Whenever I hear a piece of music (or a read a book or see a painting or whatever) I am often left with a jumble of impressions and emotions that are difficult to put into words. When I read the opinion of someone who is eloquent and insightful, I find that I can express my own feelings better EVEN WHEN I DISAGREE. The reason we have critics is not because their opinions are better than ours, it’s because they can express those opinions cogently and also inspire us to clarify our own feelings.
I have made it known to those around me who care about these things that my wish is for my future tombstone to read, “Not much, but at least he wasn’t a jerk”. I hope to live up to that sentiment, in life and on this channel. Thank you, Dave, for all the free entertainment. I hope for much more in 2025.
1983. England. Teen me at art college having an afternoon of life drawing classes with 1980s new romantics/goths/synth music types. I'd just bought a Haydn LP - Marriner's Le Matin, Le Midi, Le Soir. I got the tutor to put it on and oh the dagger looks and frosty snark. Remained the isolated weirdo for the entire year. It was glorious! A big thank you, Dave for all your sage music recommendations.
"Who among us is an Obnoxious Jerk?" There's a question for a Christmas morning! Pretty funny! Don't know if you ever heard of Harlan Ellison, but he was an author -- and a critic, my goodness, a savage critic -- who famously announced "You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your INFORMED opinion. No one is entitled to be IGNORANT." I'm sure Ellison would have agreed with your opinion on opinions.
Happy new Year, Dave! Having a refined musical taste and sensibility and being knowledgeable about our interest does not make one a music critic. There is an aspect of commitment to using your knowledge and writing to be a mediator between the industry and public at large (almost a translator, if you will). My musical taste is different from yours and I obviously don't always agree with your choices, but I always defer to your knowledge and take your choices under consideration because you not only exhibit a breadth and depth of knowledge on all thing classical music recordings and have a long track record of being a fan and a critic, but your passion and love for the music, the artists and the whole gestalt of the industry is palpable and ignites my own. Thank you for this contribution. You have single-handedly introduced me to repertoire and performances of familiar pieces that I otherwise might not have explored.
Dear Dave, as an affirmation that the majority of your readers (and you!) are extremely kind and helpful, I want to thank the folks who responded a couple months ago to my query about a recommendation for the Rachmaninov All Night Vespers. I think you and a couple others recommended the Korniev. I bought it for my wife (who sang it a couple years back) for Christmas and we've already played it. It was fabulous. My thanks to you and your listeners. Wesley
Dave, I know that I don't know more than anyone. I love your channel because it gives me access to new artists I have never heard of. I love the idea of new artists that provide new takes on music. I thank you for your input and wish you and the people you hold dear a Happy New Year.
I try to keep my sanctimonious snobbishness to myself, but it really bugs me when the DJ’s on our local classical station mispronounce the names of well-known composers.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Dear Dave, in the early days of your channel I once or twice hesitated to offer some advice on the pronunciation of a particular name because I saw that you were striving to pronounce them properly. Good thing I restrained myself, but it would definitely not have been meant as snobbish better-knowing, but more as help in an endeavour I thought I could see you honouring. Perhaps some, or most, people who provided you with pronunciation advice did so not so much out of a ‘look at me, I know better!’ attitude, but simply out of helpfulness, precisely because you make and keep making such great insightful, stimulating, joyful, inspiring videos? - For the latter, by the way, my unending thanks!
@@sybedijkstra1 And there's the complicating factor of just how far do we go in pronouncing names as they are pronounced in their original language and how much do we accept anglicizing them? For instance, Michael Gielen - does anyone pronounce the Michael part in the German language manner? And I simply don't know the pronunciation rules for languages from eastern Europe.
Happy holidays, Dave! I am delighted to watch your videos and find them very useful. Thanks for continuing this wonderful conversation about classical music, and for teaching me how to appreciate the genre.
An interesting 'session' here Dave! Glad so few jerks! :) Like many others here I thank you for your YT channel: I've learned a lot, picked up some fine records because of your recommendations, and learned a great deal from you and others here in addition to you who are far more learned about music than me. It's a great resource-- and you keep it fun and unpretentious too!
I know next to nothing about music as far as the "mechanics", or whatever you want to call it. I just know how much I love and appreciate it! Many years ago my dad was what was called a rack-jobber, he worked for RCA Victor for years and then another record distribution company, going around to retail stores and ordering/stocking the albums. Free records for me for years! 🙂 Really enjoy your channel and Happy Holidays!
Sir Laurence Olivier, who played the escaped Nazi "The White Angel" in the movie Marathon Man. First scene featuring him, he's listening to Schubert's "An Die Musik", I think, in the Patagonian hinterland.
I worked at Tower Records Classical some years back and won't comment except to say the title got my attention. Can't wait to hear the commentary. Happy Holidays!
