Haven't seen any of his work yet, although Il Posto has been on my list for a while. In lieu of that, Umberto D. is the most heartbreaking story I have ever watched on film.
-----Original Message----- From: Roman Turovsky [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2005 6:56 PM To: Stuart LeBlanc; lute net Subject: Re: mesmerization > I'm delighted we agree on that, but I would have expected you to be more > excited > about Andrei Tarkovsky! How 'bout Ermanno Olmi????? RT -- http://polyhymnion.org/torban > > Nontheless I will sleep easily tonight, knowing that I have done my country a > great service. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Roman Turovsky [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2005 6:10 PM > To: Stuart LeBlanc; lute net > Subject: Re: mesmerization > > >> No disrespect intended Joseph, but you might read my message again more >> carefully. >> >> If you want to know what my experience with guitar is you can take a look at >> http://www.stuartleblanc.org/music.htm > Hey, Stuart, > You have Ozu on your hero list. You just raised my hope in this country > 200%! > RT > >> >> >> Well, normally I would consider this as too far out to engender a >> reply...But... >> >> Let's see if understand the point: You'er saying that if the lute were >> to be included in every piece of music in which it could be included, >> that that would be an enormous repertoire. I'll have to agree. It would. >> (sort of like saying, "If the lute's repertoire was much larger, it >> would be much larger.") >> >> The guitar does suffer from only being included in duos with the flute, >> violin, viola, 'cello, voice, piano, string quartet, and orchestra - to >> name but some - so I guess you're right on both counts. (please read the >> tone as slightly bewildered sarcasm) >> >> I think you may be in dangerous territory - the proverbial "glass house" >> - to call the guitar community incestuous. >> >> I don't know what your experience or knowledge of the guitar is, or why >> you seem to feel the necessity of putting down one instrument in order >> to bring up another. Can't we all just get along? >> >> The original question involved the relative size of the repertoires - >> not some emaginary scenario where the one would be much larger. >> >> A friend sent me an e mail after reading some of the posts on this >> subject, to inform me that in his library of 19th C. guitar music there >> were over 100,000 pieces. He figures he has about half. That's just one >> century out of several that contain guitar music. >> >> Douglas Alton Smith states that there are about 20,000 renaissance lute >> pieces and about the same number in the baroque. (History of the Lute, >> Pg 301) >> >> This doesn.t sound like anywhere near the "much larger rep." that I keep >> hearing about. >> >> Joseph Mayes >> >> ________________________________ >> >> From: Stuart LeBlanc [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Sent: Sat 4/2/2005 12:15 PM >> To: lute net >> Subject: RE: mesmerization >> >> >> >> >> Well, consider this: apropos the recent discussion of the relative sizes of >> the >> lute and guitar repertoires, what if you include ensemble music? Given that >> you >> could include a lute in most anything involving instruments prior to 1750, >> the >> guitar repertoire is comparitively tiny. >> >> This points to the often observed fact that guitarists are unique among >> "classical musicians" in that the repertoire is almost entirely solo, where >> it >> is not solo it is almost entirely some multiple of guitars, and if this isn't >> bad enough most performances are presented by guitar organizations for >> audiences >> of guitar players. I forget who wrote it or where (might have been >> Soundboard), >> but I recall this situation being referred to as "the incestuous world of the >> guitar." >> >> There certainly has been a lot of recent effort from a few conscientious >> players >> to get good composers to write for guitar and other instruments, but there is >> a >> pretty big gap to fill before guitarists have a ensemble repertoire >> comparable >> to that of the piano trio, and which is easier to perform than e.g. Le >> marteau >> sans maitre. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Mayes, Joseph [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2005 10:16 AM >> To: Stuart LeBlanc; lute net >> Subject: RE: mesmerization >> >> >> Gosh! Stuart >> >> That's hard to argue with - unless one were to point out that the same >> would hold true for any other (splinter)group of musicians - say lute >> players >> >> Joseph Mayes >> >> ________________________________ >> >> From: Stuart LeBlanc [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Sent: Sat 4/2/2005 5:39 AM >> To: lute net >> Subject: RE: mesmerization >> >> >> >> >> To the extent that guitarists only compare themselves to other >> guitarists, they will have no bona fides as musicians. