souzay
Léopold Simoneau
Cesare Siepi
Walter Taussig
Samuel Ramey
Alfredo Kraus
Pavel Lisitsian
Alfred Deller
Richard Tucker
Mario del Monaco

Undoubtedly I've forgotten any number of worthy singers. Your best bet is looking at the names that appear frequently in the leading roles in the recordings of operas on the major labels... especially EMI, DG (Deutsche Grammophon), Decca, etc...

Anyone serious interested in learning more about opera might explore this forum:

http://operalively.com/forums/forum.php

I've noticed with opera I really don't have a refined ear at all. I've been pretty impressed by every opera singer I've seen (though, all the operas I've watched have been recorded or simulcast from The Met, and I doubt many slouches get to perform there)--hell, I'm usually blown away by them--but then I'll look up reviews and read so-and-so was off or so-and-so was weak, and I think, really? They sounded good to me.

I think there's something about opera... this unique art form that combines theater and music... that brings out the most fiercely passionate supporters and critics. Indeed, in no other field of classical music have I come across such brutal criticism. There are those who are absolute acolytes of Maria Callas who will spit out the most vicious critiques of any challenger... however brilliant: Joan Sutherland, Birgit Nilsson, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf. There are fans of contemporary singers who are equally brutal... merciless in their criticism of any singer excepting that with whom they are obsessed. Renee Fleming fans will post comments on YouTube videos calling Anna Netrebko a "slvt", or Angela Gheorghiu a "wh-re" (although Gheorgiu does deserve her nickname, 'Draculette':lol:). There are also those who will argue to the death as to the superiority of some singer who reached her peak in 1917... when recording technology was less than ideal. At the same time... as Dark Star suggests... the highly-trained listeners are able to pick up on things that the rest of the audience will miss. They catch the slightest missed note... the poor enunciation or pronunciation. I was listening to this show on the radio once when they played about 15 seconds of a selection of 10 different singers performing the same aria. The experts were able to identify almost all of the singers with little or no real effort. I was absolutely flabbergasted... but then again... I probably have an eye for paintings that is quite similarly developed.

That's a great list Luke, and there are quite a few on there I haven't heard of but am going to explore! I was wondering, though, whether your soprano list ought to include Dame Felicity Lott and (perhaps to a lesser degree) Dorothea Röschmann. Also, as a denizen of Durham University, I feel obliged to recommend Sir Thomas Allen to the list of male singers!

Certainly Felicity Lott belongs on the list. Dorothea Röschmann? I can't say as I'm not familiar with her... although in no way would I suggest that this is an all-inclusive list. Classical music is so broad and there are some many genres which each have their great singers who often specialize in a given repertoire. I think now of Michael Chance... another great singer I forgot. You also have vocal groups which specialize: the Anonymous 4, the Gothic Voices, the Deller Consort, the Hilliard Ensemble, the Tallis Scholars, Sequentia, etc...

A sad day for music lovers... Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau has died, at the venerable age of 86.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18118722

One of the greatest voices of the 20th century, and who leaves behind a tremendous legacy to the musical world.

I just happened upon this news myself. Honestly, I did not know that he was still alive. He was undoubtedly one of the greatest singers. I would be hard-pressed to think of a single singer who appears on more recordings in my collection. RIP:sad:

Recently, I have discovered a very charming Mozart Violin Sonata K377.

Lang Lang gets a lot of criticism on You Tube for his behaviour when performing, often from people who don't play the piano themselves, but he is an amazingly dynamic performer. In this performance, I doubt that even the composer could have given a better rendering. Total confidence and control with an amazing technique brilliantly adapted to this showpiece concerto that dazzled the audience. My first contact of this work was when I was very young and I bought Rubenstein's recording but it doesn't live up to Lang's stunning live performance.

http://youtu.be/8yE3Dz0-koA

It's hard to tell if he's genuinely being swept away by the music in the way he acts, or if he's putting on a show. I'm thinking it's more of the latter, but I don't see what's wrong with that. He's a showman, good for him. If he sucked it'd be another issue, but he's obviously excellent. And as to what YouTube commenters say, who cares? They are one of the poorest representations of mankind one can come across.

