Not quite what was intended, I fear. But on the right hand side of This Page (just under the Heath-Robinson machine), select "Address to a Haggis" then click the [ listen to ] button.

It does not seem pointless to us at all. In fact a number of suitable passages at once spring to mind: part of the development of Beethoven's Third Symphony, part of the slow movement of Schumann's Second Symphony, the transition to the recapitulation of Brahms's First Symphony, a certain Bruckner Climax, one particular passage from Mozart's Fortieth, certain incomparable bits of Bach, the beginning of Schoenberg's Second Quartet, the second subject of Berg's Piano Sonata, and snatches from several other noteworthy composers! We have prepared precisely such combinations and compilations for friends in the past.

The real problems here are:

1) it is a frightful fag to upload the excerpts, especially given that
2) once uploaded we have little confidence that they will remain for very long;
3) and there is little likelihood that more than one or two or indeed any other Members will recognise or appreciate the qualities we so much admire.

If we may suggest a partial solution: is there an area in R2OK which is open to all comers Mr. W.? To be able to upload all these proposed excellent short excerpts to a single site would be a step in the right direction would it not? If Members send their chunks to Mr. W. could he collect them together we mean?

Ron, richard, geeez, it's just a bit of fun  Members here have their favourite music and gaps in their listening - I won't call them blindspots  so rather than pointless I'd hope this bit of fun brings bits of music to ears that have not heard it. Yeah 'everybody has heard' variation: VII, and you both may dismiss it as a brief exercise in light music but it's piece of brilliance and beauty to me.

No matter how long a piece of music there's always a moment that grabs you; I just love imagining the composer actually writing down those moments, and, remember, often he/she will have composed them in his head totally separately from the rest of his symphony and then just fitted it together.You must admit that some works are created through such a process.

Well, you don't need to play the game. As for my blindspots, not enjoying a tuneless/rhythmless piece of Braxton noise reminds me to stick to what I do enjoy which is just about everything else one can hear on Radio 3. 


John W

I was going to nominate the passage beginning at bar 300 of the second movement of a certain member's three-movement orchestral work but I realise this might be a bad time...  All the same, while I wouldn't go quite as far as Richard and Ron, there indeed wouldn't be much point posting a minute or so from a work members wouldn't know the rest of. Whereas the moments which spring to my mind, whatever the repertoire, although they might be a particularly favoured corner of a painting (so to speak) do very much need the rest of the canvas. I wonder what someone who didn't know Beethoven's Eroica at all would make of its (many) highlights?

(A minute is an interesting span of time isn't it? Most of the "moments" I can think of are just a few seconds in duration - a single, completely appropriate, chord or phrase. On the other hand the longer spans which have sprung to my mind are usually 3-4 minutes long...)

Such a wealth (if you'll pardon the expression!) of excellent good sense, Richard - for which very many thanks! Yes - just imagine (since we're onto Fifth Symphonies) those climactic moments in Bruckner's without every little detail of preparation; of course they would and could make no sense whatsoever other than as integral and inevitable parts of the entire experience.

As to my own "finest minute" - well, I confess that I just don't have one - at least by comparison to so many others' "finest minutes" - and may never have one, unfortunately...

Best,

Alistair

The fine minute of brilliance does not have to make total sense, in fact if there is 15 minutes of preparation then that is something to look for in the full work.

It's odd that when a new thread/idea is proposed we get more responses from people who don't want to do it. Well then, the thread was addressed to people who DO want to do it. OK?   


But Alistair, the aim is NOT to compare one composer's minute with Elgar's variation:VII or a few bars of Bach, just to let members hear something they may not have heard before. 


John W

Ollie,

I'm not familiar with richard's Memento movement. I can tell you, though, that I share your admiration for Mozart's Oboe Quartet, particularly that last minute 

and here it is

OboeQuartet: end

Steven Hammer, oboe, with members of The Academy of Ancient Music. Not my favourite recording, I still prefer the first version I ever bought on a CFP LP, oboeist Ian Wilson.