Entertainment?
Week from Monday 11th December 2023 - In the wake of the new biopic movie, BBC Four 'celebrated' his life and works with an evening of LEONARD BERNSTEIN.
Now, I have to confess, I've sort of GROWN OUT of Lenny's own music. His symphonic works are so-so and whereas I used to think that his blend of classical, Latin and 'jazz' was the doggie's doodahs, it now sounds to these ol'lug-oles a bit CONTRIVED in a Hollywood/Disney/Broadway kind of fashion.
In short, CORNY!
But Lenny long seemed to me to be a musician who spun a good yarn. He was always more interesting TALKING about music than COMPOSING it. He was GOOD AT TELLY.
So I was delighted that they included his lengthy essay "Bernstein On Mahler: The Little Drummer Boy" as part of the evening's entertainment, immediately followed by a selection of "DES KNABEN WUNDERHORN" orchestral songs performed by the Israel Philharmonic (sometime in the 1980s, if I'm not mistaken). By no means a 'definitive' rendering, but fun to see and hear...
Week from Monday 18th December 2023 - Meanwhile on the wireless, I've heard far more CHORAL MUSIC than I would normally give the time of day to, everything from early plainchant, via Monteverdi, Bach Cantatas, through to some dodgy 'modern' Christmas Carols.
But nothing that I'm finding TOO objectionable (They're doing a VAUGHAN-WILLIAMS special as "COMPOSER OF THE WEEK" this week, which is nice.)
As for the tellybox... well, it's THAT TIME OF YEAR, innit? so nobody expects the meejur to provide actual original ENTERTAINMENT! It's mostly the kind of crap that the GREAT UNWASHED stare at the rest of the year, sometimes with the word "CELEBRITY" (or worse than that, "CELEB") crowbarred into the title. But then, I s'spose if you are people who would willingly watch brightly-coloured commercial TV in the summer (AT ALL!) then you get what you deserve during the festive season.
I realise that I'm in a minority of ONE, judging by the level of enthusiastic discussion that's spread onto my Ximeline, but "DOCTOR WHO" can do one. I just don't get it...
(NB: Whoops! looks like I didn't do a "Playlist" for December. Not much point really...)
Now, I have to confess, I've sort of GROWN OUT of Lenny's own music. His symphonic works are so-so and whereas I used to think that his blend of classical, Latin and 'jazz' was the doggie's doodahs, it now sounds to these ol'lug-oles a bit CONTRIVED in a Hollywood/Disney/Broadway kind of fashion.
In short, CORNY!
But Lenny long seemed to me to be a musician who spun a good yarn. He was always more interesting TALKING about music than COMPOSING it. He was GOOD AT TELLY.
So I was delighted that they included his lengthy essay "Bernstein On Mahler: The Little Drummer Boy" as part of the evening's entertainment, immediately followed by a selection of "DES KNABEN WUNDERHORN" orchestral songs performed by the Israel Philharmonic (sometime in the 1980s, if I'm not mistaken). By no means a 'definitive' rendering, but fun to see and hear...
Week from Monday 18th December 2023 - Meanwhile on the wireless, I've heard far more CHORAL MUSIC than I would normally give the time of day to, everything from early plainchant, via Monteverdi, Bach Cantatas, through to some dodgy 'modern' Christmas Carols.
But nothing that I'm finding TOO objectionable (They're doing a VAUGHAN-WILLIAMS special as "COMPOSER OF THE WEEK" this week, which is nice.)
As for the tellybox... well, it's THAT TIME OF YEAR, innit? so nobody expects the meejur to provide actual original ENTERTAINMENT! It's mostly the kind of crap that the GREAT UNWASHED stare at the rest of the year, sometimes with the word "CELEBRITY" (or worse than that, "CELEB") crowbarred into the title. But then, I s'spose if you are people who would willingly watch brightly-coloured commercial TV in the summer (AT ALL!) then you get what you deserve during the festive season.
I realise that I'm in a minority of ONE, judging by the level of enthusiastic discussion that's spread onto my Ximeline, but "DOCTOR WHO" can do one. I just don't get it...
(NB: Whoops! looks like I didn't do a "Playlist" for December. Not much point really...)
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