Rubenstein... who was the master of Chopin, Brahms, and Schumann... was probably not ever the best man for Liszt... or at least not the more exhibitionist side of Liszt. He might have been suited to perform the Années de pèlerinage... but then again, Wilhelm Kempff plays these exquisitely. This particular repertoire truly demands a virtuoso and theatrical showman... someone closer to Van Cliburn, Sviatoslav Richter, Georges Cziffra... or especially Krystian Zimerman and the incomparable Marc-Andre Hamelin. Lang Lang is obviously a first-rate piano virtuoso and Liszt may just be the perfect repertoire for him. I do suspect, as usual, that Emil/Brian is too easily swayed by the visual theatricality of the performance... but I can excuse him for this as I have to admit that I have been equally seduced by operatic performances of Anna Netrebko, Kristine Opolais, and Elīna Garanča among others.

There's a story told by one of Rostropovitch's students about a brilliant young virtuoso who was studying with the great Russian cellist. After flawlessly executing an extremely difficult piece, Rostropovitch scowled... and then told the student: "Imagine you have in your hands the most exquisite suitcase. It is made of the finest leather and calves-skin, and fixed with the most marvelous metal clasps and hinges. Can you imagine it?" The student stuttered, "Y... yes!" "Here... take it!" Rostropovitch commanded. The student acted as if he were taking the suitcase. "Now... open it." He commanded. The student obeyed... acting as if he were opening a suitcase. "What do you see inside?" After a pause, the student replied... "N...nothing." Sitting back, the great cellist intoned, "Exactly... and you are like that suitcase. Outside all glitter and virtuosity and show... but inside... there is nothing."

Lang Lang, may just be the real thing. However, there have been endless young virtuosos who have come and gone because they have not been able to dig deeper into the music. To survive over the long haul, he will need to be able to bring something special... something unique to the field. It is questionable whether we need yet another flashy virtuoso performing the same repertoire that has been recorded brilliantly endless times before. Of course there will always be a demand for such performers live, and just as Anna Netrebko may hold up more in DVDs of live performances than in recordings, so Lang Lang may become more known through his videos than his records.

For the time being, I'll suspend judgment. I will note that he is making some attempt to dig deeper into the music. Recently, DG released this disc:

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...VRL_SS400_.jpg

Here, Lang Lang performs with two musicians who have long and towering reputations upon their respective instruments. Lang Lang appears to have learned a degree of restraint... finesse... and an ability to work in a group setting... with equals. Reviews for this, his first recording of chamber music, have been quite solid. Perhaps DG will be able to guide Lang Lang's career in such a manner that he doesn't burn out as simply one more young virtuoso.

Would you say Yo-Yo Ma is someone who's been able to dig deeper and bring something deeper to the field than just another virtuoso? I would say yes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mutatis-Mutandis

Would you say Yo-Yo Ma is someone who's been able to dig deeper and bring something deeper to the field than just another virtuoso? I would say yes.

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I don't know if he is deeper or even a better player than all else, but he is so happy and full of energy when he plays that it is hard not to pick up on it when listening

I know, but I was wondering if he has reached that second level by StLuke's standards due to all his work in fusion genres, i.e., that he's gone beyond just being a good performer, like Lang Lang's current status.

Lang Lang is an excellent pianist, but I must admit I feel like he plays up his expressions. I'm always much more impressed by musicians who can inject fire and passion into the music with very minimal physical expression.

For example, I recently had the pleasure of going to a concert conducted by Frans Bruggen (which rather surprised me, as I thought he'd been dead for some time): the programme was Strauss's Metamorphosen, Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto and Mozart's Jupiter symphony. Bruggen, elderly and very frail, was brought on stage in a wheelchair, and had to be helped onto his seat on the podium by the first violin. His performance, however, was indescribable. During Metamorphosen, there were long periods when he didn't even move: his touch was light but purposeful, controlled but with no unnecessary ornamentation. I have no hesitation in calling it the best rendition of Metamorphosen I have ever heard, recorded or live: Bruggen penetrated right to the heart of the matter, drawing out the incredible layers of pathos in the music with consumate skill. But then, for the finale of the Mozart (of which I would again say it was the best performance I've ever heard), with only small and careful movements, he worked the orchestra up into state of Bacchic fury that was incredible to observe: intense, fierce and passionate.

It was an incredible night, and he gave a performance that put other conductors I've seen, many of whom like to dance and cavort about their podium, into the shade.

