My Forest Armenia’s Post

Here's our review of the #SalzburgWindPhilharmonic's latest #Beethoven recording: The Symphony of Fate "is performed less dramatically than what one has become accustomed to. Despite the obvious absence of strings, the orchestra’s sound is clear, yet the symphony is fully complete. This in itself requires significant musical mastery, which Conductor Hansjörg Angerer displays as his recording demonstrates absolute fidelity to the composer’s vision...The recording of the Pastoral Symphony is equally true to Beethoven’s vision." https://lnkd.in/dex3egVS

What a positive result and a welcome relief for our sector. Well done to all those at Museums Association, AIM - Association of Independent Museums, Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre , Manchester Camerata and many others who have lobbyed to achieve this. The new permanent rate covering theatres, museums and galleries - 45% for touring productions and 40% for non-touring shows - is below the current rates of 50%/45%, but well above the pre-pandemic rates of 25%/20%, which had been due to come back in over the next two years. As well as this, £26m of funding has been provided to the National Theatre in London, to upgrade its stages and infrastructure. There was "levelling up" funding for a number of cultural venues: •£15m for the National Railway Museum in York •£10m for National Museums Liverpool •£10m for British Library North in Leeds •£10m for Venue Cymru in Llandudno, north Wales •£5m for the Poetry Centre in Leeds •£2.6m for the V&A Dundee The Budget also included funding for a major TV and film studio complex in Sunderland through a devolution package for the north-east of England. Crown Works Studios is expected to create more than 8,000 jobs in the region and generate £336m a year for the local economy, its operators said.

Best advice a world class musician can give a young leader: "If you are a singer, sing. If you are a commedian, be funny. If you are a magician, do magic. Failure and mediocrity usually come when singers try to tell jokes and comedians try to sing. Unless you are Dean Martin - stick to what you do best." My father was Benny Goodman's lead trumpet player on his Asia and European tours in the '50s. He was a young man who knew what he did well. From his perch in the orchestra, around the world and then for 30+ years at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, he saw thousands of performers. While finding the parallels between his life in music and my career as a Naval Officer and a Business Executive was a challenge, one day Dad hit gold with the above quote. Questions for all of us - 1. What are you really good at and can even be better? 2. What should you leave to others so they can shine in their own way? You don't have to be great at anything, but if you want to be, find your brilliance. Video is from 1958 in Brussels. Billy Hodges, my father, is in the back row next to the drummer. BTW: I chose to work with leaders to 'Help humans be heroes in the age of Automation and Ai". https://lnkd.in/ghmriUpn

This week, in Germany, I stood in the birthplace of the musical revolution — the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn. What a profound experience to walk the very rooms where Beethoven lived and created. 🙏🏽 A rebellious spirit permeates these walls, challenging us to rethink our creative boundaries. Beethoven’s pioneering approach to reimagining orchestration, expanding musical forms, and infusing deep emotion wasn't just about music. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. From his study, where his breakthrough symphonies took form, to his salon, where his innovative chamber works first echoed, every room in this house has a story to tell. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘆? 𝗨𝗻𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹. On my way out of Beethoven-Haus, I reflected on the nature of innovation. A true revolutionary, Beethoven challenged the status quo and pushed the boundaries of what was possible. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝘀. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀? What frontiers are we hesitant to explore? #Beethoven #Innovation #Creativity #Germany

In 2009, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and its conductor, David Parry, selected and recorded what they believed to be the 50 greatest pieces of classical music. The list includes 5 pieces by Beethoven, 6 by Mozart, and 3 by Bach. To create those masterpieces, Beethoven produced 650 pieces of music, Mozart wrote more than 600, and Bach composed more than 1,000. If they were baseball players, Mozart’s batting average would have been .01—one in one hundred. You don’t even make a Little League team with that kind of batting average. Bach’s and Beethoven’s batting averages were even worse! And Handel only had one hit. There are two errors that we make in evaluation—a false positive and a false negative. A false positive is a false alarm. It’s the boy who cried wolf when there was no wolf. A false positive is believing something to be true that turns out to be false. In business, it’s a product that is expected to be a home run but turns out to be a swing and a miss. A false negative is the opposite. It’s expecting failure but experiencing success. A psychologist named Aaron Kozbelt has examined letters written by Beethoven, in which he evaluated seventy of his works. Kozbelt compared Beethoven’s self-assessment with the opinions of experts, and he found that Beethoven committed fifteen false positives. In other words, compositions that he thought were major turned out to be minor. He also committed eight false negatives. He criticized pieces that are some of his greatest works. That’s a 33 percent error rate even after receiving audience feedback. Win The Day by Mark Batterson

