What music don't you listen to anymore?
Posted by: HR on 28 May 2006
As we grow older (in age) and younger (in spirit, hopefully) we find ourselves quite often with a musical taste that evolved and sometimes even changed.
What music, which used to be a big part of you, is not there anymore for you?
For me it is the large orchestral works that totally lost their appeal. Today I find most symphonies and concertos to be too strctured, predictable and quite often bombastic.
Instead, these days I take a great pleasure in chamber music, where I am allowed to get much closer to the musicians and their instruments, and where I find more intimacy and deeper emotions.
Haim
What music, which used to be a big part of you, is not there anymore for you?
For me it is the large orchestral works that totally lost their appeal. Today I find most symphonies and concertos to be too strctured, predictable and quite often bombastic.
Instead, these days I take a great pleasure in chamber music, where I am allowed to get much closer to the musicians and their instruments, and where I find more intimacy and deeper emotions.
Haim
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by sjust
Cant's speak in general, Haim, but sadly some of my very early heroes stopped "talking" to me, somehow:
Led Zep
David Lindlay
Kevin Coyne (who passed away, last year)
Frank Zappa
(almost don't dare to write: ) King Crimson
this short sample list would have been candidates of my 10 most important artists, 25-30 years ago. I rarely play any of them, anymore, sometimes buy "re-issues", and am almost always disapointed.
I'm sad that this has changed, but you can't force yourself into a certain "taste", just for nostalgic reasons, can you ?
Enjoy
Stefan
Led Zep
David Lindlay
Kevin Coyne (who passed away, last year)
Frank Zappa
(almost don't dare to write: ) King Crimson
this short sample list would have been candidates of my 10 most important artists, 25-30 years ago. I rarely play any of them, anymore, sometimes buy "re-issues", and am almost always disapointed.
I'm sad that this has changed, but you can't force yourself into a certain "taste", just for nostalgic reasons, can you ?
Enjoy
Stefan
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by Huwge
Haim,
at present there is nothing that I do not not listen to consciously, but my musical horizons seem to broaden on a daily basis and so inevitably some things get replayed less often.
We had a friend visiting this past weekend and it was quite fun to dip into some less played items.
Huw
at present there is nothing that I do not not listen to consciously, but my musical horizons seem to broaden on a daily basis and so inevitably some things get replayed less often.
We had a friend visiting this past weekend and it was quite fun to dip into some less played items.
Huw
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by HR
quote:Originally posted by sjust:
I'm sad that this has changed, but you can't force yourself into a certain "taste", just for nostalgic reasons, can you ?
Enjoy
Stefan
Stefan and Huw,
I have been without my skipnick for over a week now, which gave me a chance to dig deep into my LPs collection. But instead of ending with all the symphonies and glorious concertos which I have not listened to for such a long while, I found myself looking for horn trios, clarinet quintets and string quartets.
It is sad, like you said, Stefan, because you realize that all of a sudden this great music is drifting away from me. Perhaps, Huw, I need the right kind of guest to veer me back to the USSR..
Best regards,
Haim
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by Malky
Hawkwind.
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by Guido Fawkes
quote:Originally posted by sjust:
Cant's speak in general, Haim, but sadly some of my very early heroes stopped "talking" to me,
Kevin Coyne(who passed away, last year)
Stefan
Stefan - are you sure that a quick blast of Dynamite Daze or Majorie Razorblade wouldn't rekindle your enthusiasm for the great man?
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by sjust
quote:Originally posted by HR:
Stefan and Huw,
I have been without my skipnick for over a week now, which gave me a chance to dig deep into my LPs collection. But instead of ending with all the symphonies and glorious concertos which I have not listened to for such a long while, I found myself looking for horn trios, clarinet quintets and string quartets.
It is sad, like you said, Stefan, because you realize that all of a sudden this great music is drifting away from me. Perhaps, Huw, I need the right kind of guest to veer me back to the USSR..
Best regards,
Haim
(For other reasons, also...) this could be an eye-opening weekend for me !
JUST before it ends, you come up with some interesting thoughts and ideas, Haim: Orchestral music (listened to at home) very often has something either bombastic (oops, you've edited your post ? where's the original - thought building version ?) or distracting or even predictable, whereas chamber music - especially of the ancient, pre-baroque kind, thrills me with its simplicity, yet inner logic and harmonies.
Sorry Haim, while writing this post, I (obviously) noted that some of your original post was gone, so this may sound a bit non-related, but I still think I will re-evaluate my relationship to what I like in classical music, and what I don't.
Enjoy !
