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Post by neilmcgowan on Jul 31, 2013 11:19:35 GMT -5
The Independent on Sunday is dropping its arts critics. But is so weaselly that the news comes from The Stage instead. The Indy on Sunday is mostly a pile of some of the most useless names in journalism today. Foremost among them is leading Bliarite liar John Rentaghoul, the "political columnist".
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2013 11:28:35 GMT -5
It seems to me that ' The Guardian' is probably the strongest British newspaper on Culture, although, to be honest, I rarely read it offline: The Guardian - CultureI suppose that these days, you can bypass the critics entirely and go online straight to the artist, or the venue, or the medium, for example, BBC Radio 3, which interests you. Nevertheless, I like to compare my appreciation of the Proms, for example, with those of professional music critics, and others. Rarely is there much consensus, however, Neil. Any ideas why?
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Post by neilmcgowan on Jul 31, 2013 13:16:49 GMT -5
Rarely is there much consensus, however, Neil. Any ideas why? Horses for courses, I'd say, kleines? I often disagree with critics - especially with Andrew Clements, and with the idiotic Martin Kettle. It's worth asking what purpose - if any - critics serve these days?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2013 13:55:38 GMT -5
Well, I don't have a music degree, for example, whereas you do, Neil, so I would expect you to speak with rather more authority about the technicalities of a particular piece of classical music than I. Professional music critics, having reviewed so many performances in the past, would be able to compare a particular interpretation with previous performances and existing recordings.
My response is likely to be more of an emotional response to what I hear, without knowing how something should sound, as I probably don't know anyway. Yet the art of criticism, I suspect, remains profoundly subjective. Of course, if someone plays the wrong note, it may be obvious, but often such mistakes do not ultimately detract. To err is human, after all?
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Post by neilmcgowan on Aug 1, 2013 3:35:38 GMT -5
Well, I don't have a music degree, for example, whereas you do, Neil If classical music were only performed for people with music degrees, it would already have closed down Anyone with a pair of lugholes is entitled to their own view about music
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2013 10:41:04 GMT -5
I suppose that this begs an interesting question, Neil. You actually know a lot about my academic and professional background, which could not be more different from yours (music, arts etc. vs science, business etc.), so we are, in some respects, like the terrible twins of ' The Third', and of social media associated with BBC Radio 3. I am detested as the nemesis of the Friends of Radio 3 (FoR3), and equally loved by more than one Radio 3 presenter and producer! Yet if I say a particular Prom, for example, has merit, and you say that it does not, whose opinion carries more weight? Well, to be honest, it is horses for courses. I think that you have to try and work out why we both think the way that we do. Obviously, as a businessman, I am going to ask myself whether there is money to be made, but I suspect that you too might wonder the same about some of your own productions! In terms of marketing, classical music is generally soft rather than hard sell! I am going to tell you why you should be interested in the music, rather than why you should buy a particular product! As for newspapers, well, they are all on the way out, including the tabloids. The FT is up for sale for a billion (pounds sterling), but, to be honest, it is worth nothing! The Indie is worth less than nothing! Now you know!
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Post by neilmcgowan on Aug 1, 2013 12:43:49 GMT -5
I really believe very passionately in open accessibility for the arts - it's the main wedge between myself and the Fiends, who want to have music to themselves alone ("elitism") and lock the door behind them. This is why I am implacably opposed to the Fiends and the appalling woman who leads them. Their odious blend of proprietorial zeal, closed-ranks clubbiness and faux expertise is the very antithesis of the ideals with which the BBC Third Programme was founded. The Indie is worth less than nothing! Now you know! Well, Mr Lebedev believed it was worth the pound he paid for it - although he was obliged to raise his original offer of one penny one-hundredfold! Under his woeful stewardship it has, indeed, sunk to new lows. I used to contribute it to occasionally, but frankly I decline to do so now, and have told them so. They came sniffing to my door looking for something juicy on the Edward Snowden story - but I refuse to cooperate with these craven neocon snakes.
