Tír Na HiFi

Just to clarify; there is very little music that I do not appreciate, even solo piano music. It is just that major listening fatigue sets in after quite a relatively short time for me and my attentention wanders off madly. I love piano in chamber music when it is well balanced and playing an appropriate part and not dominating proceedings.

I just cannot put my finger on the Chopin thing....that has been with me for nigh on 40 years now so I doubt it is likely to change at this stage.

I just thought of one major exception on the solo piano listening thing and that is the Liszt Annees de pelerinage which I really like for some reason. I could probably listen to the three parts straight through actually!!

fergus wrote:Just to clarify; there is very little music that I do not appreciate, even solo piano music. It is just that major listening fatigue sets in after quite a relatively short time for me and my attentention wanders off madly. I love piano in chamber music when it is well balanced and playing an appropriate part and not dominating proceedings.

I just cannot put my finger on the Chopin thing....that has been with me for nigh on 40 years now so I doubt it is likely to change at this stage.

I just thought of one major exception on the solo piano listening thing and that is the Liszt Annees de pelerinage which I really like for some reason. I could probably listen to the three parts straight through actually!!

Fergus: I find your tastes in music to be fascinating and very inspirational. I've never believed we can all be into everything, with equal measures of enthusiasm, after all the art-form is so expansive and our listening time so finite, that of course we will end up being selective in our programmes. Please don't get concerned about the Chopin 'thing'... we just like to tease, in a generally non-judgemental way.

I think there is some siginficant difference between the likes of you and Cairan on the one hand and myself on the other... you have both been listening for a long time and have formed your opinions on which works/ styles/ instruments you enjoy most, and which you don't, which is unlikely to change. By contrast, I am hearing many things for the first time, trying to form opinions from a much smaller experience base, which tends to mean my tastes are more fluid, and will be more likely to revise my views, given time.

That said, this thread has been a very interesting, lively and fun one, which I've enjoyed taking part in.... :-)

Jared wrote:

fergus wrote:Just to clarify; there is very little music that I do not appreciate, even solo piano music. It is just that major listening fatigue sets in after quite a relatively short time for me and my attentention wanders off madly. I love piano in chamber music when it is well balanced and playing an appropriate part and not dominating proceedings.

I just cannot put my finger on the Chopin thing....that has been with me for nigh on 40 years now so I doubt it is likely to change at this stage.

I just thought of one major exception on the solo piano listening thing and that is the Liszt Annees de pelerinage which I really like for some reason. I could probably listen to the three parts straight through actually!!

I am hearing many things for the first time, trying to form opinions from a much smaller experience base, which tends to mean my tastes are more fluid, and will be more likely to revise my views, given time.

I must say that the same is true for me too, my tastes are evolving over time, music that interested me a couple of years ago now fails to do so, whilst the opposite holds true, and I'm happy with that.

Seán wrote:music that interested me a couple of years ago now fails to do so, whilst the opposite holds true, and I'm happy with that.

I think this happens to most of us Sean... I don't listen to as many Tchaikovsky overtures as I used to, and I can't remember the last time I listened to a Rossini overture or a Strauss waltz... yet music falling into the other category would be far too lengthy to start listing..

Seán wrote:

Jared wrote:

fergus wrote:Just to clarify; there is very little music that I do not appreciate, even solo piano music. It is just that major listening fatigue sets in after quite a relatively short time for me and my attentention wanders off madly. I love piano in chamber music when it is well balanced and playing an appropriate part and not dominating proceedings.

I just cannot put my finger on the Chopin thing....that has been with me for nigh on 40 years now so I doubt it is likely to change at this stage.

I just thought of one major exception on the solo piano listening thing and that is the Liszt Annees de pelerinage which I really like for some reason. I could probably listen to the three parts straight through actually!!

I am hearing many things for the first time, trying to form opinions from a much smaller experience base, which tends to mean my tastes are more fluid, and will be more likely to revise my views, given time.

I must say that the same is true for me too, my tastes are evolving over time, music that interested me a couple of years ago now fails to do so, whilst the opposite holds true, and I'm happy with that.

That is exactly what happens guys. There is one downside here and that is once one has found one's comfort zone sometimes it can take a lot to shift one out of it!! One has to force oneself to listen to new things with an open mind.