The organ

[AdamSmith]

Daily Routine

 

Beethoven rose at daybreak, no matter what season, and went at once to his work-table. There he worked until two or three o' clock, when he took his midday meal. In the interim he usually ran out into the open two or three times, where he also "worked while walking." Such excursions seldom exceeded a full hour's time, and resembled the swarming out of the bee to gather honey. They never varied with the seasons and neither cold nor heat were noticed.

 

The afternoons were dedicated to regular promenades; and at a later hour Beethoven was wont to hunt up some favorite beer-house, in order to read the news of the day, if he had not already satisfied this need at some cafe. At the time when the English parliament was sitting, however, the Allgemeine Zeitung was regularly read at home for the sake of the debates. It will be easily understood that our politico was arrayed on the side of the Opposition. Nor was his great predilection for Lord Brougham, Hume, and other Opposition orators necessary to this end.

 

Beethoven always spent his winter evenings at home, and devoted them to serious reading. It was but seldom that one saw him busy with music-paper in the evening, since writing music was too taxing for his eyes. In former years this may not have been the case; yet it is quite certain that at no time did he employ the evening hours for composition (creation). At ten o' clock at the latest he went to bed.

 

-- Anton Schindler -- Life of Beethoven - 1840

 

http://www.lucare.com/immortal/time.html

[whipped guy]

Beethoven meets Rossini

 

An interesting account of what happened when Beethoven, the greatest living composer, met Rossini, the most popular composer of the day. Indeed shortly after this meeting the French writer Stendhal wrote the following about Rossini: "Napoleon is dead, but a new conqueror has already shown himself to the world; and from Moscow to Naples, from London to Vienna, from Paris to Calcutta, his name is constantly on every tongue. The fame of this hero knows no bounds save those of civilization itself; and he is not yet 32!"

 

So here we have the person who represented the "box office hit" of the day meeting the composer who was arguably the "greatest artist" of the day. This occurred in 1822 when Rossini was still young and vivacious and the curmudgeonly Beethoven was in his 50's and not in the greatest health. The contrast between the two personalities must have been quite evident, just as the degree of difference in their music represented two types of contrasting genius. What is interesting concerns the fact that it seems that little of Beethoven's music was circulating in Italy at the time based on the fact that it was only when he visited Vienna that Rossini heard a Beethoven symphony!

 

Here is Rossini's account of the meeting with a brief personal comment noted in brackets:

 

I had already listened to some quartets of Beethoven in Milan and I have no need to say of them with such emotion and admiration! I also knew some of his compositions for pianoforte. In Vienna I attended for the first time the performance of one of his symphonies, the Eroica. That music overwhelmed me. I had a single thought: to know that great genius, to see him, just once. I spoke of this with Salieri whom I knew to be in rapport with Beethoven…. In order to satisfy my desire he thought that the better thing was to speak with Carpani, the Italian poet who was a dear person to Beethoven; he was sure that with his help it would be successful. In effect Carpani adopted such persistence to the master that he obtained his consent to receive me. Need I say it? Ascending the stairs that led to the miserable dwelling which the great man inhabited, it was certainly hard work to control my emotion. When the door was opened, I found myself in a kind of dirty and frightfully disorderly attic. I remember above all that the ceiling, immediately under the roof, was covered from great cracks through which the rain must have poured in. The portraits of Beethoven which all we know entirely reproduce his appearance faithfully enough. But something that none have ever known how to express is the indefinibile sadness that emanates from its face, while under the thick eyebrows, as in deep caverns, the eyes, even if small, seemed transfixed. His voice was sweet and a little veiled. When we entered, without drawing attention to ourselves, we stayed some moment bent over a page of music as he finished correcting it. Then, raising his head, he said to me abruptly, in a sufficiently comprehensible Italian: "Ah! Rossini, you are the author of The Barber of Seville? I offer my compliments; it is an excellent opera buffa. I have read it with pleasure and I enjoyed myself. So long as there is an Italian opera, it will be performed. Never try to do anything other than comic operas; to want to succeed in another style would force your nature." Carpani who accompanied me suddenly interrupted him, naturally scribbling in German and translated word for word for me; this was the only way in which one could hold a conversation with Beethoven; he wrote: "But master Rossini has already composed a great number of opera seria, Tancredi, Otello, Mosè; the same have I sent, recommending that you examine them." Beethoven answered: "In fact I have glanced at them, but you see, the opera seria is not for the Italians. For treating the true drama they do not have enough musical knowledge; and how could they acquire it in Italy?" I communicated to him all my admiration for his genius, all my gratitude to have been allowed to express it to him. He answered me with a deep sigh and with these little words: "Oh! Un infelice". ("Oh unhappy I".)