Anyway, here's a little something I'm listening to at the moment. It's not often a piece of music makes me laugh out loud, but Ernő Dohnányi's Variations on a Nursery Tune is laugh-out-loud funny in places, particularly around the 3:30 mark. In the words of the composer, it is a piece "for the enjoyment of humorous people and for the annoyance of others."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVMFKRMTyE

I agree that Lang Lang has invited criticism by his behaviour at the keyboard and it does seem to be lessening now. However, it's worth remembering that Liszt was also a great showman who had similar criticism thrown at him during his early years. I don't think that Lang's behaviour is strictly attributable to showmanship but it's a kind of natural exuberance that one sees in some other oriental players, it's as though they cant wait to get to the piano and start playing. Naturally there is a certain reserve shown among Western performers that is part of a tradition of showing respect for the composer and the music, but this music is relatively new to the Orient and the enthusiasm is noticeable in the playing which makes some western performances today seem rather tired.
I have watched music students playing in China under the watchful eye of their teacher and their command of the piano or violin is undeniable. Earlier oriental performers such as Fou T'song and Mitsuko Uchida spent much of their lives in the West and grew up in that tradition of looking serious at the keyboard but Lang Lang's generation had little or none of this conditioning and many seem to be entranced by their own ability to play this great music to such a high standard.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lokasenna

Lang Lang is an excellent pianist, but I must admit I feel like he plays up his expressions. I'm always much more impressed by musicians who can inject fire and passion into the music with very minimal physical expression.

For example, I recently had the pleasure of going to a concert conducted by Frans Bruggen (which rather surprised me, as I thought he'd been dead for some time): the programme was Strauss's Metamorphosen, Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto and Mozart's Jupiter symphony. Bruggen, elderly and very frail, was brought on stage in a wheelchair, and had to be helped onto his seat on the podium by the first violin. His performance, however, was indescribable. During Metamorphosen, there were long periods when he didn't even move: his touch was light but purposeful, controlled but with no unnecessary ornamentation. I have no hesitation in calling it the best rendition of Metamorphosen I have ever heard, recorded or live: Bruggen penetrated right to the heart of the matter, drawing out the incredible layers of pathos in the music with consumate skill. But then, for the finale of the Mozart (of which I would again say it was the best performance I've ever heard), with only small and careful movements, he worked the orchestra up into state of Bacchic fury that was incredible to observe: intense, fierce and passionate.

It was an incredible night, and he gave a performance that put other conductors I've seen, many of whom like to dance and cavort about their podium, into the shade.

Anyway, here's a little something I'm listening to at the moment. It's not often a piece of music makes me laugh out loud, but Ernő Dohnányi's Variations on a Nursery Tune is laugh-out-loud funny in places, particularly around the 3:30 mark. In the words of the composer, it is a piece "for the enjoyment of humorous people and for the annoyance of others."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEVMFKRMTyE

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Your description of the conductor you saw reminds me of this video of Stravinsky conducting The Firebird:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5tGA6bpscj8

He's not flashy . . . he doesn't move much at all, actually, but when he does it's that much more powerful. When it kicks in and he's getting into it, you know he's really getting into it.

Would you say Yo-Yo Ma is someone who's been able to dig deeper and bring something deeper to the field than just another virtuoso? I would say yes.

At his best, Yo Yo Ma has been able to produce some marvelous recordings. I especially give him credit for exploring and promoting a broad range of music... everything from Bach to the film composer Morricone (Think Clint Eastwood's classic "Spaghetti Westerns") to non-Western music to the Tangos of Piazzolla. I had the chance to see him perform the entire Bach cello suites live, and he was marvelous. I'm awaiting a third... mature... recording of this work. His first recording was solid... but a bit too middle-of-the-road in comparison to the finest performances (Rostropovitch, Pierre Fournier, Casals, Steven Isserlis, and Janos Starker).

Lang Lang may join Yo Yo Ma, Mitsuko Uchida, Sumi Jo, and Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan as one of the great Asian additions to classical music. This is not to ignore the composers Toru Takemitsu, Toshio Hosokawa, Keiko Abe, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takashi Yoshimatsu, etc...

I've not been on LitNet much recently, mostly because of the ridiculous number of conferences I'm doing this summer (six of them, four of them being back-to-back, and I'm giving papers at five of them).

Anyhow, one of the conferences at my home university finished today - and our Chancellor dropped in unexpectedly to see what all our work is about. It's the first time I've met him in person, so it was rather nice. He's very nice too.

Here he is, singing some Schubert (as arranged by Berlioz):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTYqF...eature=related

So, is singing opera a pastime for him, then? He sounds quite good.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mutatis-Mutandis

So, is singing opera a pastime for him, then? He sounds quite good.

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Well, he's pretty much retired now, but Sir Thomas Allen has been one of the finest classical baritones of the last generation - he's a famous opera star. Have a look at his entry on wikipedia.

Here's another nice piece of his, singing one of John Ireland's songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbQEuIBzuNk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lokasenna

Well, he's pretty much retired now, but Sir Thomas Allen has been one of the finest classical baritones of the last generation - he's a famous opera star. Have a look at his entry on wikipedia.

