New York - Day 17 through Day 20: The Sixth Class and Opus 110 and Opus 111

Revival of the Nerds:

peterlsb: hahahaha i used to watch x-files every fri then it got popular and moved to sunday
peterlsb: i was/am a loser
car LOCO 69: naw x files is dope!
car LOCO 69: no shame yo, represent
peterlsb: hhahaha werd, THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE
peterlsb: I BELIEVE
car LOCO 69: DENY EVERYTHING
car LOCO 69: doodoo da doo, da doo, da doo doo
car LOCO 69: doodoo da doo, da doo, da doo doo
peterlsb: hahahhHhahahah
peterlsb: music by mark snow....

New York - Day 12 through Day 16: The Fifth Class and Opus 109

Barenboim reciting Hans von Buelow: "Whereas the Well Tempered Klavier is the Old Testament, the Beethoven Sonatas is the New Testament."

On a dire note, I've been rudely cancelled - now forcefully required to do the Appassionata instead of Opus 111. Why did I even come here?

Reading the program notes today, I think I found out a little bit more about Opus 111. Beethoven's last piano sonata is a monument to his conviction that solutions to the problems facing humanity lie ever within our grasp if they can be recognized for what they are and be confronted by models of human transformation. I guess...

Geoff, Jeff and I were all talking about relative musical parellels to the most significant movies for technology. The original Star Wars, we decided, is Beethoven Fifth Symphony. Terminator 2 is Beethoven's Ninth. Jurassic Park is Brahms's First Symphony and The Matrix is Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring.
The original Star Wars was monumental for technological progress in the respect that it created a new genre of things to come. The realism of the technology in Star Wars at the time was unparalleled. Terminator 2 was the culminative glory point, Jurassic Park was a perfected path for 3d computer graphics and The Matrix innovatively inspired the level of technology to a no-bounds limit.

Anyway, I'm out.

New York - Day 11: The Fourth Class

Somebody asked Barenboim why he didn't take the third movement repeat in the Appassioinata last night, and he answered "I dunno....I knew somebody would ask me that. Hey Andre! Do you take the repeat?"

At which point I heard a booming voice right behind me say, "Yes, of course", and lo and behold, there he was. Andre Watts. Sitting right behind me.

Then I walked outside and I saw Itzhak Perlman talking on his cell phone.

This place is like a musical Hollywood.

New York - Day 10: The Appassionata

My second attempt at Eminemizing classical music. This freestyle goes out to Daniel Barenboim.

You mighta thought you was a classical musician,
But what you really on is a pointless mission,
You tried to compose, so you wrote a tarentella,
But that shit was so wack, you copy off Helen Keller,
I won't even get started on the way you play Brahms,
Cuz that would get me started, on baggin' on your mom,
You sit at the piano, and think you're the bomb,
But all you really are, is a fake ass Elton John,
They say you the shit, but I say nigga please,
You sound like you took lessons, from a broke ass Alicia Keys,
I got your free tickets, so I guess I gotta settle,
But what I really can't stand, is you drowning shit with pedal,
Yo I'm sick of this shit, man you wastin' mah time,
They'll finish you off in tomorrow's New York Times

On a serious note, I'm getting increasingly more disturbed by the hypocrisy of Barenboim's ideals; little by little it seems as though his charm functions as a metro-pass for a Beethovenian subway cycle, charging through at full speed which he seems to get away with for free every single time (given the audience's reception). The Appassionata was dominated by the flexibility of ultra-wavering tempos - like a child playing with a metronome and the most disturbing part was the fact that he didn't take the Third movement repeat. After all his lecturing about integrity and specifically the integration of melos, aethos, ethos, and pathos, he consciously ignores his own ideals, knowing that his dramatic flair and boy-charm will probably save him at the end. I actually don't take the repeat either, but I don't lecture about the ethical standard of taking repeats in Beethoven. Don't front, homes.

New York - Day 9: The Third Class - The Gold Medal Winner

My review of Mr. Barenboim's Sonatas have been vindicated and confirmed by none other than The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/16/arts/music/16BARE.html

This whole Beethoven thing is getting exhausting. I can't believe it's not even half over. Also, if I hear the term "tonal ambiguity" again, I'm gonna vomit onstage. The classes are more and more representing something that you could read in the program notes of a concert rather than a real lesson - it's almost like a structure and harmony class rather than an educational experience; at least today. Predominantly, the content of today's class was shadowed by wit and charm, two characteristics that seem to come completely naturally to him. But at the end, all the repetition of Beethovenian structure and analysis boil down to "tonal ambiguity", something every student knows about Opus 101 before he/she even tackles it. Whatever.

