Fluff Update

It appears that almost unanimously, the group likes Scheherazade very much. Now I see that it has its place. And whatever that place is, it is the prime example.

On the other hand, it was almost unanimous(one dissenter) that Respighi's Pines and Fountains is poor Music. Not even up to the standards of Film Music. I wonder what would have happened if Respighi did not have Toscanini as a friend and supporter.

While waiting for the Mozart Piano Sonata K283(See other thread) a piece that I thought was the Pines of Rome came on WQXR. It was The Botticelli something by Respighi. Some more of the same.

My coworkers comments ran from

'What is that stoned out music '

to

'This is good music to take a crap to'

BTW, pieces of less emotional value than Mozart's g minor sym don't have to be fluff. Dennis Brain did an enjoyable encore(I forget the composer and title) that was incredibly enjoyable but it was just a little ditty. Certainly the Slavonic Dances are not fluff. The Grand Canyon Suite? I think that insincerity and pedantic* methods create fluff.

*What is the noun that a pedant creates, pedanticness?????

Pedantry? Or is that a tree that peanuts grow on?

I don't think that is accurate at all. The following contributors to the thread seemed to think that AT LEAST Pines is AT LEAST of 'good film music' quality (or otherwise indicated a positive reaction to the piece):

[apologies in advance to anyone who feels misrepresented]

Sol Siegel Marcus Moroney Thomas Muething Bruce Hodges Dan Koren Tony Movshon Me

The following said or implied that it was worse than good film music:

Simon Roberts Richard Schultz Joshua Kaufman David Gable Henry Krinkle

So we have seven for and five against. And this doesn't count those who expressed a liking for a particular *recording* of the Respighi, without passing comment on the merits of the piece itself.

If the quality of a composer's music were a function of his popularity, we'd have to concede that Telemann was a greater composer than J.S. Bach.

Is Telemann more popular than Bach?

I know film scores that are musically more interesting than Pines and Fountains and film scores that are musically less interesting. So, where does that leave me?

Ansermetniac wrote

'It appears that almost unanimously, the group likes Scheherazade very much.'

'On the other hand, it was almost unanimous(one dissenter) that Respighi's Pines and Fountains is poor Music.'

You must have missed me, in there, Ansertmetniac -

I like the Pines and Fountains very much, good stuff. but I don't esp enjoy Scheherazade, rarely even listen to it. it's a bit like Bolero [except alot longer], it lives or dies with the soloists....

There are other R-K pieces that I enjoy much more.

Here's another vote for poor old Respighi.

Why the man should be damned and decried for writing memorable middle-brow music that is superbly, clearly and colorfully orchestrated I shall never understand. Admittedly, it is not as profound as late Beethoven, but does it need to be? This brings to mind the comment I heard from a 70-year-old first violin section member with a major American orchestra, coming off the platform after playing 'The Pines' - after surviving a week of participation in a Beethoven Festival. Quoth he, 'Ah, at last - some really fun music!'

Must every dish set upon the banquet table of great music be a standing rib roast? Surely, that sort of consumption would grow incredibly heavy and tiresome after a spell. The various components of the great feast should be varied - a 'trifle' is not only occationally welcome, but is a needed restorative of balance. (Perhaps a Respighian aperitif should be required before a Brucknerian main course...)

Why am I suddenly so hungry?

Or that Eminem is a musician at all.

I'll dissent. I think the Pines and Fountains are every bit as as good as Scheherazade, and that is not my attempt to damn them with faint praise. I even enjoy the somewhat more banal Roman Festivals when I'm in the mood for breaking stereo speakers.

I am happy to be included in the 'pro-Pines' group, and don't give much thought as far as whether it is 'great' music or not. Do I enjoy the piece every day, or every week, or every month? Frankly, no. But as with all music (IMHO), when the urge strikes for this particular composer's voice