Films/DVD Asylum

I have shockingly bad taste�

211.27.190.203

David Aiken

In Reply to: RE: Twent-three. posted by Harmonia on December 27, 2007 at 13:10:50

at least that's what some people tell me when they notice my enjoyment of Cage, Harrison, Meredith Monk, Alvin Curran, Glass and others. They're probably right but damn, those people do write good music! :-)

I suspect my taste in movies is much worse since it includes a lot of trite action, scifi and horror films with no socially redeeming features whatsoever.

I can even mix the films and music by watching Todd Browning's 1930's "Dracula" with the Philip Glass soundtrack performed by the Kronos Quartet.

David Aiken

Follow Ups:

No such thing as bad taste - Analog Scott 15:11:07 12/28/07 (0)
taste is taste. I think people tend to mix up the idea of taste with an appreciation of excellence. For instance you like horror and scifi. That isn't bad taste that is your taste. The question is do you appreciate the difference between the excellent horror and scifi and the schlock. I hate opera. That is my taste. Nothing bad or good about it. It doesn't reflect on the reletive quality of any given opera. But an opera lover with the ability to discern quality can tell you the differences between good opera and bad opera. What I am trying to say is excellence and ability to appreciate it is independent of personal taste.
Glass beat ya to it... - Harmonia 06:01:22 12/28/07 (4)
Sort of, via his alternate opera/soundtrack to Cocteau's Beauty & The Beast. Now THERE's a movie.

LOL, ain't it a stitch...thirty - forty years on these composers still provoke fear and/or loathing in the general music lover's breat.

The Dracula to a Glass quartet could be fun, actually, although Freaks is my all-time fave Browning film.

To be perfectly honest, I haven't been in love with much by Glass since his violin concerto but, oddly enough, I think he's a brilliant and effective film composer. Cage has acquired "grand old man" status now - isn't it amusing? I first became familiar with him through his pieces for choreographer/partner Merce Cunningham. Have you seen Meredith perform her pieces? Not to be missed, although I don't know if she does it anymore. I saw her back in the 70s and early 80s. Lou Harrison and Curran? Are you a New Yorker?

BTW, the Philip Glass Appreciation Society on -line fan club is headquartered just down the road from me in Carmel, IN. Really.

Seriously, if you can concenrtate on NY downtown minimalism & other musical iconoclasts try some horror/scifi with "redeeming" qualities: Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth, Children of Men etc.
- RE: Glass and Higdon - phatty 10:32:30 12/28/07 (3)
  I have the DVD Audio disk of Glass's Koyaanisqatsi and CD of Symphony # 2 , and enjoy them both. I think the # 2 disk has a saxaphone piece on it, which I also like.
  
  I used to chat with Jennifer Higdon on another board all the time, and purchsed one of her disks. It is gathering dust. I think it was one of her first.
  
  I recently saw Jeffrey Biegel, and enjoyed it very much. He played a Liebermann piece , and later in 2008, he will be playing Keith Emerson's Piano Concerto in selected cities, as he is a friend of Keith's.
  
  Are you familiar with Biegel?
  - Played one of best Rhapsody In Blue I've ever heard... - Harmonia 11:11:41 12/28/07 (2)
    ...in, of all places, Muncie IN. Isn't he the pianist who put together the commission of Lowell Liebermann's 3rd Piano COncerto? Liebermann is a very "accessible" modern composer and very adept at the concerto form. Very entertaining, not afriad of big themes and devlopment. His 2nd concerto brought down the house a couple years ago here in Indy. I bet you heard the new 3rd you lucky dog.
    
    I have a certain appreciation for Glass - though I find him a very mixed bag. I tend to prefer John Adams' brand of minimalism.
    
    I'm not fmailiar with Higdon's early work. I have heard her large orchestral works - Blue Cathedral, City Scape and Concerto For Orchestra - live in concert with the local band. Dust off that CD, she is the real deal. Blue Cathedral was pretty special.
    - Yes, it was the Third.... - phatty 11:49:00 12/28/07 (1)
      ..with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
      Fantastic.
      
      Believe it or not, I only got interested in him because he said he was a friend of Emerson's. There were plans for him and Emerson toperform on the same bill, Biegel doing the Emerson Concerto ,and Emerson playing a new adaptation of a Ginestera piece. I don't see that happening, but Biegel will play Emerson with Champaign / Urbana Symphony in Illinois in April, I believe.
      
      That's just a bit far from connecticut for a road trip.
      
      I will dust off the Higdon disk. I remember her joking thatthe first cut on the disk is enough to drive a cat crazy , or something to that effect.
      
      I have been thinking about getting Blue Cathedral, maybe I will.
      
      Thanks
      - Champaign/Urbana is less than 2 hours from me. - Harmonia 15:05:08 12/28/07 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Yes, it was the Third.... posted by phatty on December 28, 2007 at 11:49:00
        
        Maybe I will check it out, if I'm not working. Some folks that used to play in the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra are teaching over at U of I. I haven't seen Keith Emerson in...let's just say it's been a looooong time ;-)
        
        Blue Cathedral - go for it. Also check out Lowell Liebermann on disc.

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Signature Sound

[ Signature Sound Lounge ]