There's Bravo, And Encore...

[RayThom]

... and now there's "WOW!"



All I ever do at a concert is clap.

[Bicycle Bill]

"Out of the mouths of babes....  "

Polite applause, shouts of 'Bravo!", and even the semi-obligatory standing ovation are nice — but as an occasional performer, I'll take one "Wow!" like that from someone who was truly impressed and you can keep all the rest of it.

-"BB"-

[BoSoxGal]

... and now there's "WOW!"



All I ever do at a concert is clap.

I love this! I bet that meant a lot to the musicians and conductor - that’s a pure spontaneous expression of joy from a child falling in love with live performance of classical music.

WOW!

[ex-khobar Andy]

We were at a performance (Louisville Symphony Orchestra) of Beethoven's Ninth last night. Someone let out a rebel yell after the second movement.

The third movement is I think the high point of western music. All downhill since then. (OK apart from Janis Joplin. And Mick Taylor's guitar on Exile on Main St and elsewhere. )

[Sue U]

Orchestra finds child who charmed crowd with 'wow!'

Associated Press · Boston · May 11, 2019

A performing arts group has found the child who was literally wowed by a recent classical music concert.

The Handel & Haydn Society had just finished a rendition of Mozart's "Masonic Funeral" at Boston's Symphony Hall on Sunday when a youngster blurted out: "WOW!"

The group was so charmed that they launched a search for the "Wow Child" with the help of audio of the moment captured by WCRB-FM. The child is 9-year-old Ronan Mattin, of New Hampshire, WGBH-FM reported Thursday. He attended the concert with his grandfather, Stephen.

Ronan's grandmother had seen a report on TV that said the society was looking for the child.

Stephen Mattin said Ronan is on the autism spectrum and expresses himself differently from how other people do. He said his grandson is a huge music fan.

"I had told several people because I thought it was a funny story," Stephen Mattin said. "About how he was expressing his admiration for the performance and put everybody in stitches."

Handel & Haydn President David Snead said he is setting up a Skype meeting with Ronan and Harry Christophers, the society's artistic director who was conducting the night of the performance. The society will invite Ronan and his family back to the venue in October, when the 2019-2020 season opens, for another Mozart performance conducted by Christophers.

Snead called Sunday's experience one of the most wonderful moments he has ever had in a concert hall.

Source

And while we're on the subject:

We were at a performance (Louisville Symphony Orchestra) of Beethoven's Ninth last night. Someone let out a rebel yell after the second movement.

The third movement is I think the high point of western music. All downhill since then. (OK apart from Janis Joplin. And Mick Taylor's guitar on Exile on Main St and elsewhere. )

The ghosts of Messrs. Brahms, Dvorak, Stravinsky, Mahler, Bartok, Verdi and Puccini, for starters, would all like a word with you. (And they're all hold-overs from the 19th Century; don't even get me started on great 20th and 21st Century composers.)

Beethoven cribbed a lot from Mozart, particularly in his "early" string quartets. (He actually attempted to meet Mozart at one point, but it is unknown if such a meeting ever occurred. Both Beethoven and Mozart studied with Haydn, although Mozart was more a pal than a student.) Beethoven's Ninth is fine, but most orchestral musicians I know (including me) like the 7th more, and I like his string quartets better than all his symphonies.

If you're itching for a fight about the "high point of western music," I'm ready. Come at me, bro!

[Burning Petard]

That's what I like about western music--there is no acme, no single point of perfection.

Who is the greater guitar master, Andrés Segovia or Doc Watson? Is 'The Planets' by Holst better than 'Pictures at an Exhibition' by Ravel?

Personally, I like Bach and Duke Ellington.

snailgate

[ex-khobar Andy]

OK Sue I was exaggerating slightly to make a point; and I'm with you on Verdi (Requiem with Placido Domingo) and I'd add Schubert (An Sylvia, Ave Maria) although to a large extent he was LvB's contemporary. Sibelius too. Cezar Franck for Panis Angelicus. Then there are the Russians - Tchaikovsky, Mussorgski and Rachmaninoff. Oh and Slash for that solo in November Rain.

I'm still very partial to the third adagio movement of the Ninth. Maybe because of long forgotten mental associations with the piece. It's usually overshadowed by the more boisterous choral movement. When I booked the ticket I wasn't sure whether to go for the Friday performance or the Saturday. I eventually decided on the Saturday for no good reason. But unknown to me on the Friday they were just doing the first and fourth movements. That's like going to Romeo and Juliet and finding that for reasons of economy they are skipping Juliet for the evening's performance.

[RayThom]

Speaking of Beethoven... There's something about Vinyl that I really enjoy. I play all genres of music on a regular basis -- mostly '60/'70s Rock, but I like almost everything. I do not consider myself an audiophile even though friends jokingly refer to me as that. (I'm the only one that still uses a turntable.)

With the help of assorted descriptions I have gleaned on the interweb, here's what I have. I'd like to find out if there's a serious market for it. Any suggestions as to website that deal in classic vinyl?