To defend Classical Music Fans - I will say that being obsessed with Classical Music is a niche "nerdy" interest that makes us feel like outsiders, we don't really fit in with "mainstream society". So this whole mentality of looking down on "normies" and non-Classical fans generally in a "snobbish" way is something of a defence mechanism. Of course there are many Classical fans who are very well adjusted people who blend in with mainstream society well but there are many people who feel a little ostracized by virtue of our intense interest (which often comes at the expense of being as interested in "normal" things) and this ostracization is coped with by developing a defensive sense of "superiority". Frankly - I don't think being Classical fanatics make us "superior" in any way - but since sometimes we feel "inferior" when it comes to fitting into a standard social context - it's easier to invert that inferiority of feeling "beneath" others by feeling "above" others. Of course the reality is we are neither superior nor inferior - we simply run parallel to them, on the same level but driven by different passions and interests. (This does in no way excuse the more obnoxious end of the spectrum at all, that's just plain bad, but I'm trying to explain and semi-justify the "milder" end of the snobbery spectrum)
Merry xmas and keep up your wonderful videos. After many years of listening to classical music I've been discovering new wonderful works by Poulenc and Ives. Big thank you for that. Also, you should make a new t-shirt around that 1%
I am one of those classical music fans who is an obnoxious jerk. I don't fall into the first category (anti-Semite) or the third (hysteric), but I do often post snark on social media about our classical music radio station. My latest rant was about how they played 4 versions of "In the Bleak Midwinter" in the past 24 hours. They're also overplaying other X-mas "favorites". How many versions of "Waltz of the Flowers" do we need to hear? Or "Il est ne le divin enfant"? I believe I fall into the sanctimonius snob category. When I hear a mispronunciation of a Slavic name on the radio I have to roll my eyes (I don't verbalize it on social media, except here), because these are the same announcers who flawlessly pronounce French, German, Italian and Spanish names, and in our big city, Chicago, there are enough Slavs to reach out to in order to learn proper pronunciation. I am such a jerk, I'm surprised the station hasn't banned me from listening. They haven't had a program director in the past 5 years, so that may have something to do with the unimaginative selections. TBH, they do play a lot of really great music. Great video, thanks for posting, and Happy Holidays!
Thanks so much for sharing all your knowledge, Dave! You're a national (and international!) treasure. Wishing you all the best in this holiday season! PS. Working my way through listening to Scriabin Sonatas 1-10 currently - faves are 5 and 10 so far - what a journey!
Dave is my favorite Classical music critic. I disagree with him as often as I agree with him, and that's as it should be. He's a throwback to the great Classical music critics of the past, like Berlioz and Shaw. He has no fear or favor, has no sacred cows, he always says exactly what he thinks. He goes over the top a lot, and just as often says things that are insightful and perceptive. And he really knows his stuff. I've been listening to Classical music over forty years and Dave comes up with not just individual works, but many composers I've never heard of. Most of all I lover how he deflates all the nonsense perpetrated by the period instrument movement.
Dave, I appreciate that you don't give anyone a pass. Even the conductors you recognize as the greatest come in for some criticism now and then - Dohnanyi's Mahler is bad; etc.; Szell's done some lousy Mahler, etc. (Except Jochum! I don't remember you ever having anything harsh to say about Eugun Jochum!) But seriously, i love that it is the MUSIC that you care about - not the composer's reputation, not the music hall he is in, nor how venerable the orchestra is, but instead you ask: is this particular performance MUSICAL? And there is a universe within that question, and I appreciate you exploring it with all of us. And you do it all cheerfully, in a spirit of goodwill, humorously, and with just the proper dose of self-deprecation. and Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
Love your channel Dave. My former business partner would completely agree with you. You bare a striking resemblance to him. Sad to say he passed in 2020. Like you, he was also SF Bay educated (Berkley), extremely articulate, funny, and never repeated himself. We were in the market research business for over 40 years together and interviewed thousands of consumers. Bob was a focus group moderator. Bob always used to say that in his experience, about 1% of the seemingly "normal" population were actually some level of "Ambulatory psychotic", very consistent with your findings. By the way, if you ever need a side hustle (as the youth say), you would probably make a very good focus group moderator, especially for researching music consumers to find out how to increase the popularity of classical music. I conducted focus groups for the Detroit Symphony back in the 80's, but you would have been much better! (I remember your video on branding where you talked about your experience with marketing research) Just a thought. You have expanded my knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment of classical music greatly. Thank you.
the fact is that the genre of youtube video excels at two things: 1. making the viewer think that he is smart 2. making the viewer believe that the one who is on the screen is stupid this phenomenon stimulates constant build-up of youtube commentaries. people (just as myself right now) have some pleasure watching video, ann then they have this feeling that something has been missed, and THE URGE to add it. sometimes it's good, generous, outstanding. and sometimes, well, quite the opposite. so I tend to believe that this form of referencing to ones own haters helps to maintain a healthy atmosphere in the community. by promoting acceptible values, and also to tease the baddies a little bit, so they don't stop generating traffic!
I could not agree more! Excellent take on criticism as a noble calling. I just wish we had a clone of Mr. Hurwitz for all genres of music. What Pauline Kael and Judith Crist were to film, Hurwitz is to classical music.
I think that the question should be expanded towards Classical musicians as well. There are many, many obnoxious jerks among them. If not even worse: they actually classify as complete psychopaths, and thus deserve a special separate discussion. I can contribute very fruitfully with many evidences to such a one.
