Wanderer

It's true, we need to start from the cornerstones instead of getting lost in experimental crap... like I don't know, Take That, the Bee Hive from Kiss Me Licia... then we can talk... ;-)

I love long tracks; they seem like something truly interesting. With a bit of simplicity, I would be even more convinced. Great review.

In the meantime, I'm voting for Brian Eno. If the fight escalates and you need a lawyer, call me.

I liked the review. I wasn't familiar with Schulze, but I'll look into it.

Great little gem, excellent review.

I turn off the tap of the raging river, asking for forgiveness for any mistakes or blunders caused by haste and enthusiasm. Oh, I almost forgot, for me, the highest point reached by lyricism is the Wagnerian "Parsifal," I say this hoping it sparks a debate on personal gustibus. And I also forgot the faiv at Pollini. Bye bye (wow, I must have really annoyed you all in a way...).

3) OPERA - It is talked about less only because it has been transformed (THEY HAVE TRANSFORMED IT) into a pastime for senile octogenarians. The theaters have become sarcophagi filled with the elderly, when that's lucky, or, more often nowadays, with an audience completely uninterested in the musical aspect and focused on the "event," on socializing, on being seen and watching. Italian opera today is a mirror of the deep void in which our society finds itself: it is obvious that there are no young people to follow it and, consequently, to listen to it and cultivate it privately. Fortunately, classical music, devoid of the socio-accreditation component, has preserved itself better (not by much, but still…). The result is a distancing from a type of performance that is old because it was conceived and created for the elderly or for people who care little or nothing about the artistic component. I have had the fortune to attend the opera in cities like Prague and Vienna: there, in theaters packed with young people, modern and daring productions take place, unimaginable in Italy, and the audience is attracted through segmented and incredibly intelligent pricing policies. In Italy, we continue to play at the sad, petty-bourgeois 19th-century fiction. At this rate, opera here will be destined for disappearance.

2) TWENTIETH AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC - So many beautiful things in the twentieth century, but also, honestly, some operations that are a bit self-indulgent. The trouble is that there is a lot of prejudice and little listening: one can be surprised by how many wonders have been composed in this century. I think of Berio, Nono, Maderna, Petrassi, that crazy Sylvano Bussotti, Boulez, Ligeti, Part, Kurtag, Bartok, Schnittke, and even Cage and Stockhausen for certain things, among others (I don't even mention the composers from the first half of the twentieth century because I default include them without discussion). Just approach these authors with a secular mindset and an openness to novelty and you might be struck, perhaps more in the mind than in the heart, but still always struck. Enjoy Contemporain!

Then, upon reflection, I realized that these oppositions like Mazzola-Rivera or Coppi-Bartali reduce the whole thing to mere "fandom," with the unpleasant consequence that, blinded by the logic of contrast, we miss the opportunity to appreciate two distinct yet equally interesting artistic visions. One may prefer one over the other, but reaching the point of "delegitimization" in art is frankly excessive. For my part, perhaps a bit simplistically, I now listen with great interest to all possible proposals, enjoying the diversities through which, moreover, the listening experience is enriched and completed. As for the Nocturnes, besides the aforementioned Ashkenazy, I have had the chance to hear both those of Maria Joao Pirès and those of Pollini, both remarkable, and I derived wonderful sensations from them: each time they seemed new and different. I am told that Rubinstein's versions are splendid, but the recording seems to show its age a bit (I am a stickler for sound clarity).

Wow, Chopin's Nocturnes! They certainly deserved warm and passionate words, rather than a few dry statements: but don't worry The Mad Pianist, the next one will definitely be better, and in any case, the choice was truly excellent, so in that sense keep it up; in the meantime, welcome! I’ve also seen many beautiful discussions emerging from the comments, on which I like to share my little ideas too. 1) INTERPRETATION - I have Ashkenazy's complete works of Chopin, which I think is stunning, not at all metallic, rather blood-and-thunder. Now, the point is there is also a certain tendency towards "factions" in this area: I mean, I’ve heard everything (and we’ve seen proof of it here too), that Pollini is as cold as Antarctica, that Ashkenazy is metallic, that Benedetti Michelangeli (him too!) is obsessive, etc. Even worse with conductors: I’ve heard people say that Abbado is intellectualistic and uninvolving (!), that Muti conducts Verdi to the rhythm of a tamurriata, that Harnoncourt is crazy with his philological ramblings, etc. Until some time ago, I too was passionate about this, taking sides. continue