Here's another nice piece of his, singing one of John Ireland's songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbQEuIBzuNk

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I think I saw him sing Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen at the Royal Festival Hall some years ago. He was certainly one of the top line British singers in his day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lokasenna

Well, he's pretty much retired now, but Sir Thomas Allen has been one of the finest classical baritones of the last generation - he's a famous opera star. Have a look at his entry on wikipedia.

Here's another nice piece of his, singing one of John Ireland's songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbQEuIBzuNk

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Wow. So, is being Chancelor his pastime, then?

I'm still obsessed with Wagner. Mozart too, but mostly Wagner. Such a fascinating personality. So many positives and negatives. A great victor and great victim.......victor in the realm of art......victim in the realm of ideology. I can't get enough of Wagner. I love him and hate him and his music quite simply puts me on fire. That Tristan und Isolde prelude rattles me like nothing else. To me its better than drugs or sex. Lohengrin is amazing too. I love all his stuff. I love listening and watching and just absorbing the immense breadth of his art. There is so much to it. Its medieval, its Christian, its archaic, its modern, its so chalk full of paradox and power.

Anyway. If you can't tell......I am into Wagner. The good and the bad.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mutatis-Mutandis

Wow. So, is being Chancelor his pastime, then?

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I suppose you could say that!

It's really only a figurehead postion given to someone as an honour by the University, but some Chancellors take their role seriously and are very active - I'm glad to say Sir Thomas is so far proving to be one of the good ones!

Half the time I'm conscious I have this tune buzzing my head. I find its a good one, really sets the mood for half the things I do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSY4Yi2ypno

Now this was absolutely delicious... and oh so fun!

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...1lCu8t6GsL.jpg

An absolutely irreverent and outlandish retelling of the Orpheus and Euridice tale... complete with parodies of Gluck's famous aria, Che farò senza Euridice? from his opera, Orfeo ed Euridice...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HuxJEfsxeI

an absurd "seduction" scene in which Zeus takes the form of a fly...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi6SDINpeTw

and of course the famous can-can:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38lIfgWIg8o

As Jules Noriac wrote in the review in Le Figaro, the day after the premier:

"Unheard of,
Splendid,
Outrageous,
Graceful,
Charming,
Witty,
Amusing,
Successful,
Perfect,
Melodius.

If despite all that you are not entranced by Orphée, you have only yourself to blame..."

All I might add to Noriac's list is the word "naughty"... for the work is surely a bit "naughty"... sexy... is the manner of fin de siecle Paris. I will most certainly be picking up Minkowski's other performances of Offenbach's operettas:

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...1Soi1tfIEL.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...1JLjUnC0aL.jpg

Beside which... I gotta admire Offenbach simply for his ability to have pissed off Wagner. Much as I love Wagner, I gotta wish that he could have loosened up now an then and given us something as absurd as Orphée aux Enfers.

I recently listened to La Belle Helene. While I don't think it's as good as Orféo, the music is very playful, and enjoyable. It seems to be more a satire on the opera form than anything else.

Which "Helen" opera is it a parody of? Gluck again (Paride ed Elena)? Or simply the entire Helen of Troy narrative? Strauss has a Helen opera as well, Die Ägyptische Helena. It was initially intended as a comedy but then became a tragedy... and tragic it is... tragically bad. Perhaps the worst libretto ever penned... which is a loss considering that Strauss wrote some rather lovely music for it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stlukesguild

Which "Helen" opera is it a parody of? Gluck again (Paride ed Elena)? Or simply the entire Helen of Troy narrative? Strauss has a Helen opera as well, Die Ägyptische Helena. It was initially intended as a comedy but then became a tragedy... and tragic it is... tragically bad. Perhaps the worst libretto ever penned... which is a loss considering that Strauss wrote some rather lovely music for it.

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Gluck's, given the late Baroque tropes

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darcy88

Half the time I'm conscious I have this tune buzzing my head. I find its a good one, really sets the mood for half the things I do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSY4Yi2ypno

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Love this, so so so much!!

Flash Mobs and Classical music are quite fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrEk06XXaAw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotat...w9_S4PNV0#t=2s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAXAs...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRKKmY5yCv0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBaHPND2QJg

These surely do much to undermine the notion that "classical music" is not for everybody.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stlukesguild

Flash Mobs and Classical music are quite fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrEk06XXaAw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotat...w9_S4PNV0#t=2s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAXAs...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRKKmY5yCv0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBaHPND2QJg

These surely do much to undermine the notion that "classical music" is not for everybody.