The most interesting Barenboim said today was in response to the question, "is age a big factor in developing musical intelligence and maturity", to which he surprisingly answered with a blatant "no". He said, he has met too many of his colleagues, either a monk who can express the sexual properties of eroticism, or a man who has had 20 affairs who cannot express any of it. With singers, especially, he says that so many are incredibly talented at expressing deceit, greed, eroticism, power, humility, redemption, and any other possible human emotion.....but when you get a cup of coffee with them, you wish you hadn't.

When asked how his interpretation of the sonatas have changed he said: "I used to be a child prodigy. The prodigy is gone but the child is still here."

New York - Day 8: The Pathetique and Opus 101

Damn. Mr. Barenboim, you have definitely redeemed yourself out of your former Les Adieux shithole - I must say tonight was the performance of kings, colossal giants, timeless artists, and the like. I look forward to the rest.

On a more nostalgic note, my most genuine and whole-hearted congratulations go out to my homeboy and former-roommate, Joo-Young Oh, who dazzled a Carnegie Hall audience today with a display of more perfect technique, rockstar-flair, get-girls lyricism, and more star qualities than you can count in all of Hollywood. This fool and I used to sit in our Aspen dormroom drinking cheap Safeway-plastic vodka, chain-smoking Marlboro Reds into a makeshift ashtray, talkin' about big deals and fine chicks, and eternally dreaming of Carnegie Hall and bright lights. Today, we celebrate our coincidental meeting at Carnegie Hall (we even shared a dressing room, in the tradition of old roommates) with Soju and Marlboro Lights in New York's K-town. Much Love!

Nike should have used this one: "Art is long, life is short." -Ludwig van Beethoven

New York - Day 7: Day Off

I did absolutely nothing today except watch Steve Harvey reruns, discover a poorly-Chinese run Japanese restaurant, and watch Proof of Life.

Good luck tomorrow to my former roommate and homeboy, Joo-Young Oh, also known as "Jay-O", who will have his Carnegie Hall recital debut tomorrow night at 5:30pm. Best of luck, homes!

If you can name the following quote, you have my ultimate respect: "A meal is what precedes a cigarette."

New York - Day 6: The Second Class

I have concluded that I learn more from this whole Beethoven business when I am not the actual performer in the workshop. Biased perspective via interaction, as it goes - except that mine was more negative than anything.

Barenboim kept on talking about how I needed to develop a more flexible wrist.....hmmm.........I'm working on that one Mr. Barenboim, I'm working on that one. Every night, in fact.

I also know now how he developed his wrist control - probably during that period of time when Jaqueline Du Pre was paralyzed from neck down. I mean....what would YOU do if your wife was paralyzed - a man's gotta be a man right? Even if he has to be a man in the company of only himself.

New York - Day 5: Les Adieux

Dear Mr. Barenboim,
Please understand that I carry the utmost respect for your impressive intellect, Richard Gere-like charm, emotional dedication, and that thing you do with your shoulders when you play a big chord. Your continuing devotion and amazing mind has forced us all to redirect our perspective of Beethoven to a simultaneously cerebral and emotional level.

I am somewhat disturbed, however, with the amount of notes that you miss - not to be mistaken with poor technique (I know you have good technique, or else...your name wouldn't be Barenboim). Please know that I do understand you are undertaking an impressive feat by devoting over 50 hours to the Beethoven sonatas in three weeks; however, under normal circumstances, and by normal I mean not in the public graciousness of a respected concert hall, your Les Adieux Sonata would have me eat bratwurst, subject myself to a Lambda Lil Sis website, and rim a goat, all at the same time. This is saying quite a lot, as I do not care for bratwurst in the least. To make matters worse, during the standing ovation you received after the sonata, I felt a bit like the third-person protagonist in an existentialist novel (the type where the main character looks at himself from the outside in pity, disgust, and horror).

I hope that the rest of the concerts are much better, and that is a very sincere hope.

Still in admiration,
Carlos

On a lighter note:
Only Joe has bothered to answer the test on my profile: what percentage of your buddylist is Asian?
My results: 187 out of 200
Joe's results: His buddylist was just erased, but out of his emerging one: 38 out of 42

However:
UrAverage AzNJoE: plus I would get double points for everyone who had azn in their screenname
UrAverage AzNJoE: like 1/5 of my list
UrAverage AzNJoE: azn kid this
UrAverage AzNJoE: azn kid that
UrAverage AzNJoE: lil azn this
UrAverage AzNJoE: cutelilazn...
UrAverage AzNJoE: OH WILL IT EVER STOP....
car LOCO 69: UrAverageAzNJoE?
UrAverage AzNJoE: oh yeah
UrAverage AzNJoE: well I made this 2 years ago

Please give me your results. Especially if you're white.

