Glaring Omission

[Elgarian Redux]

Yes, good fun. Also has Dabney Coleman, Chas Durning, Carrie Fisher, Jim Belushi and Lori Singer.

Thanks Karl! I'll try and find a copy on DVD. (I recall failing to find a copy of Joe Versus the Volcano.)

[Karl Henning]

Thanks Karl! I'll try and find a copy on DVD. (I recall failing to find a copy of Joe Versus the Volcano.)

Good hunting!

[AnotherSpin]

Tangentially, very amusing use of the piece in an early Tom Hanks movie: The Man With One Red Shoe.

I suppose it was a remake of the French film Le Grand Blond avec une chaussure noire with Pierre Richard? Richard was incredibly popular in the USSR, and many of his films were shown in theaters.

[Elgarian Redux]

Good hunting!

Hey I just had a thought! I was thinking we were drifting off topic, but then I realised that one of Tom Hanks's Red Shoes must have been a Glaring Omission!

Ta-Da!!

[Cato]

Perhaps you're right about the term "transformation." Solzhenitsyn, in opposing Bolshevism, likely viewed it as a manifestation of European Marxism, a foreign ideology imposed on Russia. Interestingly, Lenin himself saw Bolshevism as a natural evolution of Marxism. In this sense, Solzhenitsyn and Lenin, ironically, shared a similar perspective.

However, I see Bolshevism as something deeply rooted in Russia's own historical fabric, not an external import. Total power, the suppression of individual rights, terror, and violence have been constants in Russian reality — threads running unbroken from the past to the present. Bolshevism was not an aberration, but an organic continuation of this tradition.

There is a marvelously ironic scene in the movie version of Doctor Zhivago: during a mutiny the soldiers hear that Lenin is in Russia, and they are ecstatic, except for one confused old man, who asks:

"This Lenin, would he be the new czar then?"

To which a soldier responds: "No, Daddy, no more czars, no more masters!  Only free workers in a workers' state!"

As we know, the ecstasy disappears into a state deadlier than what the Russians had under the czars.

To return to the topic: a glaring omission outside of Russia is the lack of Rimsky-Korsakov's operas, e.g. The Metropolitan Opera last performed Sadko in 1932.  The only other opera by Rimsky which was performed is The Golden Cockerel in 1945. 

To be sure, they are not necessarily averse to Russian operas (Boris Godunov, Eugene Onegin), but the repertoire is heavily Italian and German.

So it would be nice to hear The Invisible City of Kitezh by Rimsky-Korsakov, and if you do not know that opera, consider it another glaring omission!      😇

[71 dB]

This thread made me revisit my NAXOS disc of Dvořák's Symphonic Poems. I also listened to my NAXOS discs of his Slavonic Rhapsodies and Serenade for Strings in E Major. While Dvořák doesn't seem to be a top 10 or even top 20 composer for me, I do like his music in various degrees. I especially like the Serenade for Strings which was one of my early favorites almost 30 years ago when I was getting into classical music. In general I do like music for string orchestra. There is something "energizing" about them.

I have struggled to enjoy classical music for years, but now I seem to enjoy it more. The World has become VERY unintellectual and superficial (everything is made to entertain us to make money or to make us fear to control us politically) in less than 2 decades and classical music now suddenly feels like the sound of intellectualism. In the recent years I have been "rejecting" the modern times more and more while living in the past (the more intellectual pre social media times). I think this helps me to enjoy classical music better.

After those Dvořák discs I listened to another NAXOS disc of Piano Trio by Smetana, Suk and Novák. I was reminded of how much I enjoy Piano Trios, because that's music that is small and intimate and large/epic at the same time. In general I like chamber music for string instruments and piano from Violin Sonatas to Piano Quintets. There are many composers and works I haven't explored despite of this. I think I should concentrate on this kind of chamber music and also music for string orchestra and spent less time on larger orchestral works such as symphonies and concertos.

[AnotherSpin]

There is a marvelously ironic scene in the movie version of Doctor Zhivago: during a mutiny the soldiers hear that Lenin is in Russia, and they are ecstatic, except for one confused old man, who asks:

"This Lenin, would he be the new czar then?"

To which a soldier responds: "No, Daddy, no more czars, no more masters!  Only free workers in a workers' state!"

