I've now gone through it and fixed some errors and laid it out better. Sorry. I really dig it when I hear that people read my blog and then I serve up shite like that!
I had a magical evening last Tuesday with my mum... We met after work, we went to a great Tapas resteraunt, drank some wine and had a good ole chat.
Then we walked past some of the most striking buildings in Melbourne on our way to the Rainbow Hotel.
I'm totally fascinated by the highrise housing commission on the corner of Gertrude Street and Fitzroy Street.
The area is sick to the power of mad. ;-)
Million dollar townhouses from early last century, fitted out with beautiful modern interiors, 5 star restaurants and uber trendy bars... and in the middle of it all?
3 monstrous, uber-functional skyscraping cubes. The Atherton Gardens Housing Commission flats. You could consider them an eyesore, but really, they are quite majestic.
from H.e.l.e.n.'s photostream on flickrThe reason we walked through the backstreets of Fitzroy and Collingwoord was to the Rainbow Hotel in order to watch Beethoven's 7th symphony. Performed in a tiny pub by a 25 piece orchestra of professional musicians and some of Australia's best young classical musicians.
25 musicians crammed an area that usually barely fits a 5 piece blues band. The pub, which is tiny was packed full of about 100 punters, you couldn't move... but we were all loving the music... and the environment.
It took all the pretence of the concert hall and packed a tiny suburban pub with beer swilling pub locals. The performance was top notch.
Criticism of classical music abound, but this gig was designed to make it accessible and realler. It was put on by a go-getter i know... check her out.
Normally when you go to see the symphony, you can't drink or talk during the performance. Their are strict protocols governing the performance of the orchestra and the applause and behavior of the audience.
My personal viewpoint ever since I've been going to watch classical music is that these protocols are "GHEY"... get over it. They've existed for hundreds of years but everyone is too scared to change them. Play the music. If you dig it, then let the band/ensemble/quartet/octet/trio know.
Mind you, if it's crap, then they don't deserve applause either.
This time, for this Symphony at the Rainbow Hotel, you could talk, laugh, order a pint of Mountain Goat, a house white wine and listen to the music, just like at a normal gig. You could talk trash and heckle the band (orchestra).
Except this the band wasn't a 4 piece playing indie rock... It was 25 musicians each playing instruments worth tens of thousands of dollars and the repertoire was almost 200 years old with a conductor.
I think Beethoven would have f*ckin loved the shit! I can see him getting into the Stones Ginger Wine at the bar, eating wasabi peas, listening intently between hitting on the barmaid. He'd be having a goddam hoot!
I'm not a classical music lover. I don't know enough of it even though I studied it for 4 years at uni. But I do love some classical music.
It's the same distinction I make for Metal (I love SOME of it but not the genre as a whole) same for Drum & Bass and Jazz...
One thing I do know is that classical music has a pretty bad wrap. The youth of today just don't get it. Which shits me... They write it off as if it all sounds the same...
And now... my point...
All music works through familiarity... If you give something a chance it'll grow on you (Kid A by Radiohead, TV On the Radio, Animal Collective, Fat Freddies Drop, The Beatles White Album)... The more you know a song, the more you can have a chance of liking it. You dont need to know that it is in sonata form, what key it's in, what extra-musical programatic meaning it has... just listen to it and soak it up mofos! If it's good music then it will speak to you in time...
So... next time you have the chance to listen to some classical music... listen to the same piece once a day for a week and I guarantee that you'll start to hummmmmm the melodies, tap your toes, nod your head and really dig that shit...
Will we still be listening to P!nk in 200 years?
F*CK. NO.
25 musicians crammed an area that usually barely fits a 5 piece blues band. The pub, which is tiny was packed full of about 100 punters, you couldn't move... but we were all loving the music... and the environment.
It took all the pretence of the concert hall and packed a tiny suburban pub with beer swilling pub locals. The performance was top notch.
Criticism of classical music abound, but this gig was designed to make it accessible and realler. It was put on by a go-getter i know... check her out.
Normally when you go to see the symphony, you can't drink or talk during the performance. Their are strict protocols governing the performance of the orchestra and the applause and behavior of the audience.
My personal viewpoint ever since I've been going to watch classical music is that these protocols are "GHEY"... get over it. They've existed for hundreds of years but everyone is too scared to change them. Play the music. If you dig it, then let the band/ensemble/quartet/octet/trio know.
Mind you, if it's crap, then they don't deserve applause either.
This time, for this Symphony at the Rainbow Hotel, you could talk, laugh, order a pint of Mountain Goat, a house white wine and listen to the music, just like at a normal gig. You could talk trash and heckle the band (orchestra).
Except this the band wasn't a 4 piece playing indie rock... It was 25 musicians each playing instruments worth tens of thousands of dollars and the repertoire was almost 200 years old with a conductor.
I think Beethoven would have f*ckin loved the shit! I can see him getting into the Stones Ginger Wine at the bar, eating wasabi peas, listening intently between hitting on the barmaid. He'd be having a goddam hoot!
I'm not a classical music lover. I don't know enough of it even though I studied it for 4 years at uni. But I do love some classical music.
It's the same distinction I make for Metal (I love SOME of it but not the genre as a whole) same for Drum & Bass and Jazz...
One thing I do know is that classical music has a pretty bad wrap. The youth of today just don't get it. Which shits me... They write it off as if it all sounds the same...
And now... my point...
All music works through familiarity... If you give something a chance it'll grow on you (Kid A by Radiohead, TV On the Radio, Animal Collective, Fat Freddies Drop, The Beatles White Album)... The more you know a song, the more you can have a chance of liking it. You dont need to know that it is in sonata form, what key it's in, what extra-musical programatic meaning it has... just listen to it and soak it up mofos! If it's good music then it will speak to you in time...
So... next time you have the chance to listen to some classical music... listen to the same piece once a day for a week and I guarantee that you'll start to hummmmmm the melodies, tap your toes, nod your head and really dig that shit...
Will we still be listening to P!nk in 200 years?
F*CK. NO.
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