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Belle

Brahms actually wrote four Piano Trios, and these notes following provide the background. The first Trio is the most beloved and I am not really familiar myself with the much later ones that Brahms composed. These notes come from a YouTube link to the four Trios, but they're not played well enough t...

Belle

Do I detect the ever-so-faint sight and sound of heads exploding in the distance? Channel energies into music or something productive!! Wider reading required!! Last night at my son's home, following half a day working in his wife's legal practice (on reception, ushering in clients and word-processi...

Belle

Absolutely exquisite; I'm listening as I write this. The Brahms is off-the-charts wonderful. I mean, the harmonies just for starters.... I can now have this running in my new car's surround sound, which is a double bonus.

Belle

Thanks for the heads up. I posted a link to that shocking Times Magazine investigative report detailing in excruciating detail the hard-right ultranationalist takeover in Israel here (gift article, no paywall). https://www.classicalmusicguide.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=61404 Obviously, the kids curre...

Belle

The immovable object meets the unstoppable force; Biden to Bibi!!

Belle

The Australian Labor PM is unable to deal with antisemitic electorates and renegade representatives of those seats filled with Israel-hating voters. We live in a wonderful, cohesive country. Really we do. I just love the way that we celebrate cultural enrichment and the beautiful uniqueness of multi...

Belle

I can see it already!! I believe the script has already been laid down in advance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJnm5fuwskY

Belle

Yeah. That. And what a beautiful piece it is too!! I love it.

Belle

These people are not conservatives, who busy themselves working, earning, raising families. The ferals who are disrupting the universities and getting away with it are hard Lefties. Infantile, entitled, angry and bitter. They've been so propagandized by the institutions that they have inhibited, cau...

Belle

There you go. No argument in sight, just name-calling. Same as the black producer who talked to John McWhorter..."an idiot". Never anything by way of intelligent analysis or argument; just platitudes, bromides, cliches "black lives matter" - it's SO YESTERDAY. What would you have without your victim...

Belle

I'm no victim, but the evidence is in about the cruelty meted out to others by the hard Left for daring to disagree. Pointing out facts is horrible, I know. Only the Left could confuse facts and commentary with 'victimhood'. It's so ingrained in them that it's an instinctive reaction; it's called A ...

Belle

I disagree that any person paying $1m in taxation would be 'happy'; this is surely the bloviating chant of an accountant who deals in chump change. The current income tax rate for a person earning over (circa) $200K in this country is 47.5%, plus Medicare levy - and with GST that would quickly go ov...

Belle

The Right's accusations about antisemitism are spot on. I agree. But the Right has just as long and ignoble a history of anti-Semitism, so I think this is much more about Left-bashing than genuine concern for the Jewish community. You are speaking about 80 years ago and much has changed since then....

Belle

Wasn't the Siegfried Idyll composed for the birth of Wagner's son, Siegfried? Perhaps I'm mistaken; I've been know to be. Once.

Belle

It’s a funny thing. Our schools are very well integrated in terms of achievement, merit, beauty, IQ, but race….. racial integration is communism. This brings me back to the 1960s. My father served on inter-faith councils on race relations and civil rights. Because he felt that a nation whose forefa...

Belle

And isn't that work by Brahms such a joy!!!

Belle

Absolutely priceless non-argument.

Oh, I forgot; HEALTH segregates and discriminates too.

Belle

I suppose for much the same reason it took so long to 'investigate' the Clinton Foundation.

Belle

I will turn my attention to this today. This example of demonstrates once again that somebody can rise and rise no matter how disadvantaged the circumstance. And that the state isn't needed when there's courage and determination!!

Belle

You know what? ACHIEVEMENT segregates. MERIT segregates. STATUS segregates. WINNING segregates. WEALTH segregates. BEAUTY segregates. IQ segregates. The Left wants everybody on the same level; nowhere. Move to North Korea if that's what's on the agenda. That way you get a One Star airline and absolu...

Belle

The tribute to your mother was beautiful and heartfelt. You and I are both so fortunate to have parents that provided and imparted the really 'good things in life' to us an early age. Indeed, in the sunset of our lives made all the richer for what happened years ago. Sviatoslav Richter, an antholog...

Belle

From our place it's 80 minutes by freeway to a major outer Sydney northern suburb, where we park the car at a club (we hold membership just for the carparking and eats) and catch the train into the city, which is another 45 minutes. We have this all down to a fine art, so if you come to Sydney we ca...

Belle

I'm sorry to report I haven't heard of this artist or group. These days I don't travel to Sydney Opera House unless it's for a performance which is REALLY SPECIAL . Last time was several years ago - to the Drama Theatre for a performance of "Noises Off" by Michael Frayne. Absolutely hilarious play, ...

Belle

A wonderful violinist and favourite, along with Joshua Bell and Leonidas Kavakos (whom I think is now doing conducting). What a pleasure for anybody lucky enough to see any of these in concert. I'm not sure, but I think Zimmermann is or was artist in residence with the Berlin Philharmonic. What an o...

Belle

This actress and podcaster is very young and she walks Dr. Peterson through her experiences acting in Hollywood (!!!!) and at university, coping with rejection from her friends from the Left because she was a conservative, and dealing with feminist readings of Jane Austen!! She's a bright girl who s...

Belle

I'd say what's happened is that the engineer/producer has balanced the performance dynamics just as you've suggested, after the recital, and simply removed the applause at the same time. All this modern recording engineering begs the question about performance and interpretation altogether, as it ha...

