OPIE Goes to a Symphony

[thebes]

Well howdee Mrs. Bee! How are you this fine sunny day?

Well Im just fine there Opie, jusnen on my ways to gather up the last off the rhubarb to make a couple of homemade pies. But never you mind me how was your trip to the big city?

Gollee Mrs. Bee, you never seen such sites. Why they got buildings thats taller than the coops silo, fancy new cars and the women-folk wear the most amazing clothing you ever laid eyes on. But the most amazing thing of all was this here Symphonee I done went to.

Now what in tarnation is a Symphonee, Opie?

Oh my Mrs. Bee, you go to this great building and inside is this meetin hall bigger in size than Uncle Calebs big milkin barn. There are hundreds of seats facin like rows of corn towards this large platform. Now these seats are filled with stuffing and lined with the finest velvet you ever set your eyes on. An up above, hanging from the ceiling are these big electric lights with hundreds of little pieces of shiny glass hanging from them. I think they call them Shadyleers, but they dont really provide much shade atall.

Now pretty soon the big curtain goes up and there is the biggest band you ever done see.

You wont believe what they got for instruments either. Why they got what seems like dozens and dozens of different shaped fiddles. They also got lots of funny looking instruments with names like Busooms, and Pickyloows, more trumpets and tubas and fifes than we have for the 4th of July parade, and way in the back are the biggest drums you ever did see.

Now standing in front of them is this very small fellow and you can tell that for some reason hes really mad at the band because he starts shaking this little stick at them. Well like all decent folk, this doesnt sit well with the band and so they start blowing their horns, and playin their fiddles and banging their drums right back at him. Well you never heard such a sound. After a while though both sides get a little tired so they slow down and the music gets a little softer whilst they rest up, but pretty soon there right back at it again.

While al this is goin on I takes a look around to see what the city folk think of all this carryin on, and that was mighty interesting too. Some folks has got their eyes closed like theyre sleeping but their heads keep goin up an down, and some of em are swinging their hands or tapping their toes. En sum of em even got these teeny tiny little glasses theyre looking through. I figure they must be trying to figure out who the little guy with the stick is so mad at.

Well this goes on for the longest time, and when the caterwallin stops the folks just rise to their feet and start clapping and clapping.

Lord a Goshen Opie if that isnt the most outlandish tale ever to come out of your mouth.

If I didn know you were such a nice boy Id think you made the whole thing up.

Oh no Mrs. Bee, you now I wouldnt tell a fib.

You know after I figured it out an all I kinda got to liken it. Much better then our local band, the Hoboken Hillbillies. As a matter of fact while I was in the big city I done bought a couple of these here Symphonee records to play on the Victrola at home.

Trouble is I dont know whitcha ones to be a buyin. I got me some from this feller named Beetletoven and another feller named Wagner (I think his first name is Pop), but Im a gonna need some more before I spend money on things I really dont know about.

I think I'll go on over to Hope Holler, I heard the Klipsch boys knows a lot about this here stuff.

While that sounds like a right good idea Opie, dont stay to long though, or youll miss out on my rhubarb pie.

______________________

So are we going to help out Opie or what?

[LarryC]

Opie needs a lot of help -- if it isn't too late! Search on "Classical" to come up with 30 threads with a LOT of good information. This thread is one example.

Larry

[maxg]

Thebes - you have a rare talent for fiction. Immensly enjoyable.

I have said it before and I will say it again - assuming the hero of this story has internet - head over to www.naxos.com and you can find a whole world of introductions to classical music there.

Join (free) and you get to play sample from most of their disks - a nice way to test things out before you buy.

[D-MAN]

Ok, here's my short list with no spell checking...

Teutonic stuff:

1) Beethoven's 9th - let's see YOU do this when your deaf

2) Wagner - Hitler loved this guy, and then his wife

3) Grieg - get in the damn boat and start rowing, you viking, you

4) Mozart - this guy was too dang happy

Romantic and otherwise easy-to-swallow stuff:

1) Rachmananoff - 2nd Piano Concerto is a must-own

2) Verdi - the opera king

3) Tchaikovski - what can you say?

Impressionist stuff:

1) Debussy - lots of shorter romantic tunes that go down easy

2) Ravel - did you know that he orchestrated Gershwin's Rapsody? Ignore "Bolero" which was apparently an experiment...

Soundtrack material, heavy on dynamics:

1) Stravinski

2) Dvorzak

3) Strauss

4) Mousorski

For a depressing time, try:

1) Shostokovitch - Stalin loved this guy

2) Gorecki - don't have a loaded gun in the house

3) Ives - somebody take away his music paper before he does any more!

DM

[thebes]

This is really great stuff especially the thread Larry linked me to. Good lord, more dough, but more music!

Anybody else going to help me out with my "Opie Opus" (fini lent this one to me)