[78-L] Glenn Miller and more

[Eric Goldberg]

 Also Sprach David Burnham:

It is too bad when a tune which starts life as a revolutionary hit gets played so often that everyone gets tired of hearing it and then blames the tune itself for the weariness it inspires.  This has happened with "Rock Around the Clock", "White Christmas", Beethoven's 5th, Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto and countless other pieces, such as "In the Mood".

I reply:  

I don't think I would place "Rock Around the Clock", "White Christmas", and  "In the Mood" in the same class as the Beethoven No. 5 or the Tchaikovsky.

I remember going to review a performance of Beethoven's 5th. I took a friend of mine who had played at the Metropolitan Opera for 37 years and was well acquainted with the orchestral repertoire. I asked him when the last time he had heard the Beethoven and he admitted it hadn't been for quite a while. My comments was "You know it really is as good as they say"> The first thing he said as we left the concert was "You know, it really is that good". 

I don't think I will ever find something new in "In the Mood", whereas I find new aural treasures every time I hear the Beethoven or the Tchaikovsky, and I have heard both of those pieces countless times.

Of course, I am talking about Beethoven and  Tchaikovsky as they wrote them.
If you only know them from one of the two record sets once advertised on TV as" All the Classical Music you will ever need" then they are can be seen as cliches.

It makes me think about all the Also Sprach Zarathustra LP's  that were purchased after the movie 2001 was a hit. Side 1 was worn out and side 2 was pristine.

Eric Goldberg