# What's my problem?



## lostid (Aug 13, 2012)

Now everything classical music sounds good to my ears. Hardly any doesn't sound good. 

Have I been listening to too much classical music? Maybe this is so called brain burn ins?


----------



## julianoq (Jan 29, 2013)

I have this "problem" (I actually think it is something amazing) too. It is very rare for me to listen to an unknown record of classical music and doesn't enjoy it. Sometimes I think is better to listen to it later, or I can get a little bored and stop in the middle, but that is rare. And some of my now favorite composers, like Sibelius and Bruckner, started as "meh", but I never ruled them out and was rewarded later!


----------



## Piwikiwi (Apr 1, 2011)

I feel the same, while I have some preference, it's very rare for me to actually dislike something


----------



## lostid (Aug 13, 2012)

I am pretty sure this won't happen if I have to listen to a CD player only. I have multiple ipods (with drive as big as 480GB's) fully loaded with all kinds of music. I just keep collecting and listening to music. I admit I listen for long hrs everyday, especially in my office. 

It's such a great feeling to swim in the ocean of classical music everyday, and hopefully without being drowned.


----------



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

lostid said:


> Now everything classical music sounds good to my ears. Hardly any doesn't sound good.
> 
> Have I been listening to too much classical music? Maybe this is so called brain burn ins?


Maybe it's called good taste.


----------



## Guest (Mar 19, 2014)

Manxfeeder said:


> Maybe it's called good taste.


Elitist!
[_Oh do shut up, TalkingHead. Ed_]


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

lostid said:


> Now everything classical music sounds good to my ears. Hardly any doesn't sound good.
> 
> Have I been listening to too much classical music? Maybe this is so called brain burn ins?


Have you tried the CD "Webern: Favorite Hits" ?


----------



## lostid (Aug 13, 2012)

hpowders said:


> Have you tried the CD "Webern: Favorite Hits" ?


I have not tried this CD yet, in fact I haven't heard that much of his music. Will dig. Thanks.


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

I dunno, maybe a lack of general discernment? Maybe you haven't looked into earlier music, say, of the Musica Ficta school, or later post-tonal musics. Wait a while, there may just be some of it you don't much care for


----------



## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

PetrB said:


> I dunno, maybe a lack of general discernment? Maybe you haven't looked into earlier music, say, of the Musica Ficta school, or later post-tonal musics. Wait a while, there may just be some of it you don't much care for


I was thinking a lack of discernment, as well. Maybe it's still a novelty, and everything is coming up roses. It's still the honeymoon…. I don't know.

I've found I can appreciate, in some sense, nearly everything I hear. But to like is another step that I'm not always inspired to take.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

lostid said:


> I have not tried this CD yet, in fact I haven't heard that much of his music. Will dig. Thanks.


It may be just the cure for your problem.
Used as a last resort to extract information from the strongest willed undercover agents.


----------



## lostid (Aug 13, 2012)

hpowders said:


> ....
> Used as a last resort to extract information from the strongest willed undercover agents.


Sorry I have no clue of what you mean.

P.S. English is not my 1st language.


----------



## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

lostid said:


> Sorry I have no clue of what you mean.
> 
> P.S. English is not my 1st language.


He's trying to say that it's torture.

Which is completely unfair. In good performances, Webern's music is the exact opposite.


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Vesuvius said:


> Maybe it's still a novelty, and everything is coming up roses. It's still the honeymoon…. I don't know.


Hey, if it is the *Limerence Phase*, I'd prefer for the OP that it go on for _as long as possible!_

That said, maybe while the ears are open to all, it is time to survey:

Charles Ives ~ The Unanswered Question





Robert Moran ~ Requiem; Chant du Cygne





or Arnold Schoenberg ~ Verklärte Nacht (string sextet)









or Gavin Bryars ~ The South Downs (piano and 'cello)





or Morton Feldman ~ Piano and String Quartet





or....


----------



## lostid (Aug 13, 2012)

Mahlerian said:


> He's trying to say that it's torture.
> 
> Which is completely unfair. In good performances, Webern's music is the exact opposite.


I just finished listening to Webern's string quartets and they sound pretty good to me. That Slow Movement for String Quartet is a nice piece to listen.


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

lostid said:


> I just finished listening to Webern's string quartets and they sound pretty good to me. That Slow Movement for String Quartet is a nice piece to listen.


This means, as I was hoping, that your ears and mind are what I call "Open" to all music. Stick around, and find that more than a few listeners have very limited boundaries about what they like, and music they can barely identify with in any way.

Meanwhile, I can only advise you, I hope, to keep your ears as open as they are now, and then it is ALL available to you. Even with an ocean of classical music, why limit yourself?

Whatever of any sort of classical you find that you like, if you want to know more about a particular composer, style, or era, someone on TC will have a lot of information for you they will happily share.

