English Chess Forum

Personally I cannot stand opera at all and am convinced those who do tolerate it have very poor taste. Is there a style of music you despise particularly?

The thing about opera is that it really needs to be seen on stage. There are two reasons for this:

(a) it is nearly always written to form part of a dramatic work, and seeing the dramatic work will give you necessary context

(b) it tends to use stage-specific projection techniques that sound artificial in recorded music.

That said I still can't stand it. It's far too OTT.

Anything, other than National Anthems, which is played at a cricket match.

I recently received an email from the promoters of The Hundred competition proclaiming their intention to blast out live music throughout every game. I freed up one or two dates in my diary by replying as follows:

"Dear Sir / Madam,

I had intended to go to one or two of The Hundred matches to see what they were like. Thank you for making it clear to me that this is a competition which needs to be avoided.

You clearly have no conception that cricket is a game that should be watched in respectful silence interspersed with polite applause.

Yours sincerely,

David Sedgwick"

I agree with David.

Does anyone actually like our national anthem? I can't stand it.

I prefer the Russian National Anthem.
This might change your mind about Opera, Mark:
Spente Le Stelle (Club Dub)
by Opera Trance featuring Emma Shapplin.
Worth a listen.
Takes me back to my clubbing days in Blackpool.

Simon Rogers wrote: ↑

Sun May 30, 2021 11:37 pm

I prefer the Russian National Anthem.
This might change your mind about Opera, Mark:
Spente Le Stelle (Club Dub)
by Opera Trance featuring Emma Shapplin.
Takes me back to my clubbing days in Blackpool.

Trance is brilliant I shall take a look. Anthems need to be modernized and not full of romanticised sentiments that no one cares for much outside of sporting events.

Okay just listened. I can't go with opera and trance mixed together. There are many great fusion styles of music around like metal + rap but I not trance and opera, they are too far apart.

There is another dub version of the song without the opera. I think there is also a Yomanda mix.
I remember Charlotte Church and Jurgen Vries bringing out a Trance Opera Song back in 2003.

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Sun May 30, 2021 11:29 pm

I agree with David.

I expect that most people who pay to watch cricket do. Why would the authorities care?

Simon Rogers wrote: ↑

Mon May 31, 2021 12:06 am

There is another dub version of the song without the opera. I think there is also a Yomanda mix.
I remember Charlotte Church and Jurgen Vries bringing out a Trance Opera Song back in 2003.

That song was listenable.

Adagio for Strings, fused with trance, by William Orbit was a better try I think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNcdVuPVXR0

MJMcCready wrote: ↑

Mon May 31, 2021 12:30 am

Simon Rogers wrote: ↑

Mon May 31, 2021 12:06 am

There is another dub version of the song without the opera. I think there is also a Yomanda mix.
I remember Charlotte Church and Jurgen Vries bringing out a Trance Opera Song back in 2003.

That song was listenable.

Adagio for Strings, fused with trance, by William Orbit was a better try I think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNcdVuPVXR0

That takes me back to the Syndicate nightclub in Blackpool. At the time, the biggest club in Northern Europe, 3 levels and a 4500 capacity.
Have you seen and listened to this:
Cinema in Concert - 01- John Williams - Duel of the Fates

Never came across it before, that's nearly as bad as Metallica playing with an orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh5S3OxiE-s

Which is nowhere near as good as Scooter meets SuperTramp with 'The Logical Song'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YxTa1AUqps -a bit cheesy yes but groovy.

MJMcCready wrote: ↑

Sun May 30, 2021 10:34 pm

Personally I cannot stand opera at all and am convinced those who do tolerate it have very poor taste.

Well, I spent my Saturday evening listening to Tristan und Isolde on the radio.

The climax of the opera, the Liebestod, is delivered here by Birgit Nilsson in what is probably my single favourite musical clip on the internet.

I wouldn't mind if I never heard another national anthem again, at a cricket match or anywhere else. Even the Marseillaise is tacky when you think about it.