# Politicians and their music...



## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Just hearing about Vladimir Putin's victory in Russia made me think of this. What music do politicians like? Both classical and non-classical. I'm talking of within recent times, eg. in our lifetimes.

*Mr. Putin* says he listens to Brahms, Mozart and Tchaikovsky. He also likes composers like Schubert and Liszt. He thinks _The Beatles _- esp. the songs of Paul McCartney - are great & doesn't mind musicals either.

Former Australian Prime Minister *Paul Keating *(in power 1991-96) really liked Mahler and Brahms. He was the manager of a few rock bands in his younger years. When he won the election, that tune from Holst's _Jupiter_ which became the hymn _I vow to thee, my country _was playing in the background as he addressed the crowd.

Another former PM of ours, *Edward 'Gough' Whitlam *(in power 1972-75) is apparently a Wagnerite, he joked once that he'd like his funeral pyre to be on a boat going out from Sydney harbour to sea while Wagner's music plays in the background!

Then there's former President of USA, *Bill Clinton*, I know he can play saxophone, it's a hobby of his, so I'd guess he likes jazz.

& former British PM, *Ted Heath *(1970's), was a professional musician, I think a conductor. I remember reading a book on classical music written by him.

I think the tastes of these pollies does maybe say something of their character and style. They have different sides to their persona from what we know or see on display when they're in the public eye.

*Any others you can think of? Does their taste match yours in some way (& how do you feel about that?)...*


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Perhaps it's good that more politicians don't like classical music. Harry Truman, the most prolific CM collector among US Presidents, dropped two atomic bombs in anger.

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## AmateurComposer (Sep 13, 2009)

I believe that you might be interested in a politician who was also a composer and pianist: Ignacy Jan Paderewski
I believe that his music is available both in print and records, and I saw his biography on Wikipedia.
Enjoy yourself!


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

^^ Both those guys were in office in about the 1940's. I'm talking of recent memory. & re Truman liking classical music, I didn't know that, but much worse leaders of that time liked it, but I really don't want to focus on history that far back. I don't want to focus on things like that (Hiroshima), the Third Reich, Stalinism and all that stuff that involves threads on classical music and politics. What I'm talking about is what's going on now, and it's meant to be a kind of lighter thread, which is what I'd hoped my OP would put across.


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

Politicians will only let us know their safe picks in any medium.

You know, like "Obama enjoys jazz music, like [MILES DAVIS] and [JOHN COLTRANE]. Sometimes he enjoys pop/rock, like [THE BEATLES]"


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

regressivetransphobe said:


> Politicians will only let us know their safe picks in any medium.


Yeah, in reality they all listen to underground death metal.


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

What I mean is Obama's not gonna flaunt it if he likes some Pharaoh Sanders, or whatever would give the "ObUMMER is a black panther secret muslim" nuts ammunition.

Same applies to anyone in different ways, politics is all about image


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

In reality, it's any music the people can march to.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Lighten up, you guys. Really.

Fact is, it's not only pollies who may have to hide what they listen to. It's also on online forums that sometimes one has to hide what you listen to. But on this forum, it's not too bad. Not too many highbrows or whatever. I am comfortable posting anything I listen to on current listening thread. But on a forum I left, it could be a liability (eg. some of the most popular pieces by major composers where seen by some as "lowbrow").

Anyway, let's lighten up.

I mentioned before, some of those on the "left" of Aussie politics, Prime Ministers Keating and WHitlam. Well, now for some on the conservative side. Which I don't know that much about.

Former PM John Howard said he liked Bob Dylan - but for the music more than the lyrics, which were not his cup of tea (too radical, I suppose, although now Dylan is probably far from that). Mr. Howard was also at the _Three Tenors _concert in Melbourne in about 1997, but I don't know if he likes opera, he may have just gone in an official capacity.

One of Howard's cabinet ministers, Tim Fischer said he listened to the (then) Aussie youth band _Silverchair_...


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Maybe mentioning Richard Nixon is a bit of a stretch for a good deal of you guys, but I still think he's an interesting one to take a look at. Apparently, he was a pretty great pianist and composer.


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## Mesa (Mar 2, 2012)

Presumably, anyone with a mind attuned to have a profound admiration of the arts would never become a politician


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

The former German chancellor *Helmuth Schmidt *is a highly cultured man of the old school and a good pianist. He even recorded a Bach concerto album for DG:








Former British prime minster *Edward Heath *was also a conductor & there are a couple of issued LPs.