Best regards.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Mahlerian said:


> He's trying to say that it's torture.
> 
> Which is completely unfair. In good performances, Webern's music is the exact opposite.


I'm assuming the terrorist torturers would use the worst performances of Webern they could find.
Sorry I didn't make that clear.

Also sorry OP for my bad joke. Your English is quite good by the way!

Glad you love everything classical!


----------



## Serge (Mar 25, 2010)

PetrB said:


> This means, as I was hoping, that your ears and mind are what I call "Open" to all music. Stick around, and find that more than a few listeners have very limited boundaries about what they like, and music they can barely identify with in any way.
> 
> Meanwhile, I can only advise you, I hope, to keep your ears as open as they are now, and then it is ALL available to you. Even with an ocean of classical music, why limit yourself?
> 
> ...


I think I'm gonna puke! No, no, just kidding... How do I favor this tweet?


----------



## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

hpowders said:


> I'm assuming the terrorist torturers would use the worst performances of Webern they could find.
> Sorry I didn't make that clear.


I think it would be difficult to top this, at least as far as accepted classics goes.






Anyone with a sense of pithiness would revolt at the thought!


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Mahlerian said:


> I think it would be difficult to top this, at least as far as accepted classics goes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Should be arrested for performing classical music without a license!
I'm sure his vanity plate on the back of his VW is: MISGUIDED


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*You're way ahead of me.*



lostid said:


> I just finished listening to Webern's string quartets and they sound pretty good to me. That Slow Movement for String Quartet is a nice piece to listen.


Like I mentioned in other threads, I did not get a lot of modern music, like Carter and Webern, until I was in my fifties.

One of the positive effects of participating was I gained an interest is some of the music of Cage. I used to hate Cage and thought he was a fraud. Reading the anti-cage rants made my think I need to check him out to see if he is as bad as they say. As a result I actually discovered some works of Cage that I actually enjoy. The anti-Cage rants have convinced my that he is a great composer. The key to understanding Cage is that his art is a much theater as it is music.

Keep an open mind. Western European Music has a great tradition that goes back several centuries. Much of the old stuff is just as great as the new.


----------



## lostid (Aug 13, 2012)

PetrB said:


> This means, as I was hoping, that your ears and mind are what I call "Open" to all music. Stick around, and find that more than a few listeners have very limited boundaries about what they like, and music they can barely identify with in any way.
> 
> Meanwhile, I can only advise you, I hope, to keep your ears as open as they are now, and then it is ALL available to you. Even with an ocean of classical music, why limit yourself?
> 
> ...


I love to explore the music which I have never listened before. This is the only way to find the less-known or unknown treasure. I started my journey to the world of classical music from listening to Mozart's and Beethoven's music a lot. Then I have gradually expanded my interests to other composer's work. These days I hardly listen to Mozart's music not because his music is no good anymore, but because I have so much other choices which I have not listened to or not not listened to enough.

But it's understandable everyone has his/her own taste and preference for music. It doesn't have to be that the same piece of music is loved or disliked by everyone.

The number of my favorite composers has grown from 2 (Mozart and Beethoven) to now more than 20, and still growing.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

lostid said:


> I love to explore the music which I have never listened before. This is the only way to find the less-known or unknown treasure. I started my journey to the world of classical music from listening to Mozart's and Beethoven's music a lot. Then I have gradually expanded my interests to other composer's work. These days I hardly listen to Mozart's music not because his music is no good anymore, but because I have so much other choices which I have not listened to or not not listened to enough.
> 
> But it's understandable everyone has his/her own taste and preference for music. It doesn't have to be that the same piece of music is loved or disliked by everyone.
> 
> The number of my favorite composers has grown from 2 (Mozart and Beethoven) to now more than 20, and still growing.


Good for you! That's terrific! You are right. There is so much great music to listen to!


----------



## Katie (Dec 13, 2013)

While yer feelin' the love for conventional catalogues, also find Furtwangler (esp. Symphony #2)...


----------



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

The assumption in some of these posts is that as we - I'm also one who enjoys pretty much all the "classical" music I hear - get to know the music better, we'll begin to enjoy a lot of it less. 

Maybe that's even true, but I hope it's not. It's already hard enough for me to enjoy a lot of things. I hope the music stays relatively open to me.


----------



## Dustin (Mar 30, 2012)

My problem is all composers are guilty till proven innocent. I just can't convince myself that a composer isn't worthless until I hear at least a few pieces by them that really grabs me. I know it's silly but I guess I'm just a little skeptical by nature. For instance, I'm still not convinced Wagner or Debussy are any good but I'm sure in a year or two I'll love them.


----------



## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

Beethoven's ninth played that slowly is easy to play, but painful to listen to. I wasn't prepared to listen to more than 60 seconds of it. It would take everyone else only 30 seconds to play that. 

Anyway, back to the opening post. I have generally the same feelings, there isn't much I don't like. While I talk about not owning any Bruckner, I did recently get his 8th symphony from the library for symphony Saturday. It was alright, certainly listenable. And I'd do it again. 