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Post by neilmcgowan on Aug 1, 2013 13:05:25 GMT -5
Yet if I say a particular Prom, for example, has merit, and you say that it does not, whose opinion carries more weight? I wanted to answer this point separately from the others, so they don't get jumbled up I admit that some of my musical interests are probably only shared by a small minority. I don't insist that others listen to Philipe de Vitry, Guillaume Dufay, or Leos Janacek; nor to the early operas of Tchaikovsky, or the operas of Moniuszko or Auber; I won't force Medtner or Shostakovich on people. Yet I remain an enthusiast and proponent for these works (and many, many more) and would recommend them to anyone who has the time! Nor will I be bullied by the small minds of Philip Blume and others into admiring works by Brahms simply because in his mind, these are 'mainstream' works. I dearly pity the students who have to suffer [ him] as a lecturer And it is exactly this proprietorial "For Our Ears Only" attitude of [ people] like Blume that has encouraged the idea that there is classical music that 'only insiders can appreciate'. This is a vile lie that we must counter whenever we come across it. But it keeps University Music Departments open. God help us if the word got out that you listen to Stockhausen without taking a course in it first! He's as blind as he can be, Just sees what he wants to see, Nowhere Man can you see me at all?
Nowhere Man, don't worry, Take your time, don't hurry, Leave it all till somebody else lends you a hand!But in fact you can go to Stockhausen concerts without a degree We had a free Stockhausen event in Gorky Park yesterday. I had only just flown back from holiday so I didn't make it - but apparently it was packed out
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2013 13:18:12 GMT -5
Well, I did see 'Gruppen' at the 2009 Proms, Neil, and with several generations of my family, and we loved it!
As for the more serious point that the Friends of Radio 3 (FoR3) are condemned for " ... their odious blend of proprietorial zeal, closed-ranks clubbiness and faux expertise", I can only agree that Eusebius confirmed Neil's damning indictment today on the For3 Blog.
With regret, I therefore impeach the Friends of Radio 3, Sydney. If I may address french frank directly, you have not only failed yourselves; you have failed everyone. Such is the nature of the beast!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2013 19:06:12 GMT -5
. . . in fact you can go to Stockhausen concerts without a degree. We had a free Stockhausen event in Gorky Park yesterday. . . . apparently it was packed out. So were the Nuremberg rallies. . . .
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2013 19:27:55 GMT -5
Alas, Practical Pacifist, popularity is rarely a guarantee of quality, although the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. ' The Independent', for example, is not as popular as a newspaper as ' The Sun', at least in the United Kingdom (UK), although which is the better newspaper? Curiously, I once had this argument at business school with a marketeer, and she was most annoyed I questioned the quality of ' The Sun'! Sex sells, it seems, but is it any good? Well, she thought so, particularly on Page 3, although I took a little persuasion. Bums and tits are better than rock and roll? Hotel WalfischI don't quite know where to go from here! Down the Main, I suppose. I have some business to do in Frankfurt after dawn! Gesundheit (2011 Würzburger Stein - Albalonga Trockenbeerenauslese! PS I do not know Major Tim, Practical Pacifist, although here in ' The Third', we wish him well. Tim Peake says he is thrilled to have been given the opportunity to go to the International Space Station (ISS). The UK astronaut told BBC News it was a "huge privilege" and the culmination of everything he had worked for during his aviation career. A former major and helicopter pilot in the British Army Air Corps, Tim Peake will join Expedition 46 to the ISS, launching in November or December 2015. His stay at the 415km-high outpost is expected to last just over five months. Tasks once in orbit will include helping to maintain the 27,000km/h platform and carrying out science experiments in Esa's Columbus laboratory module, which is attached to the front of the 400-tonne complex. It is understood there is a strong chance he will also get to perform a spacewalk. "I am delighted to have been assigned to a long-duration mission to the International Space Station," he told the BBC's David Shukman: Forty-one-year-old Mr Peake hails from Chichester, and is so far the only Briton ever to be accepted into the European Astronaut Corps. In some senses, he will become the "first official British astronaut", because all previous UK-born individuals who have gone into orbit have done so either through the US space agency (Nasa) as American citizens or on independent ventures organised with the assistance of the Russian space agency. As an Esa astronaut, "Major Tim" will be flying under the union flag on a UK-government-sponsored programme. Major Tim's assignment is made as British space activity is experiencing a big renaissance. The space industry in the UK is growing fast, employing tens of thousands of workers and contributing some £9bn in value to the national economy. The government has also raised substantially its subscription to Esa, and the agency has responded by opening its first technical base in the country. Ecsat (European Centre for Space Applications and Telecoms) is sited on the Harwell science campus in Oxfordshire. Traditionally, British governments have steadfastly refused to get involved in human spaceflight, and even the current administration puts only a minimal amount of money into this specific Esa programme. BBC News - UK astronaut Tim Peake 'thrilled' at space opportunityDue to unprecedented demand from around the world, everyone reading ' The Third' is cordially invited to join us at 10:00 (CET) for brunch! Table SchirnIf you cannot make it to Frankfurt in person this morning, how about some glam! BBC News - In Pictures: Glam! at Tate LiverpoolGround control to Major Tim, Practical Pacifist! YouTube - David Bowie- Space Oddity Original Video (1969)