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Nice to watch western civilisation in it's darkest hour striking back against the trash merchants of post WWII, although the baton has already been passed on to the orientals who are the future and not only in music.

More of Emil's imitations of Henny Penny/Chicken Little.:willy_nilly:

Poor Emil will probably slit his wrists when he comes to fully realize that the non-Western cultures are quickly absorbing all he most "loves" about Western popular culture and are far from being some last bastion of an illusory "high culture" and sophistication:

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...h_gorillaz.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...diviner_lg.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...g-75230041.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...io/th_727b.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...angGuangyi.jpg

[IMG]http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/gg581/StlukesguildOhio/th_puppy2Yo****oroNara.gif[/IMG]

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...io/th_ode1.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...n_untitled.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/..._72IkeUhde.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...h_Guangyi2.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...gjie_print.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...ngZhengjie.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...5874608608.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...c22b7834aa.jpg

http://i1245.photobucket.com/albums/...tions_2006.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7...96914e0f_n.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8017/7...565381f5_n.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKxebYpt95Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuF2tNl-nRQ

Emil's living in an "Oriental" fantasy that is about as real as the orientalist fantasies of 19th century painters and writers.

As I recall it, Chicken Lilttle thought the world was collapsing because an acorn fell on her head. It's interesting to note that Western administrations, of whatever complexion, consider the economic meltdown in the US and Europe and China's enormous economic strength to be somewhat larger than an acorn.
On those occasions when I have been in China, I have noticed Western meretriciousness but on nothing like the scale that Europe has absorbed since WWII and it's important to remember that China has a form of government that will, when it suits them, eradicate it because mass produced decadence, no matter how profitable in the short term, runs contrary to their long term objectives.
Moreover, as China's economic and military power increases, other countries in the region will inevitably come under its sway and it's likely that Western excess will decline as traditional values begin to reassert themselves.
In short, they will keep what's best of Western civilisation and ditch the rest.

it's important to remember that China has a form of government that will, when it suits them, eradicate it because mass produced decadence, no matter how profitable in the short term, runs contrary to their long term objectives.

Now that's something positive to look forward to: censorship. How did that work out back during the Cultural Revolution when it was not only rock music and Hollywood films but also Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart that were eradicated as signs of Western decadence contrary to their objectives?

You are also assuming that those in charge... and their children... have not themselves become enamored of Western decadence. But you can always dream, can't you?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stlukesguild

Now that's something positive to look forward to: censorship. How did that work out back during the Cultural Revolution when it was not only rock music and Hollywood films but also Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart that were eradicated as signs of Western decadence contrary to their objectives?

You are also assuming that those in charge... and their children... have not themselves become enamored of Western decadence. But you can always dream, can't you?

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I recently checked out David Cameron's choice of Desert Island Discs and there were a smattering of pop groups included. Now of course, he might just be pandering to the masses on whose votes he relies but the Chinese leadership doesn't have to and I can't somehow imagine Hu Jintao hip hopping with other members of the Central Committee.
I also don't see many Chinese pop performers on the world stage whereas there are an increasing number of world class classical performers playing everything from Bach to Bartok it would not be to China's advantage to ban such an important cultural advertisement.

In 1957 the Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa made a Japanese version of MacBeth which received international acclaim. T.S.Eliot considered it one of the finest films ever made.
Meanwhile back at the ranch...

http://youtu.be/9ru028GnTHU

Why is the world before WWII so much better than the world after, exactly?

The past always looks far more rosy when viewed through rose-colored glasses.

I've been exploring the "Classical Era" in a bit more depth. This is the period dominated... at least in the present... by Mozart, Haydn, and young Beethoven... but like every musical era, there were many other composers who achieved marvelous things... in spite of the fact that they have been reduced to little more than a footnote today.

Luigi Boccherini is known mostly for his quintets... often for guitar and strings, his works for cello... and especially for his minuet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42sTUQKdvcs

... a work almost as overplayed as Vivaldi's Four Seasons... which says absolutely nothing about the merits of either.

Beyond this quite gallant Rococo bit of ear-candy, Boccherini composed some other marvelous music. Jordi Savall performs several of Boccherini's quintets to great effect:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dmWAve3Pvk&feature=fvsr

Perhaps even more interesting... at least to me with my penchant for vocal music... is Boccherini's Stabat Mater. Where the Stabat Mater is commonly scored for full orchestra and choir, Boccherini offers instead a rather intimate version for soloist and string quintet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTxlqiy_7Zs