The a Sibelius quote is just funny. Equally funny I found Alfred Brendel’s response when asked what he thought about music critics, ‘enough said’. It was just funny. There are probably many charlatans giving critiques. As a music consumer I look at it may be a bit differently. I find your reviews and your website very useful.
Definitely an interesting finding. Does listening to classical music make you more generous perhaps? I imagine you'd say no, Dave, but then I do wonder if the generosity we so often find in the works of the great artists rubs off over time. Alternatively, it's just a universal statistic: that approximately 1% of people overall are jerks. That might indeed be true, while it does seem a little on the low side based on my personal everyday experiences. I'd certainly like to believe it's true. Anyway, happy Christmassy thingy and best wishes for the new year.
I used to be a FRIGHTFULLY snobbish audiophile moron... until I visited a high-end audio show about 15 years ago! I walked into the McIntosh amplifier demonstration booth and was immediately struck by the bright orange speaker cables being used by the representative. I asked, "What are you using for speaker cables; those look like industrial extension cords?" He then said, without hesitation, "That's exactly what they are! I forgot to throw my Van den Hul cables in my traveling case, so I went to the nearby Lowe's and bought 10 meters of this stuff. It's full of really good copper, costs NOTHING compared to name-brand cables and sounds as good as anything on the market." My world shifted; that demon "reality" finally came home to roost with a vengeance... and I immediately became a much better person! To quote the profit, Roger Daltrey, "Won't get fooled again..."🎶
Hello Dave, you are right, we have it good with 1% of jerks. I recently have stopped watching audiophile channels, because it seems that 50 % of the commentators are hating each other. Just awful. - Enjoy the holidays and have a nice & friendly New Year 2025. I‘m looking forward to many videos to come. Greetings from Berlin, Harry
It all depends on your point of view. When I took my two cats in for their 3-year rabies shots this week, after I explained to the vet that one of my cats does not like "being talked down to", she asked me what activities they enjoy as indoor cats. I told her listening to Opera - as long as it's not Wagner. They tend to run and hide from that. She looked at me like I was out of my mind. I was being serious.She probably thinks I am a major insance classical music snob.
So interesting to hear that Rosand was so bitter, considering his longtime tenure at Curtis and the long list of amazing musicians that studied with him!
I recently left two comments on classical music videos; one on a Boulez video explaining to another viewer why serialist music was hard to listen to; and one on a video about Bach's Duetti saying that I had got into them recently and that it was music that deserved a wider audience. Both times I got a snooty response from a commenter about how I wasn't a real classical music listener. The strange thing is that both responses were from Germans. Who would have thought that Germans could be so rigidly intolerant?
One more comment, Dave. Thank you for saying that Ormandy, Ozawa, Mehta, and Berstein were great conductors. For various reasons, they would not regarded as great conductors and they were great conductors. Keep on doing your critical musical reviews.
Stravinsky on Ormandy - "The ideal conductor of Strauss waltzes". See Beecham's comments on some of his confreres in Schonberg's "The Great Conductors".
I love this topic! The “sanctimonious and the snobs” amuse me, because to me their motives are so transparent. I am 61. I have listened to classical music since I was in the crib. I have an extensive CD collection and have seen many live performances. That said, I fully acknowledge that many know more than I do. That said, if I prefer Walter’s performance of something to Klemperer’s, SO? I am interested in the thoughts of others, but I ultimately don’t care if someone disagrees with me. Thank you for all you do to get discussion started about classical music.
As with anything obnoxious: its never that there are many of them, but that their voice is louder than the rest. And unfortunately it tends to ruin (sometimes) the whole bunch of us. And like, to be honest, I had a very up-front experience about this not long ago with one of those score-video channels you find on here. I won't say who it was but they're one of the bigger, more famous channels on RUclips for that sort of thing. Anyways, I made a comment on a piano sonata they posted from a Norwegian composer I liked, just saying it was kind-of a shame that it wasn't that good. Nothing rude or demeaning, just a simple bit of light criticism and nothing else. The dude literally replies at me afterwards with "maybe your comment is a shame," also made another how I was basically not good enough to appreciate his efforts. If that wasn't enough, he didn't have the balls to keep them up, deleting both of them a few hours later.
@@leestamm3187 True, and by itself I don't see it as a bad thing in some cases. What I found annoying was him not being able to own up to his own word, by allowing it to stay up. As if being childish wasn't enough, I suppose. 😂
I got a scathing reply from a responder when I commented that the sets used in a particular production of D'Albert's "Tiefland" seemed Weimar Republic "New Objectivity" or minimalist, or something to that effect. That put me into the pseudo-intellectual bottom feeder slot for him or her.
I wonder whether the algorithm can recognise irony. I've long considered writing (in the strongest possible terms, naturally) about your lamentable failure to recognise - even to mention - the indisputable superiority of the violist Mstislav Bogdanski. Just because all his recordings were pre-acoustic does NOT justify your relentless persecution-by-silence of this genius. You should be ASHAMED of yourself, etc. All the best for 2025, by the way.