New York - Day 4: The 1st Class

Just when you thought this was gonna be all about classical music. Silly me. While, I'm on this artsy fartsy introspective revelation, Dave always manages to remind me that there is no place like home:

car LOCO 69: why you up so early
car LOCO 69: studying?
Divadjj: dude
Divadjj: drank too much yesterday
Divadjj: dehydrated
Divadjj: had to scrounge for quarters
Divadjj: to get a drink

On another note, the first girl to play today in Carnegie Hall was a Chinese chick who only spoke German, forcing Barenboim to conduct (in front of hundreds of people, who assumedly, were not fluent in German) his entire class in German. That's impressive and all, and if I knew a little bit more than common catch phrases like Deutsch and Shiesse (or however you spell it), then I'm sure I would have been inspired.....but I don't, and it sucked. Equally humorous were the many Asian people around me who still continued to dutifully take notes, though I'm not quite sure what kind of notes they were, or whether they finally understood what it is like for us to be in Chinatown.

When Barenboim was asked today if he had any secrets or technique-tools he used to tackle the most difficult Beetehoven sonatas, he replied, "reputation."

New York - Day 3: The Hammerklavier

Barenboim said yesterday that in contrast to Beethoven's Symphonies, which are a very public display of redemptive joy (at least the later ones), the Sonatas are more like an evolutionary introspective diary - and that they should be treated in such fashion; solitarily cerebral and emotionally alone. Well, if that's all it takes, I'm doing a lot of that, which conveniently also provides an excellent excuse for the fact that I'm actually a loser.

In response to the question directed at Barenboim of why he consciously chose to do a non-chronological approach to the cycle, his answer was amazing. A chronological approch, obviously, would give a listener a macroscopic vision of a entire evolutionary process - in short, from classical to romantic. Barenboim replied that he thought it was more important to display that evolution, to go through the journey, every single night. Interesting.

Tonight was definitely a perfect example. Barenboim misses a lot of notes, but usually it's only because he refuses to compromise drama with caution, which is respectable. Claude Frank always said there are two ways of approaching difficult passages:
1. Go for it and make it.
2. Go for it and miss it.
3. Use caution and make it.
4. Use caution and miss it.
Basically, if you're gonna miss the note, at least go for it. If not, you just look like a pansy.

New York - Day 2: The Barenboim Lecture

I can't remember another single night I've ever learned more - or if I have, it most certainly wasn't about music, and in that case, I probably don't remember it, unless there is incriminating evidence.

Despite the anti-congeniality rumors about Barenboim, the bar-table rumors whispered about his love life, and the never-ending speculation on how he treated a droolingly crippled Du Pre, I have to say I've never met a more charming person. Aside from his bio, he has a way of giving an audience the poignancy of despair and joire de vivre without even touching a note.

First point he made: the relativity between significance and quality of a composer is an idealistic method to determine the more-important-than-both: greatness. Definitively (or not, if you don't agree), significance is judged mainly by creation of a new idiom - it's judged by the courageous radicalness that sticks (lots of composers were courageous, but it never stuck, so who cares about them?). Likewise, quality is judged by...well, whatever history has used to judge what a good composer is.

Example: Mendelssohn was a good composer (as judged by classics like his violin concerto, piano concertos, symphonies, hebrides, etc.), but had he not existed, the course of music evolution would probably have evolved in the exact same way it did. Hence, insignificant. But take Berlioz - not such a great composer (just look at Symphonie Fantastique), but his early inventiveness was too important in the creation of Wagner and Liszt, and so on down that avant-garde food chain. Hence, significant. Beethoven, as Barenboim argues, was the one composer who bridged the gap between Good and Significant, and was possibly the first composer to do so (and if you think Bach was radical, then I'm sorry. You're wrong.).

Second point he made: Beethoven was also the only composer to mold the concepts of aethos and ethos together (don't ask, those are the words he used). The aesthetic aspect of Beethoven vs. the ethical aspect, I guess, meaning basically that Beethoven was the most moral composer to walk the planet. (He even hated Don Giovanni just for the content)

The last point he made is the most important: Beethoven, after he invented the romantic language, dramaticized an undramatic era of history, gave deaf people a reason to live, and whatever other philantrophic things he did - is ultimately about courage and redemption. Beethoven, in essense, is as Schnabel put it: The point of hardest resistance. He's not about taking the easy way out, and definitely not about any sort of compromise. He's about taking the hardest possible means to achieve the most glorious possible end (See 9th Symphony). Beethoven is about crescendo, crescendo, crescendo, and then subito piano (even, and especially if it's difficult); he's about dolce espressivo.

There's a famous conversation between a reporter and Leonard Bernstein, and the reporter asks, "why is Beethoven so great?"

Bernstein: Beethoven was the epitome of perfection - a composer whose music you know in the deepest of your heart, contains perfection so great that given any random note, not a single note could precede or follow it and make it any better.

Reporter: But Mr. Bernstein, your description of Beethoven sounds more like the description of some kind of God.

Bernstein: I meant it to be.

New York - Day 1:

I'm not even in New York yet, but on the darker side, I just found out that I'm not by myself in this baller hotel room - I have a fucking roommate. WTF is that shit?