 

[My personal interpretation of those three little words "Oh! Un felice!" signifies that Beethoven felt not only sad, wretched, miserable, and forlorn, but possibly even vile and contemptible. That Beethoven needed to express himself in Italian is significant as the word "infelice" expresses all of those sentiments.]

 

After a pause he asked me for some details on the Italian theatres, on the famous singers, wanting to know if the operas of Mozart were performed frequently, if I were satisfied with the Italian opera company in Vienna. Then wishing me a good performance and success for my opera Zelmira, he stood and accompanied us to the door, repeating "Above all you must make more Barbers."

 

Descending those stairs, it made such a painful impression to think about the abandonment and the misery in which this great man was left to languish, that I could not repress my tears. "But if it is he", said Carpani, "who wants to live thus! He is a misanthrope, a rascal, who does not know to keep a friend!" That same evening I attended a gala dinner in the house of Prince Metternich. Still upset from that visit, from that lugubrious word "infelice", which remained in my ears, I felt somewhat confused to see how I was treated, in contrast to Beethoven, with high regard in that brilliant society, and I could do no less than to speak frankly all that I thought about the conduct of the Court and the Viennese aristocracy toward the greatest musical genius of the time. There came the same answer that Carpani had given to me; and then I remarked that the state of deafness in which the poor devil found himself should inspire the most living compassion and that was not generous to reprimand certain failings in order to justify their refusal to help him. I added that if all the powerful families of Vienna were to underwrite for a given contribution, it would have been possible to assure to the great composer such an income to take care of every need; but the proposal did not find any support at all. I did not lose my courage and I tried to collect the necessary funds from them for at least a modest residence. I obtained some adherants, but the final result was very mediocre; the response was generally the same: "You little know the Master; the day after he becomes the owner of a house, he will sell it; he will never be known to adapt and hold a fixed residence; he feels the need to change apartments every six months and domestic servants every six weeks!" And therefore I was obliged to abandon this second plan.

[AdamSmith]

[AdamSmith]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ptHtb7RPRw

[whipped guy]

Beethoven and Rossini continued:

From the advice Beethoven gave Rossini regarding only to concentrate on comic opera after admitting that he was familiar with the scores of at least three of his serious works it was obvious that Beethoven was not overly impressed with Rossini's accomplishments in the field of opera seria. This is further enforced by notations made by Beethoven in conversation books where in reference to Rossini he uses the German words "Dudelei" and "Dudeln" which basically means "to toot" as on a flute. In essence he was saying that Rossini's works were merely a series of "toots"! I guess he considered that to be "wunderbar" for comedy, but "verboten" for tragedy.

 

After meeting Beethoven Rossini composed only six more operas. The first was the opera seria Semiramide which was composed for Venice in 1823 and was the last opera that he wrote for an Italian theatre. As noted by Stendhal and others, it definitely had a certain Teutonic cast to it at least as far as its orchestration was concerned. Indeed Rossini's previous opera Zelmira, which was premiered in Naples but ultimately intended for Vienna, already had made strides along those lines. The remaining five pieces were composed for Paris where Rossini began adapting his style to French taste, or rather in actuality and more accurately helped create and set the standards for what would be the the basis for future French operas in both a comic and serious vein.