As we know, the ecstasy disappears into a state deadlier than what the Russians had under the czars.

To return to the topic: a glaring omission outside of Russia is the lack of Rimsky-Korsakov's operas, e.g. The Metropolitan Opera last performed Sadko in 1932.  The only other opera by Rimsky which was performed is The Golden Cockerel in 1945. 

To be sure, they are not necessarily averse to Russian operas (Boris Godunov, Eugene Onegin), but the repertoire is heavily Italian and German.

So it would be nice to hear The Invisible City of Kitezh by Rimsky-Korsakov, and if you do not know that opera, consider it another glaring omission!      😇

I read Doctor Zhivago back in the late 1980s, during perestroika, but I barely remember anything about it. Still, that scene seems completely unrealistic. In April 1917, after spending 17 years in emigration, Lenin returned to Russia, and at that point, almost no one had heard of him, or the Bolsheviks, for that matter. They just happened to be the ones who made the best use of the chaos after the Tsar's abdication and the military disasters that led to mass desertion. In just six months, they managed to rally enough support to seize power in Petrograd, at a time when hardly anyone else was seriously vying for it.

Was the Bolshevik regime deadlier than the Tsarist one? That's a tough call. In this country, slave labor had always been the norm, human life was worth next to nothing, the elites owned everything, and ordinary people had virtually no say in anything.

[Cato]

I read Doctor Zhivago back in the late 1980s, during perestroika, but I barely remember anything about it. Still, that scene seems completely unrealistic. In April 1917, after spending 17 years in emigration, Lenin returned to Russia, and at that point, almost no one had heard of him, or the Bolsheviks, for that matter. They just happened to be the ones who made the best use of the chaos after the Tsar's abdication and the military disasters that led to mass desertion. In just six months, they managed to rally enough support to seize power in Petrograd, at a time when hardly anyone else was seriously vying for it.

Was the Bolshevik regime deadlier than the Tsarist one? That's a tough call. In this country, slave labor had always been the norm, human life was worth next to nothing, the elites owned everything, and ordinary people had virtually no say in anything.

In that scene in the movie, I believe the soldier explaining who Lenin was to the old man, was supposed to be a Bolshevik revolutionary.

Concerning "deadly" regimes, I recall an historian, who had analyzed evidence from the Ukraine and Soviet archives, writing that 12 million Ukrainians were murdered in just a few years in the 1930's by Stalin and Company.

This thread made me revisit my NAXOS disc of Dvořák's Symphonic Poems. I also listened to my NAXOS discs of his Slavonic Rhapsodies and Serenade for Strings in E Major. While Dvořák doesn't seem to be a top 10 or even top 20 composer for me, I do like his music in various degrees. I especially like the Serenade for Strings which was one of my early favorites almost 30 years ago when I was getting into classical music. In general I do like music for string orchestra. There is something "energizing" about them.

I have struggled to enjoy classical music for years, but now I seem to enjoy it more. The World has become VERY unintellectual and superficial (everything is made to entertain us to make money or to make us fear to control us politically) in less than 2 decades and classical music now suddenly feels like the sound of intellectualism. In the recent years I have been "rejecting" the modern times more and more while living in the past (the more intellectual pre social media times). I think this helps me to enjoy classical music better.

After those Dvořák discs I listened to another NAXOS disc of Piano Trio by Smetana, Suk and Novák. I was reminded of how much I enjoy Piano Trios, because that's music that is small and intimate and large/epic at the same time. In general I like chamber music for string instruments and piano from Violin Sonatas to Piano Quintets. There are many composers and works I haven't explored despite of this. I think I should concentrate on this kind of chamber music and also music for string orchestra and spent less time on larger orchestral works such as symphonies and concertos.

Dvořák's Serenade for Strings is the essence of melancholy, wistfulness, surprise, and joy!

Dvořák has a good amount of wonderful chamber music:

 

[AnotherSpin]

In that scene in the movie, I believe the soldier explaining who Lenin was to the old man, was supposed to be a Bolshevik revolutionary.

Concerning "deadly" regimes, I recall an historian, who had analyzed evidence from the Ukraine and Soviet archives, writing that 12 million Ukrainians were murdered in just a few years in the 1930's by Stalin and Company.

a) I see.

b) I know. My father's siblings died of starvation during famine. But it's not about numbers. It's about the core principles. Russia under the Tsars, the Bolsheviks, or Putin remains the same state.