I like to try new things too. However, I do frequently return to the standard classical music repertoire.


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I can appreciate all of it, but as I've listened more I've found more or less the opposite effect - the pieces that really stand out to me are a smaller percentage, diamonds in the rough. I gravitate heavily towards Baroque, and Modern era classical music. There are also a fair amount of stand out pieces for me in pre-Baroque forms and in contemporary music. Stuff in the other eras is pretty hit and miss for me with a lot of it sounding too pompous, saccharine, or bombastic for my tastes.


----------



## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

science said:


> The assumption in some of these posts is that as we - I'm also one who enjoys pretty much all the "classical" music I hear - get to know the music better, we'll begin to enjoy a lot of it less.
> 
> Maybe that's even true, but I hope it's not. It's already hard enough for me to enjoy a lot of things. I hope the music stays relatively open to me.


Everything in existence degenerates. Music is one of the few things that has held some value for me, but I'm sure if we had enough time on this planet that it would also loose it's luster.

… then again, maybe not. But maybe so…. Hah.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Just the opposite of some of those early period performances that would take the 3rd movement of Beethoven's 9th as if it was marked "allegretto". Totally perverse!


----------



## lostid (Aug 13, 2012)

For the past a few days, I listened to the following music .... great music

Franz Lehar's Operas (I am not a big fan of operas but I really love his. How beautiful the melody is for "Lippen Schweigen"!)
Opera Concerto - Phantasia & The Woman In White Suite - Sarah Chang (Violin)
Glazunov String Quartets
R.Strauss's Der Bürger als Edelmann
Stravinsky's Pulcinella
Stravinsky's Works for piano & orchestra
Grechaninov Symphonies

I think my problem is I don't have enough time to listen to all the music I want. 

By the way, why are there so many great Russian composers? I think Tchaikovsky got too much publicity, and there were many Russian composers better than Tchaikovsky, in my opinion. I like Tchaikovsky's music but not a big fan of his.


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Welcome to the club! So much music; so little time!!!


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Mahlerian said:


> I think it would be difficult to top this, at least as far as accepted classics goes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What a find. It's a revelation. I'm hearing things I've never heard before.

I was able to write that while waiting for the next note. In fact I'm still waiting for it.

I'm expecting it in about 4'33."


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Dustin said:


> My problem is all composers are guilty till proven innocent. I just can't convince myself that a composer isn't worthless until I hear at least a few pieces by them that really grabs me. I know it's silly but I guess I'm just a little skeptical by nature. For instance, I'm still not convinced Wagner or Debussy are any good but I'm sure in a year or two I'll love them.


I'm not sure why, but your skeptical attitude and "Grouchy Old Johannes" logo bring to mind Brahms's remark upon hearing Wagner's Siegfried Idyll: "Yes, but... One can't have music like that all the time!"

Although I consider myself not so much skeptical as hypercritical, I smile at your candid negativity and wish you endless opportunities to discover that music is better than you think it is. Some of it, anyway.


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

lostid said:


> For the past a few days, I listened to the following music .... great music
> 
> Franz Lehar's Operas (I am not a big fan of operas but I really love his. How beautiful the melody is for "Lippen Schweigen"!)
> Opera Concerto - Phantasia & The Woman In White Suite - Sarah Chang (Violin)
> ...


When it comes to the Stravinsky ballet scores, I heartily recommend listening to the complete versions, and not the existing concert suites. _Pulcinella,_ for example, uses three singers and is interspersed with songs -- the suite is reduced, some of those songs re-orchestrated, and the overall effect is, in my opinion, so much less than if you listened to the original full-length suite with the voices. The full-length _Firebird,_ and Petruschka, La Baisee de la Fee, the one-act opera Le Rossignol, each existing in suite forms, are all better when listened to in their entirety.

Glad you are having such a great time discovering all this anew 

P.s. When you get around to Ravel's ballet score, _Daphnis et Chloe,_ the suites are without the wordless full chorus of the original, which you do not want to miss!


----------



## lostid (Aug 13, 2012)

PetrB said:


> When it comes to the Stravinsky ballet scores, I heartily recommend listening to the complete versions, and not the existing concert suites. _Pulcinella,_ for example, uses three singers and is interspersed with songs -- the suite is reduced, some of those songs re-orchestrated, and the overall effect is, in my opinion, so much less than if you listened to the original full-length suite with the voices. The full-length _Firebird,_ and Petruschka, La Baisee de la Fee, the one-act opera Le Rossignol, each existing in suite forms, are all better when listened to in their entirety.
> 
> Glad you are having such a great time discovering all this anew
> 
> P.s. When you get around to Ravel's ballet score, _Daphnis et Chloe,_ the suites are without the wordless full chorus of the original, which you do not want to miss!


Thanks for recommending Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe. I am listening to it now (this album) and enjoying it.


----------

