5 ms·

I agree with a lot of this, but I can't let the comment that chamber music is "designed to be flat and unobtrusive" stand. Of course there is a lot of boring ch

I agree with a lot of this, but I can't let the comment that chamber music is "designed to be flat and unobtrusive" stand. Of course there is a lot of boring chamber music, as there is of any kind of music. But chamber music is vast and contains some of the purest and most passionate music ever written. A very few examples of some great chamber music (I've linked to some fun parts): Beethoven String Quartet #10 (The Harp) - take a listen to a minute of the coda from the first movement. This music is exalted! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exMaWKVcCEs&t=490s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exMaWKVcCEs&t=490s Schubert String Quartet #14 (Death and the Maiden). So tuneful and heartfelt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otdayisyIiM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otdayisyIiM Shostakovich String Quartet #8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tby5aMrMu6Q&t=316s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tby5aMrMu6Q&t=316s Mendelssohn String Quartet #4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4cankQnobU&t=1180s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4cankQnobU&t=1180s I wish I had more time to link more here, but everyone should know that the best chamber music is thrilling, concentrated, joyful, ecstatic, anguished - just the best! Certainly not written as boring background music!

edbaskerville 7y ago
Frequent player of chamber music here. By dissing chamber music in that way, GP was falling prey to an unfortunate Hollywood stereotype that usually involves rich people and this piece of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSV8NnA3B74 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSV8NnA3B74 But what about this one, also by Mozart, also performed by the Hagen Quartet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBMpD5ldrWU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBMpD5ldrWU So Mozart had a lot of emotional range, even in a period where sharp dissonances and tangled counterpoint were out of fashion. A group of us chamber musicians has had a lot of success playing for people that don't usually listen to classical music simply by doing it in intimate bars and cafes. (Primarily, the Revolution Cafe in the Mission District of San Francisco.) The fact that the music is long doesn't matter at all if you find people where they are and play with emotional conviction.
- schoen 7y ago
  Can you tell me when you'll be playing at Revolution Cafe or the name of your group?
  - bcatanzaro 7y ago
    Yes, I want to know this too! Would be fun to come watch you!
  - edbaskerville 7y ago
    (Oh, I guess there's a delay on being able to reply? See above.)
- edbaskerville 7y ago
  (I guess we've hit the depth limit so I'll reply to my own comment.) It's a loose collective called Classical Revolution, plays 1st & 3rd & 5th Mondays, been going since 2006. I'm only there occasionally these days; I might show up August 19. Starts at "8:30", often actually later, goes till 11:30. The evening typically starts with a group that actually rehearsed and then devolves rapidly into the closest thing you can have to a jam session when you're playing notes off a page. Whoever shows up decides what to play on the fly from our collective piles of sheet music. It's a risky format—some nights are great, some less so. :)
  - schoen 7y ago
    Nice, I'll try to come by on August 19.

edbaskerville 7y ago

Frequent player of chamber music here. By dissing chamber music in that way, GP was falling prey to an unfortunate Hollywood stereotype that usually involves rich people and this piece of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSV8NnA3B74 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSV8NnA3B74 But what about this one, also by Mozart, also performed by the Hagen Quartet? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBMpD5ldrWU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBMpD5ldrWU So Mozart had a lot of emotional range, even in a period where sharp dissonances and tangled counterpoint were out of fashion. A group of us chamber musicians has had a lot of success playing for people that don't usually listen to classical music simply by doing it in intimate bars and cafes. (Primarily, the Revolution Cafe in the Mission District of San Francisco.) The fact that the music is long doesn't matter at all if you find people where they are and play with emotional conviction.

schoen 7y ago
Can you tell me when you'll be playing at Revolution Cafe or the name of your group?
- bcatanzaro 7y ago
  Yes, I want to know this too! Would be fun to come watch you!
- edbaskerville 7y ago
  (Oh, I guess there's a delay on being able to reply? See above.)
edbaskerville 7y ago
(I guess we've hit the depth limit so I'll reply to my own comment.) It's a loose collective called Classical Revolution, plays 1st & 3rd & 5th Mondays, been going since 2006. I'm only there occasionally these days; I might show up August 19. Starts at "8:30", often actually later, goes till 11:30. The evening typically starts with a group that actually rehearsed and then devolves rapidly into the closest thing you can have to a jam session when you're playing notes off a page. Whoever shows up decides what to play on the fly from our collective piles of sheet music. It's a risky format—some nights are great, some less so. :)
- schoen 7y ago
  Nice, I'll try to come by on August 19.