The Album Review Club - Week #139 - (page 1815) - Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War Of The Worlds

crublue1 said:
Nicely put Rob, you've obviously given much thought to this.
I'm gonna struggle to write anything even remotely nearing a review, as I don't have the experience with this type of music to pass judgement.
All I can say is I like it, but I haven't got a clue about scoring it, because I haven't got much to compare it with. Not the music's fault of course.
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Can I borrow this as my review?
 
Saddleworth2 said:
I do think its interesting that you mention the lack of visuals which was also a recurring theme on 'before the dawn'. Maybe its a generational thing but I always listened to music and (read novels) to let images be created in my imagination. Its maybe not for this thread but there is an interesting discussion somewhere on how much part do images/videos/films/theatre play in your love of music. Is it not simply, that until you are very familiar with a piece of music it is easier to comprehend if its associated with images? Or maybe i'm talking mince :-)
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No makes perfect sense to me - my biggest association to classical music is via film (granted showing my very sheltered knowledge of the genre).

Loads of music is heightened by what we associate it to..............
 
For a visual connection to classical music you could do worse than watching it. I find it fascinating and gives a great insight into how it is put together. For this reason I like to sit above the orchestra when I go to the Bridgewater. I found this from the proms for you but I’m sure there are others on YouTube

www.bbc.co.uk

Prom 2: Bohemian Rhapsody

Soloist Joshua Bell performs Dvořák’s lively, folk-infused Violin Concerto, paired with another 19th-century Czech classic, Smetana’s symphonic suite Má vlast – a colourful celebration of a nation’s landscape, history and identity.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
 
journolud said:
Interesting to see what those who don’t normally listen to classical music make of this as for a starting point into the genre it probably isn’t the most obvious choice. I know that isn’t the point of this thread though.

(Incidentally I presume anyone is allowed to comment, I’ve not really followed the thread properly)

Having said the above Vltava’s main theme is as stirring a piece of classical music as you can get, absolutely lovely.

The rest I probably need to listen to more. I’m much more familiar with Dvorak and you can hear the similarities with some of his home inspired music. Interesting that Smetena is more popular with the locals.

I used to get recommended recordings of particular pieces back in the days of the Britannia music club and then later when I had the rough guide to classical music. Nowadays it’s what comes up on Spotify and the recording I’m listening to is the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Belohlavak. I’ve not got a well enough educated ear to discern major differences but the Czech Philharmonic are always good value and you would expect them to have a feel for the music.

For those who want better streaming quality I believe IDAGIO is the app of choice but it does come at a cost.

From what I’ve heard of Ma Vlast so far it feels like Vlatava is so good that it almost distracts from the rest of the works but Sarka also has some great themes in it and I’ll listen to the rest with interest when I have time to concentrate
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Everybody is welcome to comment in here. We have a great little group but the more the merrier. Feel free to offer a score out of 10.
 
journolud said:
Interesting to see what those who don’t normally listen to classical music make of this as for a starting point into the genre it probably isn’t the most obvious choice. I know that isn’t the point of this thread though.

(Incidentally I presume anyone is allowed to comment, I’ve not really followed the thread properly)

Having said the above Vltava’s main theme is as stirring a piece of classical music as you can get, absolutely lovely.

The rest I probably need to listen to more. I’m much more familiar with Dvorak and you can hear the similarities with some of his home inspired music. Interesting that Smetena is more popular with the locals.

I used to get recommended recordings of particular pieces back in the days of the Britannia music club and then later when I had the rough guide to classical music. Nowadays it’s what comes up on Spotify and the recording I’m listening to is the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Belohlavak. I’ve not got a well enough educated ear to discern major differences but the Czech Philharmonic are always good value and you would expect them to have a feel for the music.

For those who want better streaming quality I believe IDAGIO is the app of choice but it does come at a cost.

From what I’ve heard of Ma Vlast so far it feels like Vlatava is so good that it almost distracts from the rest of the works but Sarka also has some great themes in it and I’ll listen to the rest with interest when I have time to concentrate
Click to expand...
Vltava is certainly the most popular poem and most immediately accessible. It often features in 'best of classics' concerts and recordings.

It's funny how my preferences have varied over the years. I too started off with Vltava as my favourite, then it changed to Vyšehrad and then Blaník and Tábor. For the last few years my favourite has been Z českých luhů a hájů.

I understand the difficulties some have with scoring it as it is quite different from what has gone before and that is what made me reluctant to choose it. In the end though I really don't care so much about the scoring but just wanted to use the opportunity to share something that is deeply important and personal to me. I certainly wouldn't expect anybody else to feel the same way.

If, as some have mentioned, a visual aid would help, there are a few live orchestral performances of Má Vlast on YouTube.

I'm not sure if I am supposed to score it myself or not but it (obviously) would warrant a 10 from me ;-)
 
KnaresboroughBlue said:
Vltava is certainly the most popular poem and most immediately accessible. It often features in 'best of classics' concerts and recordings.

It's funny how my preferences have varied over the years. I too started off with Vltava as my favourite, then it changed to Vyšehrad and then Blaník and Tábor. For the last few years my favourite has been Z českých luhů a hájů.

I understand the difficulties some have with scoring it as it is quite different from what has gone before and that is what made me reluctant to choose it. In the end though I really don't care so much about the scoring but just wanted to use the opportunity to share something that is deeply important and personal to me. I certainly wouldn't expect anybody else to feel the same way.

I'm not sure if I am supposed to score it myself or not but it (obviously) would warrant a 10 from me ;-)
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I think you may be pleasantly surprised by the scoring (not that it really matters, it's all subjective)
 
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