 

In the meantime, Rossini's operas were still all the rage in Vienna with both the aristocracy and public at large. However, most members of Beethoven's inner circle were still not overly impressed. In fact in 1824 shortly after the premiere of the Ninth Symphony a concert was arranged where sections of the Missa Solemnis would be performed along with the new symphony. In order to please the singers and public, and to insure a financial success the manager of the theatre intended to have two Rossini pieces inserted into the program as performed by members of the resident Viennese Italian opera company. Ultimately only one Rossini piece was included, the popular aria "Di tanti palpiti" as sung by the famous tenor Giovanni David. An Italian vocal trio by Beethoven was ultimately substituted for the the other Rossini composition. For whatever reason the box office receipts were not spectacular. Beethoven's nephew Karl attributed it to a protest against the inclusion of the Rossini composition, which was something that he and other members of Beethoven's circle considered to be a sacrilege. Of course Beethoven characteristically failed to supply an aria for David as had been requested for the event.

 

At any rate, a year later it is known that Beethoven referenced Rossini as being a talented and melodious composer whose style mirrored the nature of the times. Of course that was exactly true. One must remember that the entire continent of Europe was barely recovering from the Napoleonic wars and a composer who stressed optimism and hope even in his serious compositions was exactly what the public not only wanted but needed. Compare that to the mostly dark hued gloomy music for the quite depressing and funereal plot of Fidelio, Beethoven's only opera, which was composed and revised as Napoleon was literally ravaging all of Europe and even Vienna itself. Of course Fidelio has its joyful conclusion where righteousness triumphs over malevolence. However, who but Beethoven would select a lugubrious subject set in a political prison run by a ruthless despot and then be surprised at its initial lack of success given the times? Yet in the process Beethoven, being the great visionary figure that he was, composed a piece that would inspire and ignite feelings of human dignity and liberty in future generations. It may not be the stuff of conventional Grand Opera, but unlike Rossini who mostly was of his time and place Beethoven was so often able to transcend his time and place. Actually the Italian composer Ferdinando Paer used the same basic plot a year prior to Beethoven, but lighter elements were intertwined into the scenario to soften the overall effect. Beethoven needless to say went in the exact opposite direction. Beethoven owned a score of the Paer piece and it probably helped to form his opinion that Italians were not suited for the composition of serious operas.

 

Indeed if there was ever a genre with which Beethoven struggled mightily it was opera. As proof, his one effort went through a series of revisions over a period of approximately ten years from roughly 1804 to 1814 and that struggle included the composition of four different overtures for the piece before he was totally satisfied. Meanwhile Rossini had the ability to write quickly and instantly create popular tunes which was something that probably caused the Great One to be a trifle envious. Conversely Rossini had no qualms about refitting and revising the same overture for use in more than one opera. Something that was the exact opposite of Beethoven's ethic. Still, if Beethoven's compositional skills have been faulted by the experts it has been regarding his often awkward vocal writing in both solo and choral situations. In that regard Rossini was definitely his superior.

 

It must be remembered that Rossini was bipolar. What is ironic is that this most jovial of composers was affected with serious bouts of depression. Indeed it has been said that his jocular music and infamous droll quips were masks used to hide the troubled soul that resided within his being. While it was a factor that contributed to his early retirement and total abandonment of operatic composition often referenced as his "Great Renunciation", it also adversely affected his years of active operatic composition. As such, that combined with the constant demand for new compositions, many of which had to be composed quickly under less than ideal situations, accounts for some of the "tooting" that Beethoven referenced. It is unsettling how one one masterfully composed opera can be immediately followed by one that seems to be mere note spinning. What can also be disconcerting are the less inspired moments that stand alongside pages of power and beauty in certain scores. Yet even when "tooting" the music still possesses a certain power to arouse and captivate audiences. As I have noted elsewhere, Even when not on top of his game Rossini is "the composer who always manages to charm with his facile melodies, brilliant orchestration, and incandescent vocal writing".

 

Beethoven and others have chided Rossini for not completely finishing his musical education. Yet still others have noted that if he had done so and scrupulously followed the rules of the game it might have stifled his natural talents such that he might have lost the essence of his innate creative powers. In that sense he was a maverick as was Beethoven. Indeed that Rossini achieved what he did in the conservative musical environment of early Nineteenth Century Italy is quite remarkable. It is no wonder that Rossini referenced the pendants of his day as "coglioni"! (The vulgar Italian word for testicles that is used to reference undesirables!) While nobody would equate Rossini's accomplishments with those of the revered Beethoven, both composers possessed a certain genius. Rossini was a genius of a different stripe, but a genius nonetheless.