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Michael Thames [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 8:53 PM >> To: lute net; Stuart LeBlanc >> Subject: Re: mesmerization >> >> >> I had dinner this evening with a couple of guitarist's from Houston. >> They recently saw a concert in Houston of the Brazilian guitar quartet. >> I asked >> them how it was. >> They were quite pived that they showed up on stage with music. >> She said it was really no fun sitting there all night watching four >> guys >> with their nose's buried in their music, and never looked up once at the >> audience, the whole time. Ouch! >> Michael Thames >> www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.com >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Stuart LeBlanc" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: "lute net" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> >> Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 1:28 PM >> Subject: RE: mesmerization >> >> >>> >>> In fact Beethoven called his pieces "sonatas for piano and violin" and >> they >> are >>> considered to be solo vehicles for both instruments. So according to >> the >> logic >>> of some people, both the pianist and violinist should play from memory >> if they >>> wish to achieve artistic credibility. >>> >>> A program by Kronos Quartet which I attended a while back began with a >> piece >>> performed from memory. It began with the room completely dark, and as >> a slow >>> melody emerged from the cello, a spotlight gradually revealed the >> player with >>> her shock of fair hair against an all-black set. The other players in >> turn >> made >>> their entrances both theatrically and musically, beginning their parts >> backstage >>> and continuing to play while walking to their respective seats on the >> stage. >> It >>> was all effectively done, and some of the audience thought they had >> witnessed >>> something very profound, probably the same ones who rave about organ >> recitals >>> with lightshow. I suppose they are also the same ones who equate >> memorized >>> music with "the soul of the artist" or some such. >>> >>> Another interesting program I heard was a duo recital by Eliot Fisk >> and Manuel >>> Barrueco. They some things from the score, some from memory. >> Opinions tended >>> to fall strongly into one of two mutually exclusive groups, which were >> either >>> 1)Eliot Fisk is a vibrant performer who knows how to engage an >> audience, or >>> 2)Manuel Barrueco is a consummate artist who knows how to make music >> on the >>> guitar. >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Howard Posner [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >>> Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 10:16 AM >>> To: lute net >>> Subject: Re: mesmerization >>> >>> >>> Michael Thames wrote: >>> >>>> try repeating the words, solo,,,, solo,,, solo,,, this >>>> may help. >>> >>> It doesn't, though the absence of plurals with apostrophes is >> heartening. >>> Is a violinist playing a Beethoven sonata playing "solo"? If he is, >> does he >>> lack "professional stage presence" if he has the music in front of >> him? >>> What about the pianist playing with him? Does he lack "professional >> stage >>> presence" if he plays with music in front of him, as he almost >> certainly >>> will? What if it's a trio? I've never seen a string quartet play >> without >>> music in front of them. A "soloist" will often play a concerto with >> music >>> in front of him, particularly with period-instrument ensembles. >>> >>> So no, repetition of a mantra is no more helpful here than mindless >>> repetition usually is. I don't know if you've ever thought about >> where, in >>> the continuum from one musician alone on a stage to 100 musicians on a >>> stage, the musician playing from music no longer lacks "professional >> stage >>> presence" if he has the music in front of him. But your personal >> answer to >>> that question is probably of use only to you. It wouldn't interest >> me, >>> because I don't share your view that it's unprofessional for musician >> to >>> read music in concert. >>> >>> BTW, I would hope to avoid a concert where someone was sightreading. >> That >>> would be unprofessional. And I can't imagine a musician "site >> reading." I >>> suppose web browsers and surveyors do that. >>> >>> HP >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> >> >> -- >> >> > >
