@Geri We knew that when they stole billions from us to enrich their mates during the pandemic (and after).
@davidpnice Do write about your extensive classical music knowledge. There is little point in trying to change a society if we do not know what riches it may hold
Geri xx
@Geri I don't know what that's a response to, but it looks a bit patronising to me.
@davidpnice sorry, I was being sincere and was responding to your extensive bio
@Geri OK, accepted, thanks. I like the discussions I have on here, having accepted that classical music will never be part of them. I save that for my blog (which runs the gamut) and, obviously, for the Zoom courses, Arts Desk and other freelance work. I do want to learn other points of view, though. And I only engage with folk with whom there's plenty of political and ethical overlap.
@davidpnice What do you make of Sibelius, his Karelian Suite, in particular ?
@Geri Sibelius is some kind of essence for me. The Karelia Suite is good light music - he hardly ever wrote a dud movement - but the symphonies and tone-poems are something else. And universal, too, though Germans still seem to have trouble with their unorthodox forms.
The Malcolm Sargent version of the Karelia was used as the theme tune to the news and current affairs programme "This Week".
He had it played much faster than most conductors as it is rumoured, he wanted to finish the recording session and get away to meet up with one of his many lovers!
@Paulos_the_fog @Geri You mean the Intermezzo? Yup, it's about half a minute quicker than most, quite a bit in a three minute piece. But I like it that way.
Yes, having been raised on the Sir Malcolm Sargent version via it's use as the TV theme tune, all the other slower versions sound pedestrian and lacking in verve to me!