 

Ironically, Rossini's final opera William Tell which was premiered in 1829 two years after Beethoven's death has been referenced as a piece that Beethoven would have appreciated. Not only does it deal with subjects such as personal sacrifice, freedom, and the struggle for liberty and justice as exemplified by contemporary political movements which were dear to Beethoven's heart and art, but it exudes a power that could be aptly described as Beethovenian in scope. Furthermore, Rossini, as Beethoven often did, struggled mightily with its composition in a way that he had not done so previously. Moreover, in the process he created a forward looking piece that proved to be a revelatory harbinger of many things to come and likewise expressed sentiments that would inspire future generations and transcend time. Even Wagner remarked to Rossini that in it he had anticipated some of his own ideas. The piece was certainly admired by Berlioz. However, we will never know if Mad Ludwig himself would have approved. My guess is that he would have, if a bit grudgingly and with some reservations. In any event, after its composition there was operatic silence from Rossini who might have taken his cue to abandon the operatic stage partially from Beethoven's advice. In this matter it was probably part of Rossini's genius that he took into consideration the words of an even greater genius for whom he had the greatest respect.

[AdamSmith]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SealedEvilInACan

[AdamSmith]

Ernest Ansermet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

Ernest Alexandre Ansermet (pronounced [ɛʁ.nɛst a.lɛk.sɑ̃dʁ ɑ̃.sɛʁ.mɛ]), (11 November 1883 – 20 February 1969)[1] was a Swiss conductor.

 

Contents

• 1 Biography
  
• 2 Notable premieres
  
  • 2.1 In concert
    
  • 2.2 On stage
    
  • 2.3 On record
    

  [*]3 Writings

  • 3.1 Correspondence
    

  [*]4 References

  [*]5 External links

Biography

Ansermet was born in Vevey,[1] Switzerland. Originally he was a mathematics professor, teaching at the University of Lausanne. He began conducting at the Casino in Montreux in 1912, and from 1915 to 1923 was the conductor for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Travelling in France for this, he met both Debussy and Ravel, and consulted them on the performance of their works. During World War I, he met Stravinsky, who was exiled in Switzerland and from this meeting began the conductor's lifelong association with Russian music.

 

In 1918 Ansermet founded his own orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR). He toured widely in Europe and America and became famous for accurate performances of difficult modern music, making first recordings of works such as Stravinsky's Capriccio with the composer as soloist. Ansermet was one of the first in the field of classical music to take jazz seriously, and in 1919 he wrote an article praising Sidney Bechet.[2]

 

After World War II, Ansermet and his orchestra rose to international prominence through a long-term contract with Decca Records. From that time until his death, he recorded most of his repertoire, often two or three times. His interpretations were widely regarded as admirably clear and authoritative, though the orchestral playing did not always reach the highest international standards, and they differed notably from those of other famous 20th-century specialists, notably Pierre Monteux and Stravinsky himself. Ansermet disapproved of Stravinsky's practice of revising his works, and always played the original versions. Although famous for performing much modern music by other composers such as Arthur Honegger and Frank Martin, he avoided altogether the music of Arnold Schoenberg and his associates, even criticizing Stravinsky when he began to use twelve-tone techniques in his compositions.[3] In Ansermet's book, Les fondements de la musique dans la conscience humaine (1961), he sought to prove, using Husserlian phenomenology and partly his own mathematical studies, that Schoenberg's idiom was false and irrational. He labeled it a "Jewish idea" and went on to say that "the Jew is a me who speaks as though he were an I," that the Jew "suffers from thoughts doubly misformed", thus making him "suitable for the handling of money", and sums up with the statement that "historic creation of Western music" would have developed just as well "without the Jew".[4] Ansermet's reputation suffered after the war because of his collaboration with the Nazis and he was boycotted in the new state of Israel.[5]

 

In May 1954 Decca recorded Ansermet and the orchestra in Europe's first commercial stereophonic recordings. They went on to record the first stereo performance of the complete The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky on LP (Artur Rodziński had already recorded a stereo performance on magnetic tape, but this had been released on LP only in mono). Ansermet also conducted early stereo recordings of Debussy's Nocturnes and the Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune. Part of his recording of The Rite of Spring, augmented by a rehearsal recording unobtainable elsewhere, was used by Decca on the company's 1957 stereo demonstration LP, A Journey into Stereo Sound. The conductor's clear and methodical counting of beats is a distinct feature of this rehearsal sequence. In his last years he and his ensemble recorded works by Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms.

