We all have our blind spots. In music, even after over 50 years of really trying, I still cannot warm to the music of Josef Haydn or of Antonin Dvorak. A friend has just sent me a fine recording (Panocha Quartet) of two Dvorak string quartets and, true to form, I was bored to tears when I put them on. What is it about Haydn and Dvorak that makes my eyes glaze over?
I decided that it must be because I like my music to have an occasional dash of lemon or of tabasco. Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert provide this .. as do Tchaikovsky, Wagner and Shostakovich. But, for me, Haydn and Dvorak just write simple, happy peasant music. No twists. No emotions. No forebodings. I might have added Mendelssohn to the list of simple souls, but at least his Opus 80 F minor string quartet shows that he was capable of real emotions from time to time. Sorry Antonin; sorry Joseph. Your superb, professional music is just not for my ears.
I decided that it must be because I like my music to have an occasional dash of lemon or of tabasco. Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert provide this .. as do Tchaikovsky, Wagner and Shostakovich. But, for me, Haydn and Dvorak just write simple, happy peasant music. No twists. No emotions. No forebodings. I might have added Mendelssohn to the list of simple souls, but at least his Opus 80 F minor string quartet shows that he was capable of real emotions from time to time. Sorry Antonin; sorry Joseph. Your superb, professional music is just not for my ears.
6 comments:
Not even his (Dvorak's) Violin Concerto?
Alas, not even his violin concerto.
Poor old Antonin.
Well, Harry. I've all of Dvorak chamber music, and his 3 concerti. Just ask me and I'll send you all of it, plus Haydn SQ. In return, you can send me all Haendel you have.
Well Harry: I've all Dvorak's chamber works, his 3 concerti and several piano pieces. I'll send you all plus about 70 of Haydn's SQ.
In return, you can send me all Handel's you have.
OMG; did Haydn really write 70 string quartets in addition to 106 or so symphonies? No wonder I can't remember any of them.
His (Dvorak) Cello Concerto Op 104 is a masterpiece. Balance is well-taught out and also the recap is sheer genius = the massive cello double stops and the recap comes in on the tonic major straight into the 2nd subject. His tonalities are also wonderful - some A flat major and A flat minor even. Try it out!
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