@@smurashige He couldn't, even if he wanted to. He suffered from a rare complaint, which made vibrato impossible, and was named Bogdanski's syndrome in his honour.
Dave- I find the most obnoxious jerks are music critics who write or say that operas such as Andrea Chenier are CRAP.. The sanctimonious snobs classify Umberto Giordano is third rate Puccini. Just because Chenier has a few half decent tunes still makes it a third rate opera. Friends and associates ask me what a first opera should they see. Rigoletto might be numero uno. Then Andrea Chenier and maybe Turandot would follow. Third rate Puccini? Maybe if you could ask Puccini if Chenier was any good. He might of told you , as his granddaughter Simonetta told me that when her grandfather saw Chenier it inspired him to compose Tosca. And in particular the scene where Madelon the blind old woman gives Gerard her grandson to be a soldier of the Revolution. But of course the scene between Madelaine and Gerard . Which we see between Tosca and Scarpia The pathos of Giordano's music matches anything that Puccini composed. Chenier was Gigli's favourite role .Mario del Monaco also was a fine Chenier. But the longest shadow is cast by Franco Corelli . In a role made for him. The trouble for the snobs is that Chenier has 20 good "tunes" And this sickens the obnoxious jerks who think they know more than the general opera loving folk . Who adore this opera. As PUCCINI did !
Another great theme in classical music is the descent into hell. I call it the formation of hardened self-belief. Young people don't read books any more. Should I care? I guess as librarian I should. But to hold a rant about it?
Dave- I wont say that you are obnoxious in the way that you say that the completion of the Bruckner 9 is an anathema to you. Having spoken to John Phillips who has spent more than 20 years in using the 90% of music composed by Bruckner in the final movement . He and his colleagues made an acceptable version which I was lucky enough to see the first performance in February 2012 in Berlin. Except for the chorale I personally find the fourth movement not top notch Bruckner. But in this late 19th century symphony . We are transported into the 20th century. With similarities to the iron and steel composition of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. And by the third movement . We are are even in the realms of early Schoenberg. If this isn't enough .The fourth movement takes us to the birth of minimalism. The really big problem was the finale coda. BUT finally with John Phillips latest revision.. We do find Bruckner being able to return from HELL !! If you haven't heard it. I suggest you do. You may change your mind. The dying Bruckner may not of reached the same heights which he achieved in the first three movements. But at long last we do have a very satisfactory coda to the symphony.. And redemption is achieved.
Hee hee - oh I did love that! And very relieved to discover I'm not one of those obnoxious jerks - I admit I do sometimes criticize really egregious mispronunciations on some videos about the last World War - because I think that if you ARE going to comment on, say, the wartime German army, you should at least take a wild stab at something near to the pronunciation of people's and places' names (my favourite was a US journalist in the Vietnam War who pronounced Ban Me Thuot as "Bang ma twat", but there have been worse; and probably he was under some pressure, being IN Vietnam at the time). But you cover artists from all over the world - how the hell you get as near to some of them as you do I don't know. Depressed to hear you get anti-Semites - will this filth never be expunged from the world? Silly question...
You clearly missed the first spot, which ironically is the direct inverse of the anti-Semite Classical fan: the overly touchy & self-righteous mischling boomer. 🤣
Whenever I hear a piece of music (or a read a book or see a painting or whatever) I am often left with a jumble of impressions and emotions that are difficult to put into words. When I read the opinion of someone who is eloquent and insightful, I find that I can express my own feelings better EVEN WHEN I DISAGREE. The reason we have critics is not because their opinions are better than ours, it’s because they can express those opinions cogently and also inspire us to clarify our own feelings.
Wow! Right on. Hear Hear!!
I hadn't thought of that, but that's very insightful.
I have made it known to those around me who care about these things that my wish is for my future tombstone to read, “Not much, but at least he wasn’t a jerk”. I hope to live up to that sentiment, in life and on this channel.
Thank you, Dave, for all the free entertainment. I hope for much more in 2025.
1983. England. Teen me at art college having an afternoon of life drawing classes with 1980s new romantics/goths/synth music types. I'd just bought a Haydn LP - Marriner's Le Matin, Le Midi, Le Soir. I got the tutor to put it on and oh the dagger looks and frosty snark. Remained the isolated weirdo for the entire year. It was glorious!
A big thank you, Dave for all your sage music recommendations.
"Who among us is an Obnoxious Jerk?" There's a question for a Christmas morning! Pretty funny! Don't know if you ever heard of Harlan Ellison, but he was an author -- and a critic, my goodness, a savage critic -- who famously announced "You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your INFORMED opinion. No one is entitled to be IGNORANT." I'm sure Ellison would have agreed with your opinion on opinions.
That's a fantastic line, must commit that to memory!
I knew him well.
He was right in this quotation, but most of the time he was an obnoxious asshole.
You're such a delightful treasure Dave. Never stop please. Happy holidays!