 

His last recording, of Stravinsky's The Firebird, was made in London with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, which included a recording of the rehearsal sessions issued as a memorial to him. Another late recording for Decca, also issued as a memorial album, was with L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and was devoted to Albéric Magnard's Symphony No. 3 and Édouard Lalo's Scherzo for Orchestra.[6]

 

 

Ernest Ansermet (1965)

Ansermet composed some piano pieces and compositions for orchestra, among them a symphonic poem entitled Feuilles de Printemps (Leaves of Spring). He also orchestrated Debussy's Six épigraphes antiques in 1939.[7]

 

He died on 20 February 1969 in Geneva[1] at the age of 85.[8]

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Ansermet

[whipped guy]

Since we have concentrated on Beethoven and older conductors here I want to bring attention to Andrew Rose's Pristine Classical website. I have discussed his admirable efforts at resuscitating older performsnces in my Maria Callas Remastered thread elsewhere in the Arts Forum. It is simply amazing how he is able to bring older recordings and live broadcasts back to life. Anyone who is interested in the musical past needs to visit his website and sign up for his weekly news letter which this week focuses on Beethoven symphonies conducted by the likes of Horenstein, Mengelberg, and Furtwängler, plus much more. I have only purchased Callas performances since that is my main focus, but based on those his restorative work is exceptional.

 

https://www.pristineclassical.com/

 

You can also listen to excerpts before you buy. Choices include various downloads or CD versions. I recommend his ambient stereo versions of mono recordings. Here is what I had to say about them elsewhere:

 

https://www.companyofmen.org/threads/maria-callas-remastered.99852/page-3#post-1043426

https://www.companyofmen.org/threads/maria-callas-remastered.99852/page-7#post-1234723

[+ WilliamM]

I have selected and purchased tickets for these operas at the Met:

 

The Exterminating Angel

Parsifal (Yannick Nezet-Seguin)

Tosca (Netrebko)

 

I have seen "Tosca" in concert with Muti in Philadelphia but never a full-scale production

 

Welcome suggestions for one more opera.

[TruHart1]

Gustav Mahler: July 7, 1860 - May 18, 1911

 

 

TruHart1

[TruHart1]

I have selected and purchased tickets for these operas at the Met:

 

The Exterminating Angel

Parsifal (Yannick Nezet-Seguin)

Tosca (Netrebko)

 

I have seen "Tosca" in concert with Muti in Philadelphia but never a full-scale production

 

Welcome suggestions for one more opera.

There are a couple of productions in the upcoming MET season that stand out as far as I'm concerned, @WilliamM. Exciting to me is the revival of Thaïs, a somewhat rarely performed French opera by Massenet, originally mounted for Renée Fleming in 2008 and scheduled to star soprano Ailyn Pérez and baritone Gerald Finley, both of whom are considered excellent operatic actors and great singers. Or, you may find the performances of Lucia di Lammermoor scheduled for April 11 or 14, 2018, with the up and coming (and, in my opinion, phenomenal) Australian soprano Jessica Pratt in the lead supported by the emotionally exciting Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo, to your liking if you enjoy bel canto singing.

 

TruHart1

[whipped guy]

There are a couple of productions in the upcoming MET season that stand out as far as I'm concerned, @WilliamM. Exciting to me is the revival of Thaïs, a somewhat rarely performed French opera by Massenet, originally mounted for Renée Fleming in 2008 and scheduled to star soprano Ailyn Pérez and baritone Gerald Finley, both of whom are considered excellent operatic actors and great singers. Or, you may find the performances of Lucia di Lammermoor scheduled for April 11 or 14, 2018, with the up and coming (and, in my opinion, phenomenal) Australian soprano Jessica Pratt in the lead supported by the emotionally exciting Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo, to your liking if you enjoy bel canto singing.

