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Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] OT-Future ax slingers

From: Bruce Daily <pocotron@yahoo.com>
Date: 2011-04-23

Hi guys-
  I think the kids had to learn the musical parts thoroughly before the stage act was implemented.  It makes for happy parents (and possibly a happy government).  Soulless?  Between the give and take of the kids and the actual audience I bet they were having a great time.
  Learning by rote is a part of life for the amateur, and the feeling found in the music may be fleeting.  In high school orchestra we learned a short Mozart piece which we collectively came to hate.  But our conductor (thankfully) only ran through it once or twice per class.  We learned the piece, and got better.   However, our conductor had ulterior motives.  He wanted it in the local high school music competition, which we found out at the last minute.  We groaned and played it.  We took 2nd place.  To this day I don't know if we were any good.  I don't know if we showed any feelings, artistry, soul, or finesse.  But, we had fun.  And someone, including the judges, liked our performance.
   Come on, Mike, let the amateurs have their day.  They shine once in a while.
 
  -Bruce D.
 


--- On Sat, 4/23/11, Thomas C. Doncourt <tomdcour@amnh.org> wrote:

From: Thomas C. Doncourt <tomdcour@amnh.org>
Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] OT-Future ax slingers
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, April 23, 2011, 9:40 AM

 
Kind of like most of the early age piano recitals I've seen here in the
states... maybe one or two of those kids will turn out to be great players
and be thankfull for the early music education. Mike raises the bar very
high but, fortunately , his work stands up to it ----so....

>
> Fritz -
>
> Pity me if you really want to, but I thought it looked mechanical
> and sounded almost completely played 'by rote'. It's
> neither bitter nor cynical - it's what I gathered from the film. I
> heard no feel, no attempt to interpret, no real understanding of
> what they were playing...nothing. It was like listening to HAL
> 9000 playing Bach. Perhaps the pitching and timing is stunning,
> but there is no heart in any of it.
>
> Then again, the kids playing were of such an age that such a thing
> would barely be possible since that sort of musical consciousness
> isn't going to be available (or accessible) to any of them.
>
> I heard it the same way I hear so many child prodigies playing
> music; perhaps brilliant from a strictly technical point of view,
> but utterly hopeless in terms of any artistry. I am really surprised
> that you cannot hear it. The fixed smiles on the faces of the kids
> almost lets you see it.
>
> Mike
>
>
> On 23/04/2011 15:17, fdoddy@aol.com wrote:  
> Mike,
>
> You actually thought the five children playing was
> soulless?  It's mind numbing
> how cynical and bitter you
> are.  If there is pity to had, it's on
> you, I'm afraid.
>
>
> fritz
>
>
>