maestro.......

[flirtygerty]

anyone else watch it? thought it was quite good though a bit long.Also wish they had done more explaining for us unmusical types. Bradley Walsh makes me want to heave, so does Katie dereham - surely no-one can be that 'sweet' for real?!

it's all a bit weird because the contestants weren't really 'equal' to start with - e.g. sue had def advantage as could both play piano to high standard and read music. goldie obv v musical but possibly disadvantaged by not reading music. katie also has musical background iirc - and she's had a bum deal i feel: her mentor was driving her really hard because he felt she was talented (so huge pressure from him) PLUS then the judges were marking her down for not living up to their high expectations!

now i didn't like katie much but i did feel like this was unfair, esp as jane asher was obv crapper than her. you have to mark people on what they actually do, surely, rather than what you think they ought to be able to do...?

It's true, Perkins is at a massive advantage but I thought they were trying to give her harder pieces to compensate. Although that Tosca was clearly really hard from what they were saying?

Have only just been able to watch it on iplayer - yup, that was my chum Melissa. She told me he got through yesterday morning but made me promise not to tell anyone

I did think he had a slightly harder time being given a more obscure aria than say Sue but the fact the orchestra voted him through says a lot. Can't wait for next week!

ps thanks for the explanations albongo!

You're most welcome.

Simone has been head and shoulder above the other judges for me. I'd also agree about the quality of some of Roger's feedback, though I think his judgement is good and he always tries to do the right thing with his scores.

I'm sure the orchestra had their instructions and had to balance the audience's desire to hear the music played well with the need to reflect the conductor's performance but, other than during the first week, it was increasingly difficult to tell by ear alone who was doing well.

I think it's important that they have 2 conductors and 2 players on the panel of judges - it's all very well (and of course very useful) for conductors to feed back on conducting students, but it's players who actually have to take the direction from them when they are on the podium.

Sir Roger has a prosthetic ear since his cancer a while back, so it may be that he's not able to follow or keep up with all the dialogue that's going on (particularly Clive's lame asides!) - hence his sometimes slightly odd comments!

Thanks bramshott, that would explain it of course. He's also pretty hot on the tempo each conductor manages to keep.

But I love Simone too, she's like a missile right in there.

And the two musicians are quite unpredictable which in itself is quite entertaining. Dominic "I love my Hair" wotsit can be so extreme in his love and praise and then so damning in his criticism, I do feel for the contestants sometimes....

It looks so hard though, the more I watch the series the more impossible it looks to do!

I must get off this computer...

But I did just watch this on youtube, Bernstein playing Rhapsody in Blue while conducting a huge orchestra just with his face.

Sorry, but this clip of Bernstein kicking off while conducting is really good, and Carreras looks like a terrified 6 yr old boy.

here

thanks fabulous clip - carreras pretty cross too and so young!
I was a student when this was done - really takes me back.

Good to see a 'real' conductor's face - I've only ever seen it when I'm singing, but at a concert you always see the back.

i quite fancy katie's mentor.

V relieved that Goldie was saved. I got what they were saying about KD and her dresses when you saw what Prof Simone wore to conduct (wasn't she fab!?) - much more discreet so that the conducting was the focus rather than the conductor.

IIRC they almost all had quite significant musical backgrounds (JA's mother was a professional oboeist and played with all the top orchestras and she was immersed in music through her childhood).

He is kind of compelling isn't he sueellens? I just assume he must be gay though? Maybe not! My gaydar is pretty poor.

spatz this clip of Bernstein conducting 'one hand one heart' made me cry! His face is absolutely wonderful and they way he looks at the musicians and singers so expressively and with such compassion I really really love his face.

Also look at the way Kiri te K smiles at Carreras at the beginning of the duet - she is aDORable isn't she?

Have you been a prof singer than Spatz?

Wow this thread is way more informative than the programme.'

Weblette - really liked your friend. The programme must be recorded on Monday then? Which makes it a bi ridiculous that they have to keep cutting the judges' comments because time is so short! Or maybe it's just that Clive Anderson is crap at keeping things to time??

Have to tell a Goldie story my dh told me. He's met him a few time through work (only enough to say hello to really) and one time Goldie arrived where my dh works and they said hi to each other and my dh said 'lovely motor Goldie' and he threw dh the keys and said 'take it round the block mate, and bring me the keys when you've finished'
But dh didn't think he should take him up on it, just thought it was funny.

ipanemagirl - not sure. he was wearing a wedding ring (just noticed in passing
you understand ...) but doesn't make him straight obviously. might have to cyber stalk him to find out as, quite by chance, i remember his full name!

You bad ipanemagirl - I am neglecting my darlings to look at west side story. Since I last looked at the thread I've been watching all of it - remember it from the 80s.

Absolutely love one hand one heart and also noticed Kiri's lovely smile at Jose - they were really enjoying it all.

Not professional at all - sung in amateur non-audition choirs. Used to sing in Ivor Setterfield's (Goldie's mentor) before I had dd. He used to get v v cross with us!

Hoped I would learn more about conducting from Maestro - not sure I've learnt much, but do love it.

I've done the cyberstalking already, suellen , but could find no info on that score (excuse the pun).

He does have a certain je ne sais quoi, doesn't he?

spatz that is still very impressive of you.

I failed to get into the chorus of the Mikado at school and can still feel the wound....... I had to do make up. How I wanted to totter about on stage an sing!

sueellen he IS rather beautiful but too refined for my taste, he looks like one of those uber brilliant men who speaks 50 languages and composed his first symphony in utero etc etc . But absolutely beautiful face.

suellen and wessex
here's his profile page

cuter when looking cross I think.....

But much too refined for me! I like 'em rougher and a little bigger all over! But I have girlfriends who adore a man like this....

He's hugely accomplished isn't he? No mention of a family or ought is there?

He looks like a male ballet dancer doesn't he?

he is very much my type - all delicate and sulky and looks like he's bad with his nerves. he does lots of outreach educational stuff too so is probably quite a decent chap. thought he looked like a ballet dancer myself. either that or a bit like niles from fraiser (loved him too but the actor also gay .... maybe i need to re-think my preferences!)

oh is the Niles actor gay? I didn't know that! Told you my gaydar was rubbish...

I love David Hyde Pierce as well! Definitely a type thing, I think.

Finely-wrought, highly-strung, cheekboney geniuses .

Thanks for the profile, Ipanema .

wessex, ur welcome. I know loads of women who really like that kind of refined English bloke, helps if almost feline in slimness and terribly brilliant/clever/gifted in some way.

The New Yorker film critic Anthony Lane is one of these, so so so so clever, brilliant writer and handsome too. Lucky Allison Pearson (the mail) who married him!

But again, I like 'em a bit more Ollie Reed in his prime.....