So brilliant. I think it’s brave to grow intentionally. And at the same time I also think it’s mature to know when you just don’t give a shit about what you’re being told is avant garde because you know it’s just dumb.
What I have been made aware of recently is how very little I actually recognize is of my own taste. I’ve been, per the recommendation of a friend, writing out a list of what I like, and doing so in the third person so it is an objective list.
To that end, I, as a former opera critic, wonder what the fuck Copenhagen would think of the first item on that list: my second-hand Ford F150 pick up truck with the extended bed, meaning my truck is that much bigger than everyone else’s. Also, my predilection for only drinking French wine even if West Coast US wines are better, and the fact that I love fried dill pickles.
And to me, none of this is incongruent. Also, I have NOTHING in common with my family. I like nothing they like, and vice versa.
I mean, the Danish would frame things that way because they are the last bastion of hegemony in Europe. So seeing things in such a categorical way is in their genes, you could say.
This is so interesting. I think taste is such a tricky subject because it is so easy to offend people. I do try very hard not to write things off (especially music.) I will keep coming back to things just to see how I feel, and it often pays off. I think tastes change and develop inevitably because what is instantly accessible and appealing to us often quickly becomes dull. I love the idea that wanting to think about art makes you seek out more challenge so to speak. Emotional response is as important as intellectual I think though, and I’m really interested in the specifics of what about a piece of art or music or a film pulls on the heartstrings.
You nailed one brilliant line in there "I had to want to like it". Says so much about the complex process. Who "wants" and who "likes"? Some über-ich wanting something the ich should do? And so much more thinking along those lines. Thanks!
P.S. And you are right, you listening to and discussing pitchfork reviews is deeply incestuous :)
The line about Sibelius and Finlandia was effective, but he is unquestionably high-brow. For anyone who doesn't want to waste time with Alice Coltrane and other such nonsense, here are ten works for beginners from the brilliant critic Dave Hurwitz. The recording by Leif Segerstam and the Helsinki Philharmonic on Ondine are a good place to start for a lot of this repertoire.
So brilliant. I think it’s brave to grow intentionally. And at the same time I also think it’s mature to know when you just don’t give a shit about what you’re being told is avant garde because you know it’s just dumb.
What I have been made aware of recently is how very little I actually recognize is of my own taste. I’ve been, per the recommendation of a friend, writing out a list of what I like, and doing so in the third person so it is an objective list.
To that end, I, as a former opera critic, wonder what the fuck Copenhagen would think of the first item on that list: my second-hand Ford F150 pick up truck with the extended bed, meaning my truck is that much bigger than everyone else’s. Also, my predilection for only drinking French wine even if West Coast US wines are better, and the fact that I love fried dill pickles.
And to me, none of this is incongruent. Also, I have NOTHING in common with my family. I like nothing they like, and vice versa.
I mean, the Danish would frame things that way because they are the last bastion of hegemony in Europe. So seeing things in such a categorical way is in their genes, you could say.
This is so interesting. I think taste is such a tricky subject because it is so easy to offend people. I do try very hard not to write things off (especially music.) I will keep coming back to things just to see how I feel, and it often pays off. I think tastes change and develop inevitably because what is instantly accessible and appealing to us often quickly becomes dull. I love the idea that wanting to think about art makes you seek out more challenge so to speak. Emotional response is as important as intellectual I think though, and I’m really interested in the specifics of what about a piece of art or music or a film pulls on the heartstrings.
You nailed one brilliant line in there "I had to want to like it". Says so much about the complex process. Who "wants" and who "likes"? Some über-ich wanting something the ich should do? And so much more thinking along those lines. Thanks!
P.S. And you are right, you listening to and discussing pitchfork reviews is deeply incestuous :)
The line about Sibelius and Finlandia was effective, but he is unquestionably high-brow. For anyone who doesn't want to waste time with Alice Coltrane and other such nonsense, here are ten works for beginners from the brilliant critic Dave Hurwitz. The recording by Leif Segerstam and the Helsinki Philharmonic on Ondine are a good place to start for a lot of this repertoire.
Finlandia
Symphony No. 2
Karelia Suite
Symphony No. 5
En Saga
Pohjola’s Daughter
Pelléas and Melisande (Suite)
4 Lemminkäinen Legends
Violin Concerto
Symphony No. 7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MF39sZ2fCM