Classical Music & You?

[loveless92]

You might be interested in a great Doentary Stephen Fry did on Wagner for the BBC - I'm sure you'll find it on the net somewhere

It's both about the music and the man, and in particular the internal struggle within Fry himself, as a Jewish Wagner lover, in coming to terms with Wagner's links to Nazism. Very moving, very informative, and very enjoyable - but then what else do you expect from Stephen Fry

B.

I find it weird how everyone thinks it's weird that I like Wagner because of his ties to Nazism, but like, come on, his music is amazing. It's the precursor to soundtrack music like John Williams.

 

[john7611]

I love it. I listen to all of the more obvious Classical greats and I adore modern Classical. I listen to a lot of Neoclassical and Baroque as well.

 

[jeansGuyOZ]

People should start learning how to separate artistic work from the artist's personality and the things they did other than their artwork just as much as people should learn to separate celebrities' artwork from their private lives, since they are different things. I didn't like the Gallagher brothers' (Oasis) personalities at all, though I loved listening to their voices and most of their songs. I'm not a fan of Wagner's artwork, though it has nothing to do with anything the man did other than the music itself.

Correct. It's just as silly as the way certain music and certain composers were proscribed in the early years of the Soviet Union as "not revolutionary enough", leaving the then current generation of composers terrified of putting a foot wrong in their work and finding themselves in the Gulag. Surprisingly, some great music did actually emerge from this period, but one wonders how much other great music never saw the light of day because their authors were shit-scared of committing it to paper.

 

[gb2000ie]

I find it weird how everyone thinks it's weird that I like Wagner because of his ties to Nazism, but like, come on, his music is amazing. It's the precursor to soundtrack music like John Williams.

I didn't say it was weird or wrong. I just suggested a really good doentary you might enjoy. I think you read more into my comment than I put there.

B.

 

[gb2000ie]

People should start learning how to separate artistic work from the artist's personality and the things they did other than their artwork just as much as people should learn to separate celebrities' artwork from their private lives, since they are different things. I didn't like the Gallagher brothers' (Oasis) personalities at all, though I loved listening to their voices and most of their songs. I'm not a fan of Wagner's artwork, though it has nothing to do with anything the man did other than the music itself.

I mostly agree, but not completely. Ass holes cab and do make great art, and you can enjoy the art while hating artist. But, to really understand art, you need to look at it in context. Wagner is a great example. His music is very moving and very powerful, It really Inspires people. Wagner himself had a very positive motivation, to create a positive German mythological work, very like Tolkien really. That romantic and noble goal was bastardised in the worst possible way by Hitler, who used it to brain-wash his minions. You have to ask if there is something inherent in the music that lends it to that use. I think the fact that it is very emotive makes it very suitable for Hitler's perverted aims, but I don't think that makes the music bad. Everything that has great power can be used for good or evil. I think we need to wrench Wagner's music free from Hitler's abusive grip, and let it inspire us all to do good.

Ultimately, the doentary I was suggesting comes to exactly that conclusion. Hitler perverted Wagner, but we shouldn't let him away with that, the music is bigger and better than him, and to surender it to him would be a terrible mistake.

Something I love to do with any piece I love is to read up on the history and inspirations for the piece, doing that often allows you to appreciate the piece even more.

In short, good art transcends bad artists, but context can help you enjoy and appreciate a piece even more.

B.

 

[RuG]

I had classical piano lesson for about 10 years and violin and flute for about 2 years. I stopped playing all three instruments completely during high school times because "it's not the cool thing to do"... fast forward 9 years later now my fingers are all stiff and my ears are tone deaf I regretted I quit piano violin and flute

 

[jeansGuyOZ]

Wagner himself had a very positive motivation, to create a positive German mythological work, very like Tolkien really.

VERY like Tolkien - or rather, Tolkien was very like him. Despite Tolkien's disclaimers, quite a lot of the occurrences in Lord of the Rings were borrowed from the same Norse legends that inspired Wagner's ring cycle.

In the 20th century the concept of the "ring of power" was used again in the Green Lantern comic strip. In many ways those early comic book advebture stories were the 20th century equivalent of fairy tales.

 

[iryhousen]

I like Wagner's Parsifal. Some quotes from the bio miniseries of Wagner featuring Richard Burton:

from munich go forth to lead a united germany, become lohengrin…
Germany must have it’s place in the sun…
When we look about us we see instead of a united fatherland, a hodgepodge of 34 kingdoms and principalities, we are unmoved, our eyes remain dry. Our hearts do not beat faster by one moment, Why Why? Are we little people, with miniscule minds, mere servants, ruled by and subservient to our betters? I say to them, our rulers, I say, cast your titles and distinctions from you, We too, the common people, have ancestors, and although they had no titles, were not ushers of the shithouse, their deeds of daring, their vassalage, their sufferings, are written weeping in letters of blood, their blood, our blood banner…
Consult instead the free folk, the german folk, those noblest of children like unto gods, not servants in livery or slaves but elected and free, every man with a vote. …
Let him rid himself of his sychophants, or if not, as Christ said, if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, cut it off, cut it off. Your fatherland is called germany, love it above all, and more through actions than words...

 

[creslinwest]

Classical music is amazing, it blows me away when I think that I'm listening to something someone else imagined a hundred years ago or two hundred years ago or even three or four hundred years.

I've been watching Martha Argerich vids on YouTube. (The Schumann Concerto and the Bach Quad concerto w/ Kissin, Levine & Pletnev.) Also on YouTube is the King's Singers version of Spem in Alium. Look these up on YouTube if you like. Or don't ... up to you.