Effects of listening to the greatest musics

[emrysmerlin]

Hello everyone,
it's been a while since I've posted after I started the topic whether the Rach 3's technical difficulties are really worth the musicality it contains. I set out listening to it many times, more or less trying to listen for flaws.

One day a series of things got me very depressed, and when I listened to this concerto again, everything suddenly started to make sense to me. I began to love it for the myriads of emotions within; the most extreme anger and feelings of desolation, the loneliness of what is left of the person at the end of the first movement etc. I will share my interpreted story of the concerto in a another thread.

But now it seems now that I love the Rach 3 so much, when I listen to other works like the Beethoven sonatas, they don't seem to be...that musical any more. I almost seem to hate it and treat them as amateurish pieces (except for the late sonatas; they're on a different tier). Also Alkan, for instance, seems to sound bad for the most part. There are quite a few exceptions, but for the most part they're too inhuman, and yes that's the best word I can come up with.

Here's a list of composer I've been listening to who I started to like or dislike (limiting to piano music only)

Like:
Rachmaninov (6 moment musicaux, concertos etc. but not the sonatas)
Shostakovich (P & F, concertos etc.)
Mozart (sonatas and concertos)
Bach (WTC, concertos, Bach-busoni transcriptions, goldberg variations etc.)
Busoni (anything but the concerto/sonata)
Chopin (etudes, concertos, sonatas, almost everything)
Scarlatti (sonatas)
Godowsky (sonata, chopin transcriptions, small-scale works)
Gershwin (small-scaled works/rhapsody in blue/concerto)
Messiaen (preludes, vingt regards)
Schubert (impromptus, sonatas)


Dislike:
Alkan (cept the sonatina,symphony, late works)
Beethoven (except late sonatas)
Liszt (except smaller-scale works such as the consolations. Absolutely hate his operatic transcriptions)
Scriabin (I find his works repetitive)
Medtner (I find his melodies too weak and his works having no sense of direction)
Prokofiev (sonatas but not all the concertos)
Schumann (his music does not go anywhere)
Brahms (same as schumann)
Ravel (personal taste)
Debussy (personal taste)

*Other big composers such as Mendelssohn, Hadyn and Grieg I've left out because I don't think I've listened enough to decide whether I like them or not.

I'm putting a list here because I want to know if you people have had the same experience.

[ted]

I am now sixty-five, and one of the great things about getting older is that you learn to be kind to yourself about this sort of thing. When I was about thirteen I adored Beethoven beyond measure, now I most certainly do not; at earlier times I worshipped Gershwin and Waller as gods, now I am rather dispassionate about them.

You see, it is all right to enjoy anything you like, it is all right to change your mind with time. Nothing really matters in the end, "greatness" least of all, except your personal happiness in music in the moment. Permanence of quality is an illusion.

Just go ahead and enjoy to the full whatever you like at the time of your life when you enjoy it, and don't fret about the rights and wrongs of it because they do not exist.

If you are young, I would caution against any desire to eliminate anything for any reason. In the distant future you will probably hear it and say, "Ah, now I understand !" It happens to all of us and it's quite all right.

[iancollett6]

I am now sixty-five, and one of the great things about getting older is that you learn to be kind to yourself about this sort of thing. When I was about thirteen I adored Beethoven beyond measure, now I most certainly do not; at earlier times I worshipped Gershwin and Waller as gods, now I am rather dispassionate about them.

You see, it is all right to enjoy anything you like, it is all right to change your mind with time. Nothing really matters in the end, "greatness" least of all, except your personal happiness in music in the moment. Permanence of quality is an illusion.

Just go ahead and enjoy to the full whatever you like at the time of your life when you enjoy it, and don't fret about the rights and wrongs of it because they do not exist.

If you are young, I would caution against any desire to eliminate anything for any reason. In the distant future you will probably hear it and say, "Ah, now I understand !" It happens to all of us and it's quite all right.

..Beautifully said.

[le_poete_mourant]

But now it seems now that I love the Rach 3 so much, when I listen to other works like the Beethoven sonatas, they don't seem to be...that musical any more. I almost seem to hate it and treat them as amateurish pieces (except for the late sonatas; they're on a different tier). Also Alkan, for instance, seems to sound bad for the most part. There are quite a few exceptions, but for the most part they're too inhuman, and yes that's the best word I can come up with.

As Ted said, you are more than welcome to like or dislike whatever you want. However, I would caution you against thinking that because you do not like it, there is no value there or the composition is "amateurish."  You should be able to appreciate and understand the composition itself and the composer's style without necessarily having to love it, and if you cannot differentiate between the two I would suggest studying some of the music to get in touch with this.

[maitea]

Thanks Ted, that was so beautiful!

[emrysmerlin]

Thanks Ted and le_poete_mourant; really appreciate your thoughts here. The thing is though, aside from having the idea of studying the style rather than liking it, should I attempt playing some of the music which I currently dislike, or should I wait for the time when I am more attuned to them?

On the other hand, it seems that there are some music I liked before when I was younger that I can't seem to go back to. The thing is, for a composer like Beethoven whose pieces I used to play, I can no longer understand the musicality in his sonatas, let alone indulging in playing them. Should I continue to play them, or should I leave them alone? I mean, unlike something like a Prokofiev sonata, Beethoven's sudden rffs seem in general to be more suited for...pre-sophomores or very energetic people, people who are viewed as those who lack experience in life. Some people in this forum see the Brahms 2 and the Rach 3 as great concertos because they encompass a person's entire life, making them musically more difficult to grasp but thus equally worthy to take the time to appreciate. I'll try my best not to dismiss styles of music I don't find immediately appealing, but aren't there some particular masterpieces that discourage us from doing so? Before I understood the Rach 3 everything sounded pretty musical to me, but now it doesn't seem like so and I have more trouble soaking up other music.

So my two question now are:
What do you think of listening to "very emotional works"?
Should I turn my back "for the moment" on particular styles because I don't enjoy them? (especially with regards to playing)

Thank you for your responses anyhow.

[le_poete_mourant]

My philosophy is that if you do not feel connected to a piece of music, don't play it; it will come across in your performance, and you will not be convincing. On top of this, there is so much music in the world that you should spend your time playing what you feel strongly about. Your tastes may change in the future and then you can revisit things you passed over. I would suggest, though, that you at least familiarize yourself with important styles.

Again, I do believe that your opinions of Beethoven come from a lack of information and understanding. If, as you suggest, Beethoven is suited for people who "lack experience in life," I find it impossible to explain how so many mature musicians play Beethoven of all periods, not just the late sonatas. I'm not sure what Beethoven "rffs" you're referring to, except perhaps his use of sudden sforzando et al, but there is a specific stylistic reason and effect that is characteristic of him and must be understood in the context of his time. I am not going to go in to it here, but I suggest that you read up on it and educate yourself as this will be more useful to you.