BRUNO WALTER / Beethoven The Nine Symphonies
Label: Columbia Masterworks 6-EYE D7S 610 Stereo
Original US Press Columbia Masterworks
M7S 610 (7LP Box Set)
Format: 7 × Vinyl, LP, Compilation Box Set (With EXTRAS: See "RARE" below)
Country: US
Released: 1959
Genre: Classical
Style: Romantic, Classical

RARE... The coup de grace of this wonderful 60 year old PRISTINE album:
It's a special limited-edition pressing of the Beethoven Symphonies, in six-eyes pressings, and with original plastic inner sleeves... five (5) of which have NEVER been opened. Contains both the biographical booklet issued with the set, and the scarcer 18"x24" poster with the black/white charcoal (pastel-like) portrait of Maestro Walter, which almost never is found with a previously owned copy of this set.

This album is one of a few you will ever find regardless how long you may have been looking for anything similar. The discs are in near mint and mint condition... PRISTINE. The sound quality on the two records I've played is tremendous, so the other five, still in their unopened poly sleeves will be even better. The bound sleeves are in near mint condition without folds or tears.

Item Description: This is no doubt a highly desirable vinyl STEREO LP record album on quality vinyl at 33 1/3 rpm and is not to be underestimated -- very rare and hard to find.

Over all condition: 5M, 2NM (LPs), EX+(Booklet), EX+(Poster), EX(Box)
LPs are clean and shiny (see detail condition below for each record), BOOKLET is clean with no visible wear, BOX is cloth and faux leather with all corners in like new condition.

*Mint(M): Refers to a sealed vinyl record that has obviously never been played. *Near Mint(NM): Not a perfect vinyl record but looks new and has barely been played.

Record #1 (MS 6078): NM
Symphony No.1 in D and No.2 in C
Side A: XSM 47408
Side B: XSM 47409

Record #2 (MS 6036): NM
Symphony No.3 in Eb "Eroica"
Side A: XSM 44507
Side B: XSM 44508

Record #3 (MS 6055): M
Symphony No.4 in Bb and No.5 in C Minor
Side A: XSM 45178
Side B: XSM 45179

Record #4 (MS 6012): M
Symphony No.6 in F "Pastoral"
Side A: XSM 43402
Side B: XSM 43403

Record #5 (MS 6082): M
Symphony No.7 in A
Side A: XSM 47412
Side B: XSM 47413

Record #6 (M2S 608 / MS 6098): M
Symphony No.9 in D Minor "Choral"
Side A: XSM 47416
Side B: XSM 47421

Record #7 (M2S 608 / MS 6099): M
Symphony No.9 in D Minor "Choral" final & No.8 in F
Side A: XSM 47417
Side B: XSM 47420

Tracklist
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
A1 I. Adagio molto; Allegro con brio 10:23
A2 II. Larghetto 14:31
A3 III. Scherzo (Allegro) 3:50
B1 IV. Allegro molto 6:54
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
B2 I. Adagio molto; Allegro con brio 7:02
B3 II. Andante cantabile con moto 6:38
B4 III. Menuetto (Allegro molto e vivace) 3:45
B5 IV. Finale (Adagio; Allegro molto e vivace) 6:09
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 "Eroica"
C1 I. Allegro con brio 16:04
C2 II. Marcia funebre (Adagio assai) 15:32
D1 III. Scherzo (Allegro vivace) 6:03
D2 IV. Finale (Allegro molto) 12:15
Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 60
E1 I. Adagio; Allegro vivace 9:41
E2 II. Adagio 9:52
E3 III. Menuetto (Allegro vivace); Trio (Un poco meno allegro) 6:12
E4 IV. Allegro ma non troppo 5:50
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
F1 I. Allegro con brio 6:23
F2 II. Andante con moto 10:48
F3 III. Scherzo (Allegro) 15:20
F4 IV. Finale (Allegro)
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 "Pastoral"
G1 I. Allegro ma non troppo (Cheerful Impressions Awakened by Arrival in the Country) 9:48
G2 II. Andante Molto Moto (Scene by the Brook) 11:53
H1 III. Allegro (Merry Gathering of Country Folk) 5:44
H2 IV. Allegro (Thunderstorm; Tempest) 3:41
H3 V. Allegretto (Shepherds' Song; Glad and Grateful Feelings After the Storm) 9:47
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
I1 I. Poco sostenuto; Vivace 13:00
I2 II. Allegretto 10:00
J1 III. Presto (Scherzo) 8:15
J2 IV. Allegro con brio 6:45
Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93
K1 I. Allegro vivace e con brio 7:35
K2 II. Allegro scherzando 4:20
K3 III. Menuetto 5:50
K4 IV. Finale (Allegro vivace) 8:40
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral"
L1 I. Allegro non troppo, un poco maestoso 16:10
L2 II. Molto vivace; Presto 11:00
M III. Adagio e molto cantabile; Andante moderato; Adagio 17:45
N IV. Presto; Allegro Assai—Choral Finale on Schiller's ode "To Joy" 26:12