Happy new Year, Dave! Having a refined musical taste and sensibility and being knowledgeable about our interest does not make one a music critic. There is an aspect of commitment to using your knowledge and writing to be a mediator between the industry and public at large (almost a translator, if you will). My musical taste is different from yours and I obviously don't always agree with your choices, but I always defer to your knowledge and take your choices under consideration because you not only exhibit a breadth and depth of knowledge on all thing classical music recordings and have a long track record of being a fan and a critic, but your passion and love for the music, the artists and the whole gestalt of the industry is palpable and ignites my own. Thank you for this contribution. You have single-handedly introduced me to repertoire and performances of familiar pieces that I otherwise might not have explored.
Dear Dave, as an affirmation that the majority of your readers (and you!) are extremely kind and helpful, I want to thank the folks who responded a couple months ago to my query about a recommendation for the Rachmaninov All Night Vespers. I think you and a couple others recommended the Korniev. I bought it for my wife (who sang it a couple years back) for Christmas and we've already played it. It was fabulous. My thanks to you and your listeners. Wesley
I sometimes fear that my wit gets misconstrued
as a higher-than-intended level of jerkitude.
Alas the balance between the funny and rude.
Hear, hear! :)
Dave, I know that I don't know more than anyone. I love your channel because it gives me access to new artists I have never heard of. I love the idea of new artists that provide new takes on music. I thank you for your input and wish you and the people you hold dear a Happy New Year.
I try to keep my sanctimonious snobbishness to myself, but it really bugs me when the DJ’s on our local classical station mispronounce the names of well-known composers.
Me to. That is inexcusable, but obscure names are another thing altogether.
@@DavesClassicalGuide
They are NOT another thing altogether, grrr!
@@DavesClassicalGuide Dear Dave, in the early days of your channel I once or twice hesitated to offer some advice on the pronunciation of a particular name because I saw that you were striving to pronounce them properly. Good thing I restrained myself, but it would definitely not have been meant as snobbish better-knowing, but more as help in an endeavour I thought I could see you honouring. Perhaps some, or most, people who provided you with pronunciation advice did so not so much out of a ‘look at me, I know better!’ attitude, but simply out of helpfulness, precisely because you make and keep making such great insightful, stimulating, joyful, inspiring videos? - For the latter, by the way, my unending thanks!
@@sybedijkstra1 And there's the complicating factor of just how far do we go in pronouncing names as they are pronounced in their original language and how much do we accept anglicizing them? For instance, Michael Gielen - does anyone pronounce the Michael part in the German language manner? And I simply don't know the pronunciation rules for languages from eastern Europe.
Happy holidays, Dave! I am delighted to watch your videos and find them very useful. Thanks for continuing this wonderful conversation about classical music, and for teaching me how to appreciate the genre.
An interesting 'session' here Dave! Glad so few jerks! :) Like many others here I thank you for your YT channel: I've learned a lot, picked up some fine records because of your recommendations, and learned a great deal from you and others here in addition to you who are far more learned about music than me. It's a great resource-- and you keep it fun and unpretentious too!
I know next to nothing about music as far as the "mechanics", or whatever you want to call it. I just know how much I love and appreciate it! Many years ago my dad was what was called a rack-jobber, he worked for RCA Victor for years and then another record distribution company, going around to retail stores and ordering/stocking the albums. Free records for me for years! 🙂 Really enjoy your channel and Happy Holidays!
Movie villains like classical music.
Always.
Political villains also like it. Lenin adored Beethoven's Appassionata, and Hitler...well, that is already banal even to worth mentioning.
How to spot a serial killer like Hannibal. He is a classical music aficionado.
Sir Laurence Olivier, who played the escaped Nazi "The White Angel" in the movie Marathon Man. First scene featuring him, he's listening to Schubert's "An Die Musik", I think, in the Patagonian hinterland.
Gregory Peck in the Boys From Brazil listening to Dave's favorite Wagner...the Siegfried Idyll😮
I worked at Tower Records Classical some years back and won't comment except to say the title got my attention. Can't wait to hear the commentary. Happy Holidays!
Hi Dave, thank you for your knowledge, passion and humour! חג שמח!
To defend Classical Music Fans - I will say that being obsessed with Classical Music is a niche "nerdy" interest that makes us feel like outsiders, we don't really fit in with "mainstream society". So this whole mentality of looking down on "normies" and non-Classical fans generally in a "snobbish" way is something of a defence mechanism.
Of course there are many Classical fans who are very well adjusted people who blend in with mainstream society well but there are many people who feel a little ostracized by virtue of our intense interest (which often comes at the expense of being as interested in "normal" things) and this ostracization is coped with by developing a defensive sense of "superiority".
Frankly - I don't think being Classical fanatics make us "superior" in any way - but since sometimes we feel "inferior" when it comes to fitting into a standard social context - it's easier to invert that inferiority of feeling "beneath" others by feeling "above" others.
Of course the reality is we are neither superior nor inferior - we simply run parallel to them, on the same level but driven by different passions and interests.
(This does in no way excuse the more obnoxious end of the spectrum at all, that's just plain bad, but I'm trying to explain and semi-justify the "milder" end of the snobbery spectrum)
Happy Festivus, David! Your channel is my absolute favorite on RUclips-especially for your brilliant take on accent fussbudgets.
