Let's talk music, no genre boundaries

Audio-B-Dog, I sent you a reply via PM.

@audio-B-Dog

I often play Sibelius, although he doesn’t have the complexity of Beethoven, but few composers do

Most days, I'd take Sibelius. To me, many Beethoven's symphonies tend to be bombastic stop-start affairs whereas Sibelius mostly spins multiple continuous strands.

I am particularly struck by the new Decca set from the then unknown Klaus Mikela and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra.  Klaus seems to have spontaneously wandered down from the wilds of Finland.  During Covid, he did nothing but rehearse the Sibelius symphonies with the Oslo orchestra.  To me, the most significant thing is that he recorded the first symphony last. This symphony has often been regarded as derivative (of Tchaikovsky) but Klaus' opening is pure Sibelius magic

Most Finnish greats have recorded cycles of Sibelius symphonies at least once...Who’d have predicted that this latest, from Klaus Mäkelä at the helm of the Oslo Philharmonic would be the most electrifying and often revelatory of them all?

Sibelius tried to create internally cohesive pieces of music.  He was horrified when Mahler said his own symphonies encompassed his whole life experience.  But then Sibelius had the Finnish addiction to the bottle, to his wife's dismay

TB Sheets is about a woman dying of TB and Van was very young when he wrote and recorded this song.  I think he was 21.  It is  primarily a blues influenced song. Van certainly incorporates  jazz, rock, blues and folk in his music, but TB Sheets is primarily blues infused.  Powerfully emotional song that I have listened to for many decades.  

@nonamesleft4me 

Sorry, but I can't do PMs. I worked with a support person, but it became complicated. I'm going to call back support and go through the ordeal of having my screen changed. Also, it's against the rules for me to share personal information with you. Can you upload one of your pieces so that you can post them here?

@grannyring 

TB sheets is absolutely a powerful song. I believe it must have influenced Van Morrison to write "Astral Weeks" which was a huge leap from previous rock n' roll. I'm posting an amazing recording of Patti Smith singing Van's "Gloria."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPO0bTaWcFQ

@richardbrand 

I probably shouldn't have compared Sibelius to Beethoven. I have no shcolastic education in music. My knowledge all comes from listening to recordings and listening to live music. I heard Sibelius's First Symphony conducted by Esa Pekka Salonen live. It was quite an experience. Salonen I think captures the Finnish chill. It's not a bad thing. I've listened to Salonen live for years and have liked his superb control.

I have many recordings of Sibelius's symphonies. The last set I bought was by Paavo Berglund. I have a record of Sibelius's Sixth conducted by Herbert von Karajan. I thought I didn't like the sixth until I heard it conducted by Dudamel (I think). Von Karajan killed it, and not in a good way. I will Qobuz Klaus Mikela and listen to his version of a few Sibelius symphonies. The Fifth is my favorite, but I've also gotten into his less dramatic symphonies, like the Third and Seventh. My guess is that his Second is the most popular.

@mahgister 

Sorry, I don't listen to Monteverdi. I think I heard one of his operas. I had opera tickets for 12 years but gave them up about 13 years ago. Monteverdi is a bit early for me. I've never developed a taste for music before Mozart, with the exception of Bach. Although, I do have several recordings of Albanani. And I am getting a bit more into Haydn. 

@richardbrand 

I listened to Klaus Mikela conduct Sibelius's 5th. It was excellent. He paced the first movement faster than I am used to but it worked really well. On all the movements his tempo did not vary to achieve dramatic effect. He reminded me of the reknown Carlos Kleiber whose Beethoven's 5th seems to be on the top of everybody's list. I will listen to more of Sibelius conducted by Mikela.

@stuartk ,

I am working my way through your Bluegrass list. I liked Strength in Numbers, Sarah Jarosz, and Stray Birds. Their music is uplifting. I did not like Mick McCauley and Winifred Horan as much. Perhaps ironic that they're the classically trained musicians. Their music felt a bit pristine without enough rough edges. 

@mahgister 

I didn't really answer your question about the correlation between genius and chronological time. When talking about art--all the arts--I don't really know what genius is. It's not exactly what I'm talking about. Certainly with all that Haydn accomplished, inventing the symphony, string quartet, etc., he could be considered a genius. The period he composed in, however, is not that interesting to me. It's a bit too refined. I like the emotionally charged Romantics and beyond.

I am much more educated in writing, so I can talk a little more intelligently about it. After Shakespeare, English writers became boring for around 100 years. I've heard theories that Shakespeare was too intimidating to follow. Alexander Pope was a genius at rhyme and meter, but his poems are boring to me. And that pretty much holds through the 1700s until the Romantics begin with Wordsworth around 1800.

Before I started painting, and realized I wanted to paint non-representationally, my wife and I would go on trips to various countries with interesting museums. In my mid-forties I felt myself pulled toward "abstract" non-representational paintings, and spent more time in modern-art museums. It wasn't that I couldn't appreciate earlier artists. They just didn't interest me as much. It's about taste for me, not the talent of the artists.

More and more I am pulled toward modern classical music, Stravinsky, Bartok, Shostakovich, Corigliano, etc. I believe that Beethoven is the great genius of music, but often I want music closer to my time.