 

TruHart1

Good choices @TruHart1 ! Jessica Pratt is one of the most exciting singers out there. I would love to hear her in person. I already have quite a collection of her live oerformances on DVD/Blu-ray™ as well as a few live broadcasts. Alas, I will be a thousand miles away from NYC in April. She and Vittorio Grigolo should make a great pair of lovers... I can already feel the bond between them as they are both outgoing personalities!

[TruHart1]

A bit of pride: Jonas Kaufmann in London during his run of Otellos at ROH under Rainbow flag with Rainbow ice cream!

 

TruHart1

[whipped guy]

A bit of pride: Jonas Kaufmann in London during his run of Otellos at ROH under Rainbow flag with Rainbow ice cream!

 

TruHart1

From the looks of things it seems that in order to get the full complement of pride colors one needs to order two seperate cups! In ant event, I'm sure his vocal chords will enjoy the cooling sensation after having sung the very demanding role of Otello! It's probably just what the doctor ordered between performances!

[+ WilliamM]

There are a couple of productions in the upcoming MET season that stand out as far as I'm concerned, @WilliamM. Exciting to me is the revival of Thaïs, a somewhat rarely performed French opera by Massenet, originally mounted for Renée Fleming in 2008 and scheduled to star soprano Ailyn Pérez and baritone Gerald Finley, both of whom are considered excellent operatic actors and great singers. Or, you may find the performances of Lucia di Lammermoor scheduled for April 11 or 14, 2018, with the up and coming (and, in my opinion, phenomenal) Australian soprano Jessica Pratt in the lead supported by the emotionally exciting Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo, to your liking if you enjoy bel canto singing.

 

Wonderful suggestions especially Thais. I did see Vittorio Grigolo in Lucrezia Borgia about a decade ago at the Kennedy Center in Washington. Renee Fleming was the star and Domingo conducted. I remember liking both his singing and his blond hair. I still have time to make a choice.

 

However, today I bought a cheap ticket for Midler in "Hello, Dolly" for a week before Christmas. With the exception of Merman, I never particularly liked any of the women who played Dolly the first time on Broadway (1964-1970). So I have never seen the musical on stage , or the film.

 

I finally gave in.

[AdamSmith]

 

Gustav Mahler: July 7, 1860 - May 18, 1911

 

 

TruHart1

[AdamSmith]

[TruHart1]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jonas Kaufmann

(The tenor turns 48 today, July 10th, and is scheduled to sing Otello this evening in London!)

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=873302052835323

 

TruHart1:cool:

[AdamSmith]

Indeed if there was ever a genre with which Beethoven struggled mightily it was opera. As proof, his one effort went through a series of revisions over a period of approximately ten years from roughly 1804 to 1814 and that struggle included the composition of four different overtures for the piece before he was totally satisfied.

One first encountered that series of four overtures age 13, on the London Ansermet discs of course, and was engrossed. After '2001,' followed by Clarke's SF oeuvre, they were the next boundless object lesson in how to think through something.

 

That is to say, to not just have an initial thought or impression and accept it; but rather then to press it through the finest series of mental sieves, to see and discover what real goal and endpoint was present there, in germinal form, in the start of the idea.

[whipped guy]

One first encountered that series of four overtures age 13, on the London Ansermet discs of course, and was engrossed. After '2001,' followed by Clarke's SF oeuvre, they were the next boundless object lesson in how to think through something.

 

That is to say, to not just have an initial thought or impression and accept it; but rather then to press it through the finest series of mental sieves, to see and discover what real goal and endpoint was present there, in germinal form, in the start of the idea.

Mad Ludwig's train of thought!

 

The three Leonore Overtures for Fidelio were written in the following order: 2,3.1.

 

The first two were actually mini tone poems that told the story of the action of the opera. The problem is that in doing so they not only overpowered the opera, but narrated the contours of the story with such intensity that that it almost negated the need for the opera itself! This is especially true of number three which is one of the most forceful compositions ever written.

 

With number one, which was intended for a performance that never took place the intensity is reduced significantly and of the three Leonore versions is the most anemic. Beethoven as we will see was definitely going in a different direction, but still was not quite there.