Merry xmas and keep up your wonderful videos. After many years of listening to classical music I've been discovering new wonderful works by Poulenc and Ives. Big thank you for that. Also, you should make a new t-shirt around that 1%
I am one of those classical music fans who is an obnoxious jerk. I don't fall into the first category (anti-Semite) or the third (hysteric), but I do often post snark on social media about our classical music radio station. My latest rant was about how they played 4 versions of "In the Bleak Midwinter" in the past 24 hours. They're also overplaying other X-mas "favorites". How many versions of "Waltz of the Flowers" do we need to hear? Or "Il est ne le divin enfant"? I believe I fall into the sanctimonius snob category. When I hear a mispronunciation of a Slavic name on the radio I have to roll my eyes (I don't verbalize it on social media, except here), because these are the same announcers who flawlessly pronounce French, German, Italian and Spanish names, and in our big city, Chicago, there are enough Slavs to reach out to in order to learn proper pronunciation. I am such a jerk, I'm surprised the station hasn't banned me from listening. They haven't had a program director in the past 5 years, so that may have something to do with the unimaginative selections. TBH, they do play a lot of really great music. Great video, thanks for posting, and Happy Holidays!
Thanks so much for sharing all your knowledge, Dave! You're a national (and international!) treasure. Wishing you all the best in this holiday season! PS. Working my way through listening to Scriabin Sonatas 1-10 currently - faves are 5 and 10 so far - what a journey!
That's a trip! Thank you, and enjoy.
Add the fantaisie op.28 to the list! It fits perfectly within the earlier sonatas and it’s gorgeous.
@@Medtner26 thanks for the tip! Always appreciate hearing recommendations!
Dave is my favorite Classical music critic. I disagree with him as often as I agree with him, and that's as it should be. He's a throwback to the great Classical music critics of the past, like Berlioz and Shaw. He has no fear or favor, has no sacred cows, he always says exactly what he thinks. He goes over the top a lot, and just as often says things that are insightful and perceptive.
And he really knows his stuff. I've been listening to Classical music over forty years and Dave comes up with not just individual works, but many composers I've never heard of. Most of all I lover how he deflates all the nonsense perpetrated by the period instrument movement.
Dave, I appreciate that you don't give anyone a pass. Even the conductors you recognize as the greatest come in for some criticism now and then - Dohnanyi's Mahler is bad; etc.; Szell's done some lousy Mahler, etc.
(Except Jochum! I don't remember you ever having anything harsh to say about Eugun Jochum!)
But seriously, i love that it is the MUSIC that you care about - not the composer's reputation, not the music hall he is in, nor how venerable the orchestra is, but instead you ask: is this particular performance MUSICAL? And there is a universe within that question, and I appreciate you exploring it with all of us. And you do it all cheerfully, in a spirit of goodwill, humorously, and with just the proper dose of self-deprecation. and Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
I have always enjoyed reading criticism, even if I don't agree with their opinions. I always learn something... and love discussing music.
Love your channel Dave. My former business partner would completely agree with you. You bare a striking resemblance to him. Sad to say he passed in 2020. Like you, he was also SF Bay educated (Berkley), extremely articulate, funny, and never repeated himself. We were in the market research business for over 40 years together and interviewed thousands of consumers. Bob was a focus group moderator.
Bob always used to say that in his experience, about 1% of the seemingly "normal" population were actually some level of "Ambulatory psychotic", very consistent with your findings.
By the way, if you ever need a side hustle (as the youth say), you would probably make a very good focus group moderator, especially for researching music consumers to find out how to increase the popularity of classical music. I conducted focus groups for the Detroit Symphony back in the 80's, but you would have been much better! (I remember your video on branding where you talked about your experience with marketing research) Just a thought. You have expanded my knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment of classical music greatly. Thank you.
the fact is that the genre of youtube video excels at two things:
1. making the viewer think that he is smart
2. making the viewer believe that the one who is on the screen is stupid
this phenomenon stimulates constant build-up of youtube commentaries. people (just as myself right now) have some pleasure watching video, ann then they have this feeling that something has been missed, and THE URGE to add it. sometimes it's good, generous, outstanding. and sometimes, well, quite the opposite.
so I tend to believe that this form of referencing to ones own haters helps to maintain a healthy atmosphere in the community. by promoting acceptible values, and also to tease the baddies a little bit, so they don't stop generating traffic!
Thank YOU, Dave for another great year of content.
I could not agree more! Excellent take on criticism as a noble calling. I just wish we had a clone of Mr. Hurwitz for all genres of music. What Pauline Kael and Judith Crist were to film, Hurwitz is to classical music.
I think that the question should be expanded towards Classical musicians as well. There are many, many obnoxious jerks among them. If not even worse: they actually classify as complete psychopaths, and thus deserve a special separate discussion. I can contribute very fruitfully with many evidences to such a one.
The a Sibelius quote is just funny. Equally funny I found Alfred Brendel’s response when asked what he thought about music critics, ‘enough said’. It was just funny. There are probably many charlatans giving critiques. As a music consumer I look at it may be a bit differently. I find your reviews and your website very useful.