Rhapsody In Blue Merrick Chamber Orchestra  Richard Gilley Piano  (No. 37 No. 38)  Agitato mf Molto marcato  Analysis This section starts out at (No. 37) marked agitato, with the same melodic motif that was introduced the first time that the piano played at the beginning of the Rhapsody. This melody was also developed in the poco agitato section earlier. It consists of a 16th rest followed by three 16th notes and two eights. This familiar theme is used a different places throughout the Rhapsody, but in this section, it is developed with great speed and intensity, as it is actually a recap of the poco agitato section. At (No. 38) the music progresses with greater intensity and keeps building, and leads us to the molto marcato section which is six measures long. Molto means much or very, and Marcato means to perform with emphasis. Here, the orchestra plays a chromatic scale in contrary motion. Half of the orchestra ascends, while the other half of the orchestra descends chromatically. As the orchestra plays the chromatic scale with each note accented, as the scale continues it dramatically slows down to a final B-flat chord followed by a fermata before the last section of the Rhapsody.

SYMPHONY NO. 1 My first full symphony, in four movements, composed from 2022-2024. The second movement is the only movement that is subtitled (as "Heubad"), and it is for divided strings. The rest of the symphony is for full orchestra, although percussion parts (aside from timpani) were deliberately not included in the work. The first movement is inspired by a number of things, with the central climax meant to represent the motion of the Zweihänder. The third movement is a scherzo, and the final movement provides closure on some of the thematic motions throughout. There was a work also known as a "Symphony" composed for wind ensemble; this has been changed to a sinfonietta, as it in its entirety was smaller in formal scope. I plan to eventually make a score video so that you are welcome to follow along with the music. https://lnkd.in/eCVCRFhw

MOZART'S SYMPHONY 40 & 41: TRUE GREATNESS IS UNSTOPPABLE Nearly three years after Mozart's passing, his wife Constanze Mozart unearthed the manuscripts for Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, known as "The Great G Minor," and Symphony No. 41, also called "Jupiter," tucked away in a corner drawer; no other copies—just these single, handwritten manuscripts. Symphony No. 40 has become so universally recognized that even more than two centuries later, virtually anyone you meet on the street could hum its tune, no problem. To this day, the world's leading orchestras include these masterpieces in their annual repertoire, without fail. Had these compositions remained hidden, the cultural landscape we know today might have been markedly different. This story conveys two vital insights: 1) Never judge based on mere appearances or hearsay. Life is replete with surprising discoveries. 2) True greatness is unstoppable; it invariably finds its way into the world, overcoming any barrier. CULTURE LEADS > TECH FOLLOWS Happy 4/20!

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲: 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭'𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 Imagine a single melody that soothes your soul, lifts your spirits, and rejuvenates your mind—this is the transformative power of classical music! Our latest Classics Count show features more musical treasures and two spotlight interviews with High Wycombe Choral Society and Hemel Symphony Orchestra. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭? 𝟏) 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬: Co-presenters Martin Clarke and Heather Harrison bring award-winning broadcasting experience and a lifelong passion for classical music. Their expertise ensures a high-quality and enjoyable listening experience for both seasoned aficionados and newcomers. 𝟐) 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: Each weekly episode guides listeners through a captivating journey in classical music. From exploring a diverse repertoire to providing insightful commentary and featuring interviews with talented musicians, there’s something for everyone to enjoy and learn. 𝟑) 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠: Classical music can significantly reduce stress, improve sleep quality, enhance concentration, and elevate overall mental health. Let the soothing melodies of Classics Count help you relax, unwind, and maintain a positive mindset. Don’t miss the latest episodes—stream them now and experience the transformative power of classical music. https://lnkd.in/ea74HHZP What’s your favourite way that music has improved your wellbeing? #Classicalmusic #Relaxation #Mindfulness

Have you heard of "Mozart Effect"? Some researchers claim that listening to Mozart Sonata increases your spatial abilities and lifts your mood. There are also various studies that listening to classical music can help you focus. But I have also heard from various people that listening to rock or metal is their jam, especially when they are trying to do deep thinking or get a lot of work done in a short period of time. I have personally experimented with music as a background for work and it definitely helps with concentration and quality of output. However, the playlist depends on what type of work I am doing. It's rock and roll when i am crunching numbers, pop or folk when i am responding to emails or doing something light (yup, singing Taylor Swift or Abba when i am typing that message 😃 ). And when doing deep thinking or writing a document, it is classical. This is my favourite - https://lnkd.in/eU3NPGbA (Sorry Mozart fans, Beethoven does it for me 🎼) 🎶 What's your favourite background music while working, or do you prefer absolute silence? 🎶