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2013 20:37:40 GMT -5
I used to contribute it to occasionally, but frankly I decline to do so now, and have told them so. They came sniffing to my door looking for something juicy on the Edward Snowden story - but I refuse to cooperate . . . . Real Russia by Rail "The line across Siberia is the world's longest train route. Neil McGowan is your on-board guide." A most interesting article if I may say so. Although I myself am not a natural reader of the Independent newspaper (which came into existence only after I had been driven from the Kingdom by the Thatcherite excesses), I find the Member's style strangely suited to this kind of travel reporting. Regrettably Moscow to Peking is a journey I will never make - nor for that matter is the Hillary/Tenzing route up Mount Everest. "Beware being stranded without an onward reservation, though," warns our correspondent. Well! That happened to me once in Kota Kinabulu. Day after tropical day I visited the office of the aeroplane company, but it was impossible to obtain satisfaction. They did not appear to have any kind of computerization; their only system was to jot down incomprehensibles on a large sheet of paper. In the end I turned to the obliging room-boy of the Jesselton Hotel, who was somehow much more successful than I. The oddest thing was that when I actually came to sit in the aeroplane it was more than half empty! Welcome to Jesselton Hotel! In the bustling heart of the city, discover the perfect balance of convenience and serenity of the bygone days. The Jesselton Hotel is a timeless piece of colonial beauty, with passenger lift services to its well-appointed guestrooms, each with free in room wireless broadband internet services [ not in my day], and modern en-suite bathrooms. The hotel is well located at 69 Gaya Street, Kota Kinabalu’s most famous tourist destination and also the heart of the city’s banking financial and business high street. The old Jesselton Post Office which has now been converted into the main office of Sabah Tourism Corporation (STC) is just a few minutes walk away from the hotel [ also not in my day]. The hotel is also a mere 20-minutes drive from Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA). Our elegantly designed hotel provides exquisite personalized service [ true], in the style of a colonial house with a cozy lounge, a fine restaurant serving international and Asian cuisine [ popular with the old colonials who appeared to exist on curry puffs], a collection of 32 rooms fitted out with international standards furniture and fittings, and an authentic London cab [ something new!] which offers an unrivalled degree of spacious comfort – in hopes of extending a genuine welcome to all our guests. The hotel’s personal attention given to its guests is recognized by her signature welcome to visitors by the doorman attired in a colonial uniform complete with a tropical cork sun hat and her London Taxi for transporting her guests. Many famous world luminaries have visited The Jesselton Hotel including the British aristocrat Lady Edwina Mountbatten during her reception that was held by the 20th Governor Turnbull; and boxer Mohammad Ali in which he fought Joe Bugner in Kuala Lumpur on the 30th June 1975 and won on unanimous decision and came through Jesselton on the way to Manila. This year, 520 climbers have reached the summit, reports the Guardian. The installation of a ladder is planned: www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/27/mount-everest-ladder-hillary-stepwww.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/may/29/everest-archivist-elizabeth-hawley-video
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2013 2:31:46 GMT -5
To be honest, Sydney, Everest is a bit of a tourist trap, and I have never even bothered to go there! I did try K2, but I was forced off in a snow storm! So the two highest mountains in the world have eluded kleines c. No worries, Sydney!
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Post by neilmcgowan on Aug 2, 2013 3:10:56 GMT -5
'The Independent', for example, is not as popular as a newspaper as 'The Sun', at least in the United Kingdom (UK), although which is the better newspaper?
Under the Indy's present editor, I would say it's pretty-much Even Stephens, alas. Although the Indy is self-consciously aping the style of The Daily Express more than the Sun. Stories about the lives of 'celebrities', and articles about real estate and gadgets for the home have squeezed actual 'news' stories off to the famous 'page 94'. The Jesselton Hotel is a timeless piece of colonial beauty, with passenger lift services to its well-appointed guestrooms, each with free in room wireless broadband internet services [not in my day], and modern en-suite bathrooms.
I regret not having spent more time in Kota Kinabalu while I was there - nor did we stay at this marvellous hotel, which I would have greatly enjoyed. In truth we were only there in transit, on our way to Sabah to look at orangutans and parakeets I find the Member's style strangely suited to this kind of travel reporting You're very kind - thank you
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