Definitely an interesting finding. Does listening to classical music make you more generous perhaps? I imagine you'd say no, Dave, but then I do wonder if the generosity we so often find in the works of the great artists rubs off over time. Alternatively, it's just a universal statistic: that approximately 1% of people overall are jerks. That might indeed be true, while it does seem a little on the low side based on my personal everyday experiences. I'd certainly like to believe it's true. Anyway, happy Christmassy thingy and best wishes for the new year.
Hi Dave.. Mind if I change my name to BOB NOXIOUS? yuk yuk Hope the holiday season has been treating you well so far....
I used to be a FRIGHTFULLY snobbish audiophile moron... until I visited a high-end audio show about 15 years ago! I walked into the McIntosh amplifier demonstration booth and was immediately struck by the bright orange speaker cables being used by the representative. I asked, "What are you using for speaker cables; those look like industrial extension cords?" He then said, without hesitation, "That's exactly what they are! I forgot to throw my Van den Hul cables in my traveling case, so I went to the nearby Lowe's and bought 10 meters of this stuff. It's full of really good copper, costs NOTHING compared to name-brand cables and sounds as good as anything on the market." My world shifted; that demon "reality" finally came home to roost with a vengeance... and I immediately became a much better person! To quote the profit, Roger Daltrey, "Won't get fooled again..."🎶
Dave-Happy Holidays to you!
Now I know why I have not been banned...yet.
On a more serious note, I enjoy 90% of what Mr. Hurwitz says, and I am a tough grader.
Where would we be without all those people we’re better than? I love them all because of that.
Hilarious episode. Keep it up. Thanks!
Hello Dave, you are right, we have it good with 1% of jerks. I recently have stopped watching audiophile channels, because it seems that 50 % of the commentators are hating each other. Just awful. - Enjoy the holidays and have a nice & friendly New Year 2025. I‘m looking forward to many videos to come. Greetings from Berlin, Harry
Other genres have the same problem. The jazz and rock snobs and lunatics rival the classical jerks...
It all depends on your point of view. When I took my two cats in for their 3-year rabies shots this week, after I explained to the vet that one of my cats does not like "being talked down to", she asked me what activities they enjoy as indoor cats. I told her listening to Opera - as long as it's not Wagner. They tend to run and hide from that. She looked at me like I was out of my mind. I was being serious.She probably thinks I am a major insance classical music snob.
Cats don't like Wagner generally. Everyone knows that.
The ones who think they have Immaculate Perception. 😃 As for pronunciation, this must be challenging for classical radio hosts. Happy Chanukah!
So interesting to hear that Rosand was so bitter, considering his longtime tenure at Curtis and the long list of amazing musicians that studied with him!
The Raymond Lewenthal of the violin.
How obnoxious do you consider people who keep referring to obscure repertoire on every possible occasion?
I recently left two comments on classical music videos; one on a Boulez video explaining to another viewer why serialist music was hard to listen to; and one on a video about Bach's Duetti saying that I had got into them recently and that it was music that deserved a wider audience.
Both times I got a snooty response from a commenter about how I wasn't a real classical music listener. The strange thing is that both responses were from Germans. Who would have thought that Germans could be so rigidly intolerant?
Imagine that.
I think I can offer a level of obnoxiousness rarely seen amongst classical music connoisseurs. It does take a level of skill, one may add
Good for you, my friend.😁
One more comment, Dave. Thank you for saying that Ormandy, Ozawa, Mehta, and Berstein were great conductors. For various reasons, they would not regarded as great conductors and they were great conductors. Keep on doing your critical musical reviews.
Stravinsky on Ormandy - "The ideal conductor of Strauss waltzes".
See Beecham's comments on some of his confreres in Schonberg's "The Great Conductors".
I love this topic! The “sanctimonious and the snobs” amuse me, because to me their motives are so transparent. I am 61. I have listened to classical music since I was in the crib. I have an extensive CD collection and have seen many live performances. That said, I fully acknowledge that many know more than I do. That said, if I prefer Walter’s performance of something to Klemperer’s, SO? I am interested in the thoughts of others, but I ultimately don’t care if someone disagrees with me. Thank you for all you do to get discussion started about classical music.
Šalom from Lithuania :-)
I have strong opinions on what I like but I also know that I know nothing. We can always learn.
However, only about 2% of subscribers leave comments... 😬
" Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
Come on, Dave. You know you walked right into that one with your title.
Guess so!
I'm more a deplorable than an obnoxious jerk.
As with anything obnoxious: its never that there are many of them, but that their voice is louder than the rest. And unfortunately it tends to ruin (sometimes) the whole bunch of us.
And like, to be honest, I had a very up-front experience about this not long ago with one of those score-video channels you find on here. I won't say who it was but they're one of the bigger, more famous channels on RUclips for that sort of thing. Anyways, I made a comment on a piano sonata they posted from a Norwegian composer I liked, just saying it was kind-of a shame that it wasn't that good. Nothing rude or demeaning, just a simple bit of light criticism and nothing else. The dude literally replies at me afterwards with "maybe your comment is a shame," also made another how I was basically not good enough to appreciate his efforts. If that wasn't enough, he didn't have the balls to keep them up, deleting both of them a few hours later.