Stefan
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by sjust
quote:Originally posted by ROTF:quote:Originally posted by sjust:
Cant's speak in general, Haim, but sadly some of my very early heroes stopped "talking" to me,
Kevin Coyne(who passed away, last year)
Stefan
Stefan - are you sure that a quick blast of Dynamite Daze or Majorie Razorblade wouldn't rekindle your enthusiasm for the great man?
Millionaires and Teddy Bears was one of MY favorites... The real GEM (which I still adore) wasn't under his name, bu twith "Siren", and is:
Anybody still knows this ?
cheers
Stefan
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by Tam
Dear Huw,
I find I share your situation pretty exactly. Over the last few years my collection and tastes have grown pretty rapidly, but I can't really think of anything I no longer care for (though some things inevitably get less play time). Interestingly, I have been listening to relatively little Miles Davis lately, though the current anniversary has prompted me to remember just how much varied and wonderful music he was responsible for.
Dear Haim,
I'm sorry orchestral music no longer does it for you. Is this even true of what one might term smaller, or even 'chamber', sized symphonies, such as the Haydn or early Mozart? Recently Fredrik maintained that Mozart wasn't up to all that much as a symphonist, but I believe he has now revised that view following the discs of early symphonies from Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra that I sent him.
The talk of chamber music reminds me that in all our 'first' threads we never attempted to tackle this genre - perhaps, Haim, you should start up off.
regards, Tam
I find I share your situation pretty exactly. Over the last few years my collection and tastes have grown pretty rapidly, but I can't really think of anything I no longer care for (though some things inevitably get less play time). Interestingly, I have been listening to relatively little Miles Davis lately, though the current anniversary has prompted me to remember just how much varied and wonderful music he was responsible for.
Dear Haim,
I'm sorry orchestral music no longer does it for you. Is this even true of what one might term smaller, or even 'chamber', sized symphonies, such as the Haydn or early Mozart? Recently Fredrik maintained that Mozart wasn't up to all that much as a symphonist, but I believe he has now revised that view following the discs of early symphonies from Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra that I sent him.
The talk of chamber music reminds me that in all our 'first' threads we never attempted to tackle this genre - perhaps, Haim, you should start up off.
regards, Tam
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by Chillkram
UB40's Signing Off was the first album I ever bought when a teenager in 1981. They were also the first band I saw live. I then bought all their albums up until 1984 and then my musical taste changed around that time and I stopped listening to them and started listening to the blues instead.
Many of the LPs I bought then are amongst my most played even now, artists like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Elmore James, Buddy Guy etc.
Since my early twenties I would say my musical taste has broadened rather than changed and I now listen to jazz and classical as well as the rock and blues of my youth.
Mark
Many of the LPs I bought then are amongst my most played even now, artists like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Elmore James, Buddy Guy etc.
Since my early twenties I would say my musical taste has broadened rather than changed and I now listen to jazz and classical as well as the rock and blues of my youth.
Mark
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by arf005
Nick Kershaw - jeeez did I just say that!!!
I used to own two of his albums on tape, but admittedly only bought them because there was a girl in my class who liked him......honest!!
I used to own two of his albums on tape, but admittedly only bought them because there was a girl in my class who liked him......honest!!
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by HR
quote:Originally posted by Tam:
Dear Haim,
I'm sorry orchestral music no longer does it for you. Is this even true of what one might term smaller, or even 'chamber', sized symphonies, such as the Haydn or early Mozart? Recently Fredrik maintained that Mozart wasn't up to all that much as a symphonist, but I believe he has now revised that view following the discs of early symphonies from Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra that I sent him.
The talk of chamber music reminds me that in all our 'first' threads we never attempted to tackle this genre - perhaps, Haim, you should start up off.
regards, Tam
Dear Tam,
I guess that things gradually changed for me when my family started to go to a near-by college which offers every year 8 chamber music concerts in their chappel.
The experience of being able to sit so close to the musicians, hear every note, every nuance-unamplified in a great sounding hall, see their instruments, their hands their eyes... this cannot be duplicated on any larger scale.
I just stopped going to hear concertos and symphonies with another two thousand people played through sixteen microphones, and eventually I stopped listening to it at home too.
Tam, don't get me wrong. It is not that I cannot stand orchestral work. After-all I grew up with it, and I will listen to any music any time, but if you gave me a clear choice I will always choose the one violin over the twelve. The chamber music lets me get closer to the musicians and they bring the music much closer to my heart.
