Most boring piece ever written?

[Contratrombone64]

"there's no accounting for taste" is the old proverb, and it's veracity is unquestioned.

 

[acc]

John Cage's As Slow As Possible. I really tried to “get the hang of it”, but I gave up after the first three months of the performance. :grin:

 

[Fretless]

"my mind begins to wander and I lose the thread ..." a delicious way of saying "my brain shutsdown and my eyes glaze over" eh? ;-)

Heh, that it is.

I take it as a challenge when that happens, and usually go back when my ears are fresh.

 

[the maestro]

In fact, I find many of Bach's music as dull!

 

[Contratrombone64]

Bach dull? mmmm interesting, and thank goodness that's never been my experience of the grand master's music.

 

[acc]

Alas, I did have experiences of Bach sounding dull. And it took me quite some time to figure out that particular way of playing was dull, rather than the music itself.

 

[tphillips09]

lulz at John Cage!

I would also like to add 4:33 in there. Can't say that I have a taste for it.

My music theory teacher, though told our class about the best performance of 4:33 he ever attended. Some drunk girls were walking back through the music building the night of the performance and since everyone was completely silent they had NO idea that the concert was going on-- they were laughing and yelling the entire time about how awesome their night was and all the lewd things they did and the entire audience could hear all of their conversation but they didn't say a word!

 

[jhnbrbr]

That's a great story, and I can't help thinking Cage would have approved one hundred percent, and regarded the girls as being part of the performance (however unwittingly!)

 

[hauptwerkIII]

I'm afraid Bruckner Symphonies does little for me neither Vaughan-Williams symphonies, even though he is a master of orchestration.

 

[hauptwerkIII]

A piece I remember from my chorister days is an un-accompanied short mass by Caccini. It has to be one of the most dullest written choral piece ever written.

The choir would drift into a lethargy performing it.

Another piece I used to hate is 'Let me know thine end' by Maurice Greene. It always used to sound ever so depressing when our choir used to sing it and the words don't help!

I heard this piece again a couple of weeks ago and it struck me how actually beautiful it was. It is said Greene was the 'English Handel'...

 

[Montefalco]

I haven't heard Gorecki's Symphony No. 3, however I have heard some excerpts of the 'sequel' to this work, entitled ...Songs are Sung. I can only remember the first part of it, which consisted of a single chord being played, gradually rising chromatically, and rising in volume at the same time. The reason I can't remember any of the rest of the piece was mostly due to the trance-like state the first part had put me into.

 

[Corno Dolce]

Hi Montefalco,

On Youtube there is a wonderful vid with Isabel Bayrakdarian singing the soprano solo with orchestral accompaniment. Its spine-chilling stuff but at the same time healing the troubled conscience...

Cheers,

CD :tiphat::tiphat::tiphat:

 

[Montefalco]

Thanks for the recommendation, CD.
It is far superoir to the peice I heard. You're right about it being spine-chilling, yet conscience healing.

 

[Corno Dolce]

Hi Montefalco,

Glad to hear that I could offer you some useful info - Gorecki's music can be taxing if one has a tender constitution, especially his earlier music.

Cordially yours,

CD :tiphat::tiphat::tiphat::tiphat:

 

[Montefalco]

From the recordings I have heard, I think that the second movement of Bach's Italian Concerto may have to be in the running for, if not the most boring piece ever written, then one of the most boring baroque pieces still heard today.

 

[Contratrombone64]

Montefalco - you shock me!! I couldn't disagree more heartily, but there's no accounting for taste, as they say.

 

[Montefalco]

It could be due to the recordings I've heard. I'll look it up on Youtube sometime to compare recording to the ones I know of. Love the first and third movements, though.

(edit: I just listened to the beginnig of a few recordings, and I like it more already.)

 

[Contratrombone64]

yeah - I think Bach is one of those rare gentlemen who actually didn't compose too much twaddle. Unlike Beethoven, for example, where you only need to listen to King Stephen overture to realise he was uninspired.

 

[Montefalco]

And then there was Glass...

 

[Contratrombone64]

Ah, now there we differ, also. I happen to love the music of Philip Glass enormously, let's just agree to disagree, Montefalco my friend.

David.

(who resides in Sydney's south (quite near the airport) and works in Pymble).