I could not live without... CLASSICAL MUSIC

Oh yes, you need a lot of getting accustomed, to, ehem, maintitles etiquette

Dad, this is normal behavior on maintitles since it started in 2007, getting off-topic constantly, joking with lots of sarcastic remarks. Especially with certain members, that know how to interpret a joke. Just another way of getting through the day.

Yes as Martijn said: ALL IS WELL.

After this slight deviation how about we discuss some classically themed movies we've seen. There are only two I've watched and they have been great. 'A Late Quartet' starring Christopher Walken and Philip Seymour Hoffmann as one half of a string quartet. I was more into the performances and how the characters interacted than the music itself, but the music is the backbone of the story, so it deserves a mention. I forgot the composer of the music in that film.

Then there's one that never ceases to amaze and I've seen a couple of times: 'Immortal Beloved' about the life and death of one Ludwig van Beethoven. Great movie, wonderfully shot and stunningly acted by Gary Oldman as the big man. On my last viewing (with dad ) I noticed the music which was absolutely perfect for any given scene. In other words superb film music. Beethoven was the John Williams of his time (IMO = In My Opinion).

Don't think so, or I forgot everything about it.

It's a good movie, don't get me wrong, and I'm not sure I'd even debate your "greatest musical biopic of all time" label (mostly because that really isn't so huge a pool to pick from; of the ones I've seen, only Gilles' mention of Immortal Beloved competes) - I just find it a little tiring to sit through.

Also - prepares to duck again - I find Mozart himself a wee bit overrated.

The former - I'm certainly not musicologically educated enough to hazard an opinion on the latter! And "don't like" is certainly too strongly phrased; Mozart's music is brilliantly tuneful and enjoyable but I don't really sense much depth of emotion inside it that would explain to me his elevated status above all other composers as The Genius. Really I'm a romantic at heart (aren't we film music fans all?), so just about the earliest music that connects emotionally for me is mid-to-late Beethoven; I feel the same "distance" towards Haydn, Handel, Bach, even the more "classical" romantics like Mendelssohn and Brahms. Great music; would rarely choose to listen to it.

Mozart? ehm, just the REQUIEM, the 40th symphony 1st mvmtn, and mozart mass in c minor, i.e. his minor, grand works. The rest is mostly unbearable to me.

I like a bit more than you D but I agree with where you're coming from. Still, Mozart was a genius with or without our opinions.

Prepare to feel the wrath of someone soon.

Nah seriously, I know what you're saying. Give me film composers any day of the week over Mozart or most of the other classics. Dad knows this, but I've been broadening my horizons somewhat in the last couple of years. Gorecki for instance, some Shostakovich (the ferocious energetic type). And Glass, but I know him mostly for Koyaanisqatsi. I can really dig repetitive minimalist music, as long as it holds a clear and memorable melody.

I don't expect Mozart is popular among film music fans in general.

Indeed, many of our favourite classical composers tend to be filmic, Debussy, Ravel, Holst, Grieg, Mussorgsky etc come to mind or they have even dabbled in film scoring themselves, Shostakovitch, Prokofiev, Vaughan Williams and Aaron Copland being the most high profile.

If Robert doesn't have it you can listen on Spotify, the album also contains the rousing The Canyon.

I'm not a big fan of Mozart either
Tom

Just so happens I enjoyed an early-morning listen to Beethoven's symphony No. 4 and thought I'd submit the observation that it's indeed a great thing when a musician's music doesn't have to serve another master (i.e., a movie).