# "Why I'm sick of Mozart"



## ibrahim (Apr 29, 2017)

http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/020612-NL-mozart.html

Agree? Disagree? Do not simply judge by the title -- read the actual column!

:devil:


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## Guest (Oct 17, 2017)

A fun column, with much to amuse, compliments aplenty for WAM, alongside a healthy dose of scepticism.



> When the opening of the G minor symphony (K550) seeps from some-one's mobile phone on the bus, I get the shakes and have to hum an atonal snatch of early Birtwistle. It is no surprise that Mozart tops the ring-tone pops. His music was made to tinkle.


and yet



> Mozart [...]was so full of catchy tunes that he shovelled them into his music as a kid spoons sugar into his breakfast bowl when mum's not watching. *Genius that he was*, Mozart lacked the good sense or taste to ration his originality, seldom letting the mind settle on a theme while it is amplified and developed. Like a tiger butterfly, he flits off to the next bud, then the next, leaving the avid lepidopterist seething at his fickle fertility.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

— duplicate post, please delete —


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

— duplicate post, please delete —


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

You forgot the best part of Lebreck's article:

_I was learning to love Haydn and respect Gluck when, last Thursday at a friend s birthday concert at the Wigmore Hall, they slipped in the Soave Trio from Così fan tutte and I was done for. I wanted more; I craved the crowning sextet that is probably the greatest concerted aria ever conceived.

Talking at dinner to a mathematics professor, we could not between us fathom how, with such simple intervals, Mozart penetrated the very core of the human soul. He is, tout court, a life-force. To be taken as prescribed, not to exceed the stated dose._

Even Mozart probably wouldn't have recommended four Mozart piano concertos in a row. Any composer can suffer from over exposure, and it doesn't help to assume that others, as a captive audience, are in the mood for him or anyone else, for that matter. But by all means, let's everyone keep focused on the negative rather than having the common sense of changing the channel every now and then.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

"Myself, I am more concerned at the risk of brain rot."

I thought he had that already! Why I never take anything Lebrecht says with less than a shovelful of salt! :lol:


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Nice article. I enjoyed reading it. But it isn't Mozart's fault. I wouldn't enjoy a concert of one-after-the-other of any composer, simply because, like the author of the article, I lack the concentration.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

I can’t agree with Norm. His complaint of Mozart not “settled on a theme while it is amplified and developed” may be a part of his genius that eludes him, and is not that accurate. The melding of contrasting or different shades of emotion in themes is where Mozart excels and is more admirable or at least unique than rehashing a theme in endless variations or arrangements, which is why I get tired of a lot of 19th century composers. But there are themes he explores more like the one in Symphony 40, and others.


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## Guest (Oct 17, 2017)

Norman Lebrecht; shady character. Avoid. He's one and the same man who crowed, at the death of Carlos Kleiber:

"*Carlos Kleiber: not a great conductor*".

Here is the talented adonis conducting Wagner in 1972 (German needed):


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## Alydon (May 16, 2012)

Norman Lebrecht has forged a reputation on mostly provocative writings about classical music, usually in an unhelpful and negative way, rather in the manner of a person who is the exact opposite of a music lover. I'm sure Mozart and many others would be sick of Mr Lebrecht's thoughts on music and surely a man of his experience would realise that over exposure to any composer will, for a time anyway, breed a little contempt.
I suffered a mild overload of Mozart myself and for a year or so played hardly any of his work. One day I had a need to rediscover the string quintets and quartets and playing them through everyday over a few weeks only increased my admirmation for Mozart, and felt I had discovered something new.
So, please Norman Lebrecht do carry on writing about the demise of classical music and doom filled (completely unfounded) articles on all things negative about the classical music industry, but leave Mozart and his wonderful music alone.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

What? ANOTHER thread about Mozart's undeserved reputation? 

Considering the man was supposed to be so boring, he's providing the bulk of excitement here.


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## Agamemnon (May 1, 2017)

Actually, Mozart is the only composer I can listen to all day long. Yet I agree that the musical abundance of Mozart is quite overwhelming and sometimes frustrating as you can't follow everything that happens (while another composer takes one theme and develops it, Mozart can develop five themes at the same time: it's too much for the simple listener!).


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

It's a cute bit of topsy-turveying that rights itself at the end, smiling coyly. Nothing to get bent out of shape over. I couldn't take four concertos in succession by anyone - except Bach. I can do all the Brandenburgs at a sitting and wish for a seventh.


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

Phil loves classical said:


> I can't agree with Norm. His complaint of Mozart not "settled on a theme while it is amplified and developed" may be a part of his genius that eludes him, and is not that accurate. The melding of contrasting or different shades of emotion in themes is where Mozart excels and is more admirable or at least unique than rehashing a theme in endless variations or arrangements, which is why I get tired of a lot of 19th century composers. But there are themes he explores more like the one in Symphony 40, and others.