Deletion of comments can be annoying, but it is one of the perks of being a channel master.
@@leestamm3187 True, and by itself I don't see it as a bad thing in some cases. What I found annoying was him not being able to own up to his own word, by allowing it to stay up. As if being childish wasn't enough, I suppose. 😂
I got a scathing reply from a responder when I commented that the sets used in a particular production of D'Albert's "Tiefland" seemed Weimar Republic "New Objectivity" or minimalist, or something to that effect. That put me into the pseudo-intellectual bottom feeder slot for him or her.
I'd enjoy seeing a statue of Dave! (And Mildred)
Dave's wisdom comes from being a bongo player.
Look what it did for Maynard G. Krebs.
I honestly thought the figure would be higher ........ thank God I was wrong 😊
I wonder whether the algorithm can recognise irony. I've long considered writing (in the strongest possible terms, naturally) about your lamentable failure to recognise - even to mention - the indisputable superiority of the violist Mstislav Bogdanski. Just because all his recordings were pre-acoustic does NOT justify your relentless persecution-by-silence of this genius. You should be ASHAMED of yourself, etc. All the best for 2025, by the way.
I've been humbled.
It is a tragedy that Bogdanski's best performances were captured only on the unfortunately ephemeral string and paper cup medium.
not to mention that Bogdanski never ever ever used vibrato! a musical fact! So there!
@@smurashige He couldn't, even if he wanted to. He suffered from a rare complaint, which made vibrato impossible, and was named Bogdanski's syndrome in his honour.
@@daigreatcoat44 Ah, good to know. Perhaps it was a common syndrome in the baroque and classical periods?
I started my entire career from the very beginning with the purpose that someday a statue of me would be erected somewhere.
Dave- I find the most obnoxious jerks are music critics who write or say that
operas such as Andrea Chenier are CRAP.. The sanctimonious snobs classify Umberto
Giordano is third rate Puccini. Just because Chenier has a few half decent tunes still makes
it a third rate opera.
Friends and associates ask me what a first opera should they see. Rigoletto might be numero uno.
Then Andrea Chenier and maybe Turandot would follow. Third rate Puccini? Maybe if you
could ask Puccini if Chenier was any good. He might of told you , as his granddaughter Simonetta
told me that when her grandfather saw Chenier it inspired him to compose Tosca. And in
particular the scene where Madelon the blind old woman gives Gerard her grandson to be a soldier
of the Revolution. But of course the scene between Madelaine and Gerard . Which we see between Tosca and Scarpia The pathos of Giordano's music matches anything that Puccini composed.
Chenier was Gigli's favourite role .Mario del Monaco also was a fine Chenier. But the longest
shadow is cast by Franco Corelli . In a role made for him.
The trouble for the snobs is that Chenier has 20 good "tunes" And this sickens the obnoxious jerks
who think they know more than the general opera loving folk . Who adore this opera. As PUCCINI did !
Another great theme in classical music is the descent into hell. I call it the formation of hardened self-belief. Young people don't read books any more. Should I care? I guess as librarian I should. But to hold a rant about it?
I’m a card carrying member of the Dave Hurwitz cult.
102%?
Dave- I wont say that you are obnoxious in the way that you say that the completion
of the Bruckner 9 is an anathema to you. Having spoken to John Phillips who
has spent more than 20 years in using the 90% of music composed by Bruckner in
the final movement . He and his colleagues made an acceptable version which I was
lucky enough to see the first performance in February 2012 in Berlin.
Except for the chorale I personally find the fourth movement not top notch Bruckner.
But in this late 19th century symphony . We are transported into the 20th century.
With similarities to the iron and steel composition of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. And by
the third movement . We are are even in the realms of early Schoenberg. If this isn't
enough .The fourth movement takes us to the birth of minimalism.
The really big problem was the finale coda. BUT finally with John Phillips latest revision..
We do find Bruckner being able to return from HELL !! If you haven't heard it. I suggest
you do. You may change your mind. The dying Bruckner may not of reached the
same heights which he achieved in the first three movements. But at long last we
do have a very satisfactory coda to the symphony.. And redemption is achieved.
Audiophools can be the absolute worst.
Hee hee - oh I did love that! And very relieved to discover I'm not one of those obnoxious jerks - I admit I do sometimes criticize really egregious mispronunciations on some videos about the last World War - because I think that if you ARE going to comment on, say, the wartime German army, you should at least take a wild stab at something near to the pronunciation of people's and places' names (my favourite was a US journalist in the Vietnam War who pronounced Ban Me Thuot as "Bang ma twat", but there have been worse; and probably he was under some pressure, being IN Vietnam at the time). But you cover artists from all over the world - how the hell you get as near to some of them as you do I don't know.
Depressed to hear you get anti-Semites - will this filth never be expunged from the world? Silly question...
Hahaha. I figure your pronunciation is perfect...enough.
You clearly missed the first spot, which ironically is the direct inverse of the anti-Semite Classical fan: the overly touchy & self-righteous mischling boomer. 🤣