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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Great story, Ghost!
John
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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There is a fantastic classical station out of Hawthorne Nevada called KQMC....The DJ is a complete nut job , hilarious and goes by the name of the Captain...The music comes in loud and clear at Navy Beach and makes a great back drop for paddling on the goddess Mono....
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Norwegian
Trad climber
dancin on the tip of god's middle finger
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rotten,
i had a college professor called captain.
he was a scottish sailor, a drunk sporting
a stolen soul.
he and i became good friends over the years of my studies.
he failed to pass me in my capstone class
soley on his intuition (no grades were issued in that class)
postponing my graduation and
earning potential for 365 days.
(classes were only offered every other semester)
i didn't hold it against him.
he told me, later,
that i was the best student he'd ever had the pleasure to teach.
he knew that i lived under the interstate among
transient friends.
he knew that his bottle of scotch landed me in jail
on the day of our last final exam...
he made us call him captain
because he had sailed around the world solo
with his cases of scotch and
then accidentally burned up and down his boat
in the final port....
i lost touch with professor steward.
i wouldn't be suprised if he
landed a gig spinning classical vinyl on air in rural nevada...
it's romantic to think so, anyway.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Norwegian..This captain has no scottish accent but rumors of a mythical Walker Lake serpent , Cecil , are similar to a scottish sea monster named Lochness....The high school mascot is a Serpent and Hawthorne Nev. , like the Capt. , can be a real blast...
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Jun 12, 2013 - 12:20pm PT
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The Captain is a gas. I enjoy KQMC when I get a chance.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Jun 12, 2013 - 11:00pm PT
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There are more than a few discussions in this thread about which acclaimed performer gives the best account of which acclaimed piece by which acclaimed composer. But just as the best rock'n'roll or jazz you ever heard was in a bar somewhere, on a night when god touched the musicians in a band you'd never heard of, so it is with classical music.
Sure, Richter and Serkin were both stellar in this or that Beethoven sonata, and Milstein vs Vengerov, and the Emerson vs the Tokyo quartet, and this famous orchestra vs that one, etc etc etc, but some of the best performances of classical music I've heard are by people I'd never heard of.
Maybe they only reached that level once, or maybe they were always that good, but just never made it in the classical music business, or whatever. But like that jazz quintet in the southside dive you stumbled into one night, they had a transcendent hour when the tape was running.
So, I'd love to know what you can recommend in this vein. I'll start with a CD I picked up in a moment of silliness, but which is now my gold standard for violin-and-piano. Partly it's because the playing is superb, but also because, unlike most violin/piano performances, this isn't a hot-shot violinist in the foreground with some Fred on piano in the background, or even a "first among equals" thing. This is just two musicians. Rachel Barton playing the fiddle and Patrick Sinozich playing the piano. Who knew?
The picture below is the CD cover. Tacky to the Max. Ditto for the stupid "concept." I have no idea why I bought it. Perhaps there were drugs involved. I really don't remember. But the music...
If you can't find it on amazon.com, I can burn it for you.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Sep 18, 2013 - 05:33pm PT
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Mouse,
Thanks for the post up of Schnabel playing the first movement of Op. 111. I learned that sonata 42 years ago, and still love playing it. It remains my favorite piece in my repertoire.
I remember when I was working on the second movement, a grad student stopped by in the practice room I was using. I was struggling with a very wide double trill for the right hand, and questioned whether the movement was playable for me. His response has stuck with me, because he said, essentially, "Just remember. You're trying to learn the greatest piece ever written for solo piano. That alone is worth the effort." I treated it like a hard boulder problem, and eventually got it, but it is not a piece I could have gotten through sight reading.
I have a basic rule with that Sonata, though. I don't play or even practice the first movement unless I have enough time to play the second. The turmoil of the first movement needs its antidote in the profound tranquility of the second. For those unfamiliar with this sonata, it has only two real movements, following the one-page Maestoso introduction, and they contrast on every possible level. Anton Rubinstein opined that humanity wasn't worthy of the second movement. I wonder if Beethoven could have conceived of it if he could still hear.
There's a second reality for me with that Sonata. I do not start practicing or playing it until I'm done with everything else on the piano, because nothing can follow it. Once I finish playing it, I'm done playing the piano. Beethoven wrote no more piano sonatas after Op. 111, and I think he did so deliberately. It remained his last word on the subject.
Thanks again.
John
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Sep 18, 2013 - 05:37pm PT
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John,
Nice post.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 28, 2013 - 01:22pm PT
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Ghost, too true. Many great musicians don't make it to the big stage for
any number of reasons, the ability to play being the least of them. My friend,
Almer Imamovic, is a case in point. While studying with Pepe Romero at the
USC Thornton School he was on the fast track to the big time - doing well
at comps, etc. Then he made a conscious decision to follow his passion which
was to make music, particularly with his wife Jessica, a flautist he met
while they were at L'Ecole Normale in Paris. Now they have a thriving duo
thang going playing adaptations of the classics mixed in with his treatments
of Balkan folk music. He still does his solo classical gigs, mainly in
Europe, but their duo, Almanova, is his main focus.
It is hard to get them over for dinner much any more but it is something
special to get him lubed up and turn him loose on my wife's guitar. He'll
sit here and seamlessly riff Bach, Jobim, Metallica, whatever you shout at him.
The dude's a monster and drop dead funny.
Concierto de Aranjuez:
[Click to View YouTube Video]
Almanova:
[Click to View YouTube Video]
Almanova website - buy 'em up! Click on the link just to hear Jessica knock it dead.
Almanova
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Oct 28, 2013 - 03:54pm PT
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Great find, Gary!
John
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RtM
climber
DHS
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Oct 28, 2013 - 04:27pm PT
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In my younger days I played classical piano for a good decade and a half before putting it on the back burner for 20 years or so. I have actually been playing again for about 3 weeks now!!
I kinda just skimmed over the thread, but I was surprised to not see anything on Chopin. I has always been my understanding that Chopin is considered the greatest piano composer. A common phrase I hear is that "Chopin is the soul of the piano", and I have always agreed with this. Of all the works from my old repertoire; Bach, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Debussy, Liszt, Chopin, etc..; Chopin would always get me going the most, and usually would also be the most difficult to execute.
Anyhoo, just wanted to give a shout out to the man! Now, time to go bang on some keys.
BTW, I am neither gay, jewish or, well, I used to be pretty good!
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Oct 28, 2013 - 04:37pm PT
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RtM,
My wife got me several pads titled "Chopin Liszt," showing caricatures of Frederic and Franz carrying paper shopping bags filled with groceries. Sad to say, I don't know where I put the last of them.
While I play some of both -- what pianist can resist? -- I'm not sure whether it's a matter of Beethoven fitting my hands or my soul or both, but his Sonatas just seem to require less effort and give greater satisfaction. I have to play the Fantasy-Impromptu, though, because that is one of my wife's favorites. Well, I like it a lot too.
As far as the pre-twentieth century composer requiring the greatest effot, though, Brahms gives me the most trouble. I love (and love to play) his music, but it always requires a lot more effort than I would expect just looking at the music.
John
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Marlow
Sport climber
OSLO
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Oct 28, 2013 - 04:37pm PT
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Ashkenazy plays Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 2nd. mov Adagio. Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Sir Georg Solti.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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