I think the late string quintets are good counter examples to claims that Mozart overloaded his pieces with too many themes because he couldn't just stick with one or two and develop them. I know the first movement of k.515 has comparatively fewer themes and he develops them into one of the largest sonata form movements at around 15 minutes in length. There are other scattered examples outside the quintets in the first movement of the Haffner symphony, the last movement of the 39th symphony and others.


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## Aloevera (Oct 1, 2017)

If you go around listening one song to the other of course you'll get sick of it. Back then in order to hear a tune you need either practice to the point where you can play it yourself or you'd have to watch a performance in which case you wouldn't be able to control the piece thats being played and you would most likely not just listen to Mozart but the other composer as well. Me personally I have one piece that I really like at a time and whenever I'm off doing something else my ears begin to crave that piece and that lasts for about a week or two, or sometimes even more before moving onto the next piece


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Alydon said:


> Norman Lebrecht has forged a reputation on mostly provocative writings about classical music, usually in an unhelpful and negative way, rather in the manner of a person who is the exact opposite of a music lover. I'm sure Mozart and many others would be sick of Mr Lebrecht's thoughts on music and surely a man of his experience would realise that over exposure to any composer will, for a time anyway, breed a little contempt.
> I suffered a mild overload of Mozart myself and for a year or so played hardly any of his work. One day I had a need to rediscover the string quintets and quartets and playing them through everyday over a few weeks only increased my admirmation for Mozart, and felt I had discovered something new.
> So, please Norman Lebrecht do carry on writing about the demise of classical music and doom filled (completely unfounded) articles on all things negative about the classical music industry, but leave Mozart and his wonderful music alone.


I dont like the guy - he's an arrogant rude ****

When reporting on the death of a notable uk/russian violinist two years ago he praised her playing but said her career was held back by poor dress sense.

I thought this was insulting to her memory, hurtful to her family and utterly inappropriate.


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

Lebrecht has always specialized in trolling, before that term was invented.

The only thing in that article that bothered me was the aside about K 467. Nothing sillier than dismissing a piece because it got too popular with the wrong people.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Perhaps one is sick of Mozart from listening to old fashioned anachronistic performances. They can be dull.

Try some HIP Mozart. It could help.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

This leaped out at me:


Norman Lebrecht said:


> the hackneyed 467, ruined for ever by its treacly role in the Swedish film Elvira Madigan


50 years old now, and I note that on IMDb it's been voted on by 2,136 people, making it only the 74th most voted-on film of that year. And yet people still occasionally mention it in the context of the Mozart piano concerto. Seems its effects have long outlasted its popularity.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

ibrahim said:


> http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/020612-NL-mozart.html
> 
> Agree? Disagree? Do not simply judge by the title -- read the actual column!
> 
> :devil:


The thread should be re titled Why I'm Sick of Norman Lebrect


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Triplets said:


> The thread should be re titled Why I'm Sick of Norman Lebrect


Yes. The guy was, as we say in Scotland, a warmer! Warmer should be pronounced as if the a was in the word harm and not warm!


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## mathisdermaler (Mar 29, 2017)

"Mozart is the dividing line - the litmus test, if you like - between music lovers and those who merely like a good tune. He is a gift to the jingle writer, a menace to the serious musician."

A more inane statement has never been made


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## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

mathisdermaler said:


> "Mozart is the dividing line - the litmus test, if you like - between music lovers and those who merely like a good tune. He is a gift to the jingle writer, a menace to the serious musician."
> 
> A more inane statement has never been made


Couldn't agree more.

Incidentally part of your T.S. Eliot quote ," fare forward,voyagers" is the title of a wonderful album by the great John Fahey.


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## mathisdermaler (Mar 29, 2017)

Barbebleu said:


> Couldn't agree more.
> 
> Incidentally part of your T.S. Eliot quote ," fare forward,voyagers" is the title of a wonderful album by the great John Fahey.


Its one of my favorite non-classical pieces of music of all time! And I love Eliot


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2017)

mathisdermaler said:


> A more inane statement has never been made


Only in the field of criticism of Mozart. I suspect there have been many comparably inane statements made about other matters. For example...

https://matadornetwork.com/change/20-of-the-most-ludicrous-political-quotes-of-all-time/



> *"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."*


I think that puts Lebrecht's amusing hyperbole in the shade!


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

MacLeod said:


> Only in the field of criticism of Mozart. I suspect there have been many comparably inane statements made about other matters. For example...
> 
> https://matadornetwork.com/change/20-of-the-most-ludicrous-political-quotes-of-all-time/
> 
> I think that puts Lebrecht's amusing hyperbole in the shade!


Yes! What about:

"*Outside of the killings, DC has one of the lowest crime rates in the country."

*


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