[hopefullytrusting]

Thanks Karl! I'll try and find a copy on DVD. (I recall failing to find a copy of Joe Versus the Volcano.)

Many movies I like to watch are prohibitively expensive to purchase (and many impossible to stream), but, thankfully, Russia views IP a lot differently than the US, so I can watch those shows. Example: Season 3 of Once and Again or Season 6 of Judging Amy; Worth Winning (Mark Harmon), etc.

[71 dB]

Dvořák has a good amount of wonderful chamber music:

Thanks for these links! I finally had time to listen to these. Very nice music. Especially the Adagio is great (I am a sucker for adagio movements just like everyone else). This performance is perhaps top notch, but it is also an old recording and the sound quality is what it is.

I don't know why* Dvořák's chamber music has been so under my radar, but I need to explore it more. At least this Op. 65 is my cup of tea. 

* Perhaps Dvořák is too well-known to feel exciting and interesting, but he isn't one of biggest giants either. His folk-music based music is easy to dismiss as something unserious, but that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable and skillfully written.

[foxandpeng]

The World has become VERY unintellectual and superficial (everything is made to entertain us to make money or to make us fear to control us politically) in less than 2 decades and classical music now suddenly feels like the sound of intellectualism. In the recent years I have been "rejecting" the modern times more and more while living in the past (the more intellectual pre social media times). I think this helps me to enjoy classical music better.

Truth, big man. Truth.

[71 dB]

Truth, big man. Truth.

I wish I was wrong... 

[hopefullytrusting]

I wish I was wrong... 

Factually, thankfully, you are wrong.

[Madiel]

The world was always largely unintellectual and superficial. It just didn't use to broadcast that fact so readily to a device in your possession.

[Florestan]

The world was always largely unintellectual and superficial. It just didn't use to broadcast that fact so readily to a device in your possession.

Yep. A pre-social-media idiot's influence was limited. Nowadays it is widely spread. Witness the tons of fake news, lunacies and conspiracy theories which have millions of likes and followers. I sometimes long for the good old days when most people could not read. True, illiteracy prevented them from being informed but on the other hand protected them from being misinformed.

[Madiel]

Yep. A pre-social-media idiot's influence was limited. Nowadays it is widely spread. Witness the tons of fake news, lunacies and conspiracy theories which have millions of likes and followers. I sometimes long for the good old days when most people could not read. True, illiteracy prevented them from being informed but on the other hand protected them from being misinformed.

Well it didn't entirely protect them. Or the victims of the misinformation. The Middle Ages had mobs that attacked Jews when Jews were blamed for some crime or misfortune which has depressing similarities to what happened in the UK when someone decided it was a recent Muslim immigrant that killed young girls at a Taylor Swift themed event.

People talk, and it's very easy for people to talk complete rubbish. Far easier than researching first before talking.

[71 dB]

The world was always largely unintellectual and superficial. It just didn't use to broadcast that fact so readily to a device in your possession.

The "broadcast that fact so readily to a device in your possession" is the thing that makes the world unintellectual and superficial, because people watch social media influencers instead of (intellectual) people who have something important to say. You may listen to intellectuals online yourself, but you are in a small minority. In democracy your intellectualism doesn't count much. The stupidity and ignorance of masses does.

[Madiel]

The "broadcast that fact so readily to a device in your possession" is the thing that makes the world unintellectual and superficial, because people watch social media influencers instead of (intellectual) people who have something important to say. You may listen to intellectuals online yourself, but you are in a small minority. In democracy your intellectualism doesn't count much. The stupidity and ignorance of masses does.

My point is that people weren't really listening to intellectuals before. The most significant difference is that instead of listening to the idiot down the street, technology provides the means for lots of people all over the world to listen to the same idiot.

[71 dB]

My point is that people weren't really listening to intellectuals before. The most significant difference is that instead of listening to the idiot down the street, technology provides the means for lots of people all over the world to listen to the same idiot.

People don't listen to any idiots. They listen to influencers paid by the billionaires to brainwash them to support political ideas that in the end benefit the billionaires. Those idiots aren't really idiots. They are immoral greedy people who don't care about causing a lot of harm to the society if it benefits themselves financially.