Regards,
Haim
Posted on: 28 May 2006 by Jack Dotson
My wife has been waiting years for me to stop playing loud rock music and I'm afraid at 49 years old it's finally happened. Well almost. (-:
She's commented many times over the years that I will never grow up and I've always hoped she was rite. But, I have to admit that I just can't sit around for hours on end and listen to Zep, Floyd, Sabbath, etc., the way I used to.
I can still crank them when listening to the radio in the car, but when at home I find myself looking for new music to listen to.
I've recently discovered the likes of Jack Johnson, Jenny Lewis, and even Johnny Cash (never thought I'd admit that). Acoustic Alchemy, Sting, Cowboy Junkies, Double, etc., etc. are what I play these days.
Definately mellowed.
She's commented many times over the years that I will never grow up and I've always hoped she was rite. But, I have to admit that I just can't sit around for hours on end and listen to Zep, Floyd, Sabbath, etc., the way I used to.
I can still crank them when listening to the radio in the car, but when at home I find myself looking for new music to listen to.
I've recently discovered the likes of Jack Johnson, Jenny Lewis, and even Johnny Cash (never thought I'd admit that). Acoustic Alchemy, Sting, Cowboy Junkies, Double, etc., etc. are what I play these days.
Definately mellowed.
Posted on: 29 May 2006 by David Leedham
Camel
At the time they were the bees knees and live even better.
I recently bought a breathless Cd and tried to rekindle what it was that connected.
Failed.
At the time they were the bees knees and live even better.
I recently bought a breathless Cd and tried to rekindle what it was that connected.
Failed.
Posted on: 29 May 2006 by David Leedham
I saw a copy of Rain dances/Camel at the carboot for £2 and was very tempted as have not heard this in 15 years or more, something told me not to do it, draw the line somewhere. However 3 Led zeppelin albums 1,2, 3 were purchased as i only have these on some rarther flat CD copy. Funny how some music stands the test of time.
Posted on: 29 May 2006 by Tam
Dear Haim,
Point taken. I think what you get to hear live has a great affect on what you listen to at home. Mostly I go to orchestral concerts, and in the last couple of years that has dominated my listening. The chamber music I've gone into has almost always been becuase I heard it live (the Britten and Bartok quartets are especially good examples).
Take, for example, my tickets to this summer's festival - I am going to almost no chamber music (but that is at least in part because most of the chamber concerts get scheduled during the daytime).
There is something very special about chamber music in a reasonably intimate setting (and the Queen's Hall up here is very special in that regard). Then again - it was amazing how small Alfred Brendel managed to make the Usher Hall feel last year).
In the unlikely event you are ever in Suffolk, you must try and hear something at the Snape Maltings in Aldeburgh. As the name suggests this wonderful hall used to be a grain maltings until Britten converted it into a hall. It's a shoe box shape and while it seats around 6-700 it doesn't feel nearly so big. But it's real secret is one of the most beautiful acoustics in the world (except in really big works where I end up with a headache).
regards, Tam
Point taken. I think what you get to hear live has a great affect on what you listen to at home. Mostly I go to orchestral concerts, and in the last couple of years that has dominated my listening. The chamber music I've gone into has almost always been becuase I heard it live (the Britten and Bartok quartets are especially good examples).
Take, for example, my tickets to this summer's festival - I am going to almost no chamber music (but that is at least in part because most of the chamber concerts get scheduled during the daytime).
There is something very special about chamber music in a reasonably intimate setting (and the Queen's Hall up here is very special in that regard). Then again - it was amazing how small Alfred Brendel managed to make the Usher Hall feel last year).
In the unlikely event you are ever in Suffolk, you must try and hear something at the Snape Maltings in Aldeburgh. As the name suggests this wonderful hall used to be a grain maltings until Britten converted it into a hall. It's a shoe box shape and while it seats around 6-700 it doesn't feel nearly so big. But it's real secret is one of the most beautiful acoustics in the world (except in really big works where I end up with a headache).
regards, Tam
Posted on: 29 May 2006 by HR
quote:Originally posted by Tam:
In the unlikely event you are ever in Suffolk, you must try and hear something at the Snape Maltings in Aldeburgh. As the name suggests this wonderful hall used to be a grain maltings until Britten converted it into a hall. It's a shoe box shape and while it seats around 6-700 it doesn't feel nearly so big. But it's real secret is one of the most beautiful acoustics in the world (except in really big works where I end up with a headache).
regards, Tam
Dear Tam,
Nothing like a good sounding hall to enchance the musical experience. The Lily Reid Holt Memorial Chapel that I have been going to at Lake Forest College was discovered also by Ken Christianson who recorded three NAIM albums there, the latest one being Crazy World with Laurence Hobgood Trio in the summer of 2004.
Best regards,
Haim