 

However, he ultimately realized that the perfect opera overture was designed to get the audience in the proper theatrical frame of mind for what was to follow. The audience should be made to imagine all the activity that was going on back stage and at least metaphorically be made to smell the greasepaint. Such was the case with Beethoven's final attempt... the Fidelio Overture. So while Beethoven took 10 years of struggle to come to that realization it was something that came second nature to Rossini since he literally grew up in the theatre as a child. Still, Beethoven's struggle was a small price to pay for those three anazing compositions and especially for Leonore No.3!

[whipped guy]

How the F&@k I could have written the previous post with Bigus Dickus still resonating in my mind I'll never know!!!!

[AdamSmith]

This post will generate little notice, but give me a chance to "vent."

 

The Organ has given this admitted lerker a chance to post to the forum on topics I enjoyed contributing to. My contributions to subjects as diverse as Marie Clare Alain carving a pumpkin, Werkmeister III temperament, and Julliard organ faculty hijincks have been welcome with good humor and, always, acceptance. Simply put, I have enjoyed, for what it was worth, contributing. And importantly, I have liked your immediate good natured feedback.

 

What has happened to the thread? I have no answer but would welcome a response from the original authors. Time to end and begin another? Not for this infrequent but conscientious contributor to answer.

 

My best thoughts gentlemen, and thanks for all your input including non-related Beethoven and operatic arcania---all of which I would enjoy under a separate, immediately recognizable, header.

,

These thoughts are welcome, if a broad tad incomprehensible.

 

As thread originator and Chief Bloviator , I think running the plot through the 4 conflicted Leonore overtures, and Gilligan's Island, and the Monty Python nonsense above, and etc etc etc, are all of a piece.

 

Please give, with no limit allowed to volubility, your views in reply. The Internet will not run out of room for them.

[whipped guy]

This post will generate little notice, but give me a chance to "vent."

 

The Organ has given this admitted lerker a chance to post to the forum on topics I enjoyed contributing to. My contributions to subjects as diverse as Marie Clare Alain carving a pumpkin, Werkmeister III temperament, and Julliard organ faculty hijincks have been welcome with good humor and, always, acceptance. Simply put, I have enjoyed, for what it was worth, contributing. And importantly, I have liked your immediate good natured feedback.

 

What has happened to the thread? I have no answer but would welcome a response from the original authors. Time to end and begin another? Not for this infrequent but conscientious contributor to answer.

 

My best thoughts gentlemen, and thanks for all your input including non-related Beethoven and operatic arcania---all of which I would enjoy under a separate, immediately recognizable, header.

,

 

These thoughts are welcome, if a broad tad incomprehensible.

 

As thread originator and Chief Bloviator , I think running the plot through the 4 conflicted Leonore overtures, and Gilligan's Island, and the Monty Python nonsense above, and etc etc etc, are all of a piece.

 

Please give, with no limit allowed to volubility, your views in reply. The Internet will not run out of room for them.

Since the esteemed @AdamSmith is OP of this thread we must respect the diverse directions to which he has at times taken this thread. Not to mention others such as @TruHart1 who has shared his love of opera... or is he really in love with Jonas Kaufmann? Diversity is the spice of life and I have been able to discuss so much that interests me here from my love of Beethoven to Hogan's Heros! Indeed the other day I listened to two complete performances of the Eroica as conducted by Col. Klink's father after having been inspired by this very thread. Comparing the two was fascinating listening.

 

So while I totally understand @hedonist4now, and I at times wished that my musical musings were all posted in a more organized manner, out of respect the self declared "Chief Bloviator" let's continue on our current path. At times seemingly crooked paths can lead to greatness as in:

 

Mi trovai per una selva oscura

Chè la diritta via era smarrita.

(I found myself in a dark forest

Where the direct path was lost.)

 

Plus, I have much more to say about Beethoven, Rossini, and even Dante. Stay tuned!

[whipped guy]

I actually was having trouble sleeping and thought about this quote from Beethoven that I needed to post here. However, I was sidetracked with the previous post. It was said later in life as he was reminiscing about his career and specifically his opera Fidelio:

 

"Of all my children, this is the one that cost me the worst birth-pangs and brought me the most sorrow; and for that reason it is the one most dear to me."

[+ honcho]

Another math instructor (this one at the University of California, Santa Cruz) in whose class I might have difficult paying attention, albeit for different reasons than in Mr. Boselli's ...