Belle

He and John McWhorter present their weekly podcasts and I wouldn't miss these and haven't for ages, despite the hiatus for Glenn's recent hospitalization and back surgery. They're both amazing and I especially appreciate John's knowledge and love of music: https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/05/13/gl...

Belle

Sviatoslav Richter, an anthology, particularly Rachmaninov #1 from the 1950s when the great, great pianist was absolutely at the height of his powers !! I grew up with this recording and my mother talked me through it when I was about 9. As I'm in the sunset of my life I look back, reflect and celeb...

Belle

It takes a big commitment to listen to this huge work by Telemann but just a cursory hearing is enough to convince of his talents and his ability to incorporate the music of others into his own style. Telemann was influenced by Rameau and the French style and this is evident in much of Telemann's mu...

Belle

Well, this is hardly a ringing endorsement from somebody who thinks John Wayne was a 'great actor'!!!

Belle

Pop tunes which are 60 years old this year !! These were mostly great for dancing and partying. And those pop singers had talent! There were some good melodies and arrangements amongst this lot! And it's amazing how pop music can evoke so many memories!! It was a huge year for the Brits. It's my gu...

Belle

Clifford Curzon, 1968, Schumann's Kinderszenen. Strength and tenderness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdms6u7fXF8

Belle

North Korean national carrier. One can only laugh at this and wonder at the bravery of those people who've signed up for the trip. It's actually priceless and we need to be laughing muchmore about North Korea!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zLXw7SQvAk

Belle

I've always believed Yuja Wang was better suited to those composers from the first half of the program and, of course, to contemporaries like Glass and the late Kapustin. Her dazzling virtuosity seems right for that kind of music.

Belle

I've found myself gravitating more and more to Haydn, not just for the keyboard works but the wonderful masses. I heard them all played for Sonntag Hochamt in Augustinerkirche, Wien with their conductor, choir, orchestra and organist. Here is a wonderful work from Haydn's younger brother, Michael; t...

Belle

As I wrote before, I'm a donor and member of the IPA and have been to a speech from Brendan back in 2017 and I also know interviewer John Roskam. Reformed marxist O'Neill always makes quite a lot of sense, though I don't always agree with him. One thing is certain, he does his homework and is unafra...

Belle

Yes, I'm a donor and member of the IPA and I admire Brendan (not just as a reformed Marxist). Having been to one of his presentations in Sydney several years ago, he makes good arguments.

I think you've posted it on the Chatterbox instead of the Pub.

Belle

Emanuel Ax plays Haydn Sonata 53 Hob XV1/34. My favourite Haydn sonata; it's such a joy, filled with humour. This is a somewhat 'romantic' reading: I still favour the Brautigam but this one from Ax is absolutely charming. One thing I've noticed with these works when listening whilst reading the scor...

Belle

Our second son has travelled extensively in remote Australia - WA and SA - for work. The crews are all equipped with Starlink in their vehicles in case of breakdown or emergencies. Coping with the existential heat is a daily challenge for all crews and staff. Dust is off the charts, but it would be ...

Belle

I admit I was muddying the waters by mentioning B#. The main reason you see odd note names like B# or G## is because these notes are leading you somewhere. B# is like a finger pointing to C#. If you see a B# written on the page you can be sure there's a C# coming up soon. If it were going somewhere...

Belle

Absolute gold!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSI-ZRTNwWk

Belle

Thanks for this. I'm always intrigued about B# when it could be C! But that enharmonic 'spelling' will depend on the original key of the piece (E Minor in this case) and all keys relative to that, I guess - apart from some modulations to distant places. I've forgotten so much theory over the decades...

Belle

I agree that Atkinson's analysis is somewhat discursive, but I found some of the references useful. When you refer to those conventional harmonic progressions 1-1V-V-1 it did come as a surprise to find the less conventional modulations of which you write. One can 'read' different chords, pivots and ...

Belle

When these amazing works are played (and deconstructed) I always get the feeling that Brahms had the beating heart a lion trapped inside his dowdy, avuncular mien. He was in reality a VOLCANO.

Belle

I loved this quote, and it's so very true. I never grow tired of the Bach Passions, the B Minor Mass or 'the 48' and many more works by Bach. Same response to Beethoven (except final movement Symphony 9 - pass!) and Brahms (except Ein Deutsches Requiem - pass). These lines about music and passion fr...

Belle

Richard Atkinson completes his stunning essays on the forms of the Brahms symphonies with the Passacaglia which ends Symphony #4. He includes other works by Brahms to make his analysis, linking it back to previous compositions using this form of polyphonic complexity. I find it terribly moving looki...

Belle

The latest Kantor of Thomaskirche, Leipzig, is Swiss. Andreas Reize. A first for the role. The Passion performances I've posted here are both conducted by Reize.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rhAyVStAGA

Belle

I posted this recent performance of the St. John Passion in the wrong place. It's the same group which presented St. Matthew in their earlier performance, and which I'd posted under that heading. I've actually sung St. John Passion in a university choir - alto - decades ago (when a Musicology studen...

Belle

Oh, yes, of course!! Senior's moment. I'll repost it separately as it's from the same ensemble as recorded the St. Matthew earlier.

Belle

We've heard most of this before. The lead poisoning claim with regard to deafness; yeah, but Beethoven was going deaf by his late 20s. He wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament, out of despair, in 1802 a couple of months before his 32nd birthday. There is no irrefutable evidence that any of Beethoven's h...

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