On the opposite end of the scale, dare I say, there are of course the vocal performances of *Mitt Romney*, devoid of self-criticism:


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## wiganwarrior (Jan 6, 2012)

Michael Portillo, ex-cabinet minister, who served under Margaret Thatcher, is heavily into Wagner. Condoleezza Rice is apparently quite an established classical pianist - and has even played for the Queen.


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

I've read somewhere Angela Merkel is a pretty big Wagner fan too and shows up annually in Bayreuth more for the music than for the sake of showing off.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Lukecash12 said:


> Maybe mentioning Richard Nixon is a bit of a stretch for a good deal of you guys, but I still think he's an interesting one to take a look at. Apparently, he was a pretty great pianist and composer.


I read something on this forum years ago about "tricky dickie." Apparently he liked classical, was okay with most things up to Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_. But after he thought it was all "atonal noise," including even more tuneful/popular things like Leonard Bernstein - Nixon was at the premiere of Lenny's_ Mass_, and he hated it, judging from recently unearthed Whitehouse tapes.



joen_cph said:


> The former German chancellor *Helmuth Schmidt *is a highly cultured man of the old school and a good pianist. He even recorded a Bach concerto album for DG...
> 
> Former British prime minster *Edward Heath *was also a conductor & there are a couple of issued LPs...


Thanks for that. I didn't know about ex-Chancellor Schmidt. Interesting. As I said in my OP, I know Ted Heath was a musician/conductor, but I haven't heard his efforts on record, but I remember reading a book on music by him, I think he wrote several.



> ...
> On the opposite end of the scale, dare I say, there are of course the vocal performances of *Mitt Romney*, devoid of self-criticism...


Oh, don't tell me, another one of those pseudo-musician pollies was former Italian PM Berlusconi.

& another was Indonesian President Yudiyono, but I remember hearing a song sung by him on radio and it came across as sounding okay.



wiganwarrior said:


> ...Condoleezza Rice is apparently quite an established classical pianist - and has even played for the Queen.


Yeah, I remember reading an article/interview with her years back, and she did mention playing J.S. Bach on piano.



SiegendesLicht said:


> I've read somewhere Angela Merkel is a pretty big Wagner fan too and shows up annually in Bayreuth more for the music than for the sake of showing off.


Well it makes sense, eg. German politicians liking the music of their own culture/heritage. I wish some of our politicians would kind of do that, but so many other dramas going on in parliament at the moment, culture is non existent in terms of what politicians do here now, apart from what's going on anyway, regardless of them.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani is a known aficionado of a broad cross-section of Italian opera repertory works, and also "puts his money where his mouth is" with frequent and generous contributions to the Metropolitan Opera...


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Not exactly pollies, but the Royals of UK are near enough.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...9128603/Royals-and-their-favourite-music.html

Here's what they like -

Prince William - Kanye West
Kate Middleton - ABBA
Prince Charles - Leonard Cohen
Prince Harry - Skream (dubstep producer)
The late Queen Mother - Wilf Carter, aka Montana Slim, a Canadian country singer (1904-1996) 
Princess Margaret - The Beatles
Princess Diana - Duran Duran
Queen Elizabeth II - big band music, eg. Count Basie
Princess Anne - The Corries
Duke of Edinburgh - Doesn't like Tom Jones
King George V - Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet
Prince Edward - Peter Gabriel


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

> Queen Elizabeth II - big band music, eg. Count Basie


  - not quite what I imagined ...

The Danish *King Frederik IX* also did conducting and recorded the Schubert 8th Symphony etc. 
I haven´t heard it, but it should be decent, though not revelatory. It has been re-issued on CD.
Quite a contrast to his image as well - a big tattooed man who loved sailboats.

Our *Prince Henrik*, married to our current Queen Margrethe II, is also a pianist and has performed the Beethoven 3rd Concerto.


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## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)

John McCain used the music from Medal of Honor: European Assault in one of his campaign ads.

The composer was not happy as is an Obama guy.


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## Dster (Oct 3, 2011)

SiegendesLicht said:


> I've read somewhere Angela Merkel is a pretty big Wagner fan too and shows up annually in Bayreuth more for the music than for the sake of showing off.


I saw her with the Italian President in the opening night of Aida (the Alagna disaster) in the La Scala.

ps: I wasn't there personally, I saw her in the video


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

LordBlackudder said:


> John McCain used the music from Medal of Honor: European Assault in one of his campaign ads.
> 
> The composer was not happy as is an Obama guy.


That happens all the time. I wonder whether it happens as often for both sides: are there conservative musicians angered that liberal politicians use their stuff?


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