Comments for DMV Classical

Comment on Fiesta! Bach Sinfonia at Montgomery College’s Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring, May 5, 2013 by Pete

Pete — Sat, 18 May 2013 03:44:29 +0000

Sometimes translations should be put aside. In some languages they have certain saying and meanings that just can’t be translated. I guess people would have complained if they didn’t have them, so it’s a bit of a catch 22.
Glad all in all it was a good night though!

Comment on Why Don’t I Like Opera? Random Thoughts on the Washington National Opera’s “Porgy and Bess” at the Kennedy Center, April 1, 2010 by “How Many of You Have Seen an Opera With the Word ‘Penis’ Before?” UrbanArias at the Mansion at Strathmore, March 22, 2013 | DMV Classical

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 02:39:29 +0000

[...] Neither of these operas was perfect — the mental institution setting of “Adam and Eve” seems played out at this point in history, and some of the later reveries in “At the Statue of Venus” seemed to exhaust their ideas before they ended. But they engaged with contemporary life and gave the listener a sense that opera can still be a vivid and immediate form, a sense I often lack after my rare forays to opera houses. [...]

Comment on Return of the Bach: Jennifer Koh, “Bach and Beyond Part 2,” Mansion at Strathmore, February 28, 2013 by EvB

EvB — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:37:29 +0000

Sonata #2 is depressing but has always struck me as deeper and more complex than Sonata #1.

Kobe and the Lakers? Thanks for filling in my simile with a precise example!

Comment on Return of the Bach: Jennifer Koh, “Bach and Beyond Part 2,” Mansion at Strathmore, February 28, 2013 by Andrew Lindemann Malone

Andrew Lindemann Malone — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:32:48 +0000

I think I may well be underrating Sonata no. 3, now that you mention it. I’m going to have to go back and listen.

I think our rankings of Sonata #2 and #1 are reversed. I find the subject of the Sonata 2 fugue more organ-like than violinistic, and I just get tired of the overall darkness of it. But as I say we are ranking the ginormous masterworks here. It’s not like it’s bad.

Your argument about Kobe and the 2007 Lakers versus the Partita #2 is interesting. I will have to ponder that more as well.

Comment on Return of the Bach: Jennifer Koh, “Bach and Beyond Part 2,” Mansion at Strathmore, February 28, 2013 by Evb

Evb — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 01:28:39 +0000

1. A very wise question about the tempo of a chaconne. Stupid Bartok, what the heck does that mean???

2. I assume you knew I was going to challenge your rankings So here goes:

Sonata #3 — the first and second movements are by far the best of their types as compared to the other sonatas. The fugue is also nearly impossible to play, one of the greatest challenges of a violinist’s repertoire. The inverted fugue subject is stunning counterpoint.

Partita #1 — exactly for the reasons you mention. Genius.

Partita #2 — yes, the movements other than the Chaconne are pretty boring as compared to the other partitas, but the Chaconne easily overcomes this early deficit. It’s like an NBA team with one great player and no one else — they’ll still make the playoffs.

Sonata #2 — the third movement is amazing and much much harder to play than it sounds.

Partita #3 — the middle movements salvage it.

Sonata #1 — boring.

I’m happy to continue the discussion if you’d like…

Comment on We’re Going Bach…to the Future: Jennifer Koh at the Mansion at Strathmore, November 14, 2012 by Return of the Bach: Jennifer Koh, “Bach and Beyond Part 2,” Mansion at Strathmore, February 28, 2013 | DMV Classical

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 00:04:19 +0000

[...] her previous B&B concert at Strathmore, the non-Bachiana was all contemporary, but she had a ringer in store for the second half: Béla [...]

Comment on Equal to the Task: Les Inégales at St. George’s Episcopal Church, Washington Early Music Festival, June 9, 2012 by http://tinyurl.com/sayyroach00578

http://tinyurl.com/sayyroach00578 — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 11:22:32 +0000

This specific post, “Equal to the Task:
Les Inégales at St. George�s Episcopal Church, Washington Early Music
Festival, June 9, 2012 � DMV Classical” was in fact perfect.

I’m impressing out a clone to present to my associates. Thanks for your
time,Donny

Comment on Say It and Play It: Brian Ganz at the Music Center at Strathmore, February 11, 2012 by Those Are Some Small Worlds After All: Brian Ganz at the Music Center at Strathmore, January 19, 2013 « DMV Classical

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 01:40:23 +0000

[...] in his National Philharmonic-sponsored effort to present all of Chopin’s piano music, he once again showed how to use a microphone to reach out to a full Music Center at Strathmore and connect with [...]

Comment on Shine a Light: The 18th Street Singers at First Trinity Lutheran Chuch, January 20, 2012 by Skrocki i Wspólnicy

Skrocki i Wspólnicy — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 22:46:02 +0000

Thanks for finally writing about >Shine a Light: The 18th Street Singers at First Trinity Lutheran
Chuch, January 20, 2012 � DMV Classical

Comment on Christmastime is Somewhere Around Here: Folger Consort, December 15, 2012 by Andrew Lindemann Malone

Andrew Lindemann Malone — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 12:26:40 +0000

Thanks, Thurston! (Awesome screen name, BTW.) I did not know the practice of presenting non-Christmas music at Christmas concerts was so widespread – rest assured that if Phillips ever comes here and does that, I will be on the case.