Posted: 2/10/19 at 11:34pm
Very happy for them and well deserved. Having seen the show a second time a few weeks ago, the music just sets the stage and the mood so perfectly for the entire show. It's really quite an achievement.
Posted: 2/11/19 at 1:06am
My second thought after reading TBV won the Grammy was A8 would post a disapproving comment. Talk about predictable!
Posted: 2/11/19 at 4:08am
No doubt the cast album will meet with the same rapturous reception on the part of the public as the soon-to-be-departing show.
I pity the unfortunate souls who may now choose to plunk down their hard-earned dough to listen to the thing.
Posted: 2/11/19 at 4:40am
Posted: 2/11/19 at 7:16am
The cast recording for The Band's Visit is actually quite good. The music is not your run of the mill Broadway stuff and deserves its Grammy nod.
Posted: 2/11/19 at 9:01am
Posted: 2/11/19 at 9:16am
StageDoorSally wrote:
"The music is not your run of the mill Broadway stuff and deserves its Grammy nod."
If by run of the mill Broadway stuff you mean such run of the mill Broadway stuff as My Fair Lady, Hello, Dolly!, South Pacific, or Kiss Me, Kate, to name a few, then you know what? Let us have run of the mill Broadway stuff --- cascades of it --- from here to eternity!
We desperately need run of the mill Broadway stuff!
What we desperately do not need is music that can only be deemed music in the sense of an amalgam of notes strung together, with all the appeal of a mud puddle.
Posted: 2/11/19 at 11:21am
Isn’t it great that we all have different tastes in musical theater, stage plays, and what’s important to us? Isn’t it wonderful that we have so many options and genres on Broadway to choose from? To see, or not to see, that is the question. Live theater is one of the greatest treasures we can enjoy, experience, and share.
And isn’t it sad that we can’t respect another person’s appreciation for these arts without dragging it though the mud puddles of disdain.
As for me, I have less desire to see “Kiss Me Kate” and “South Pacific” than I did for “SpongeBob Square Pants: The Musicical”. I thought “My Fair Lady” at the Lincoln Center was just barely OK. I am eager to see “Beetlejuice”, “Moulin Rouge”, and maybe one day if I’m lucky, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”. No desire to see “Hadestown”, TKAM, “Tootsie”, or “The Cher Show”.
But I’m not going to deride the opinion of another forum member with mocking irreverence and sarcasm about their choices.
How disrespectful is is to continuously beat that drum of hate and discontent, to continuously spread bile and venom in your posts, so that others feel compelled to reply in defense.
If all you can do is to look backwards, share with us your bitter aftertaste opinions of all shows we like, and you’re someone who finds no joy in any theater other than reminiscing about the good old days, then maybe it is time to quit us.
You don’t have to like everything. You also don’t have to hate all things that aren’t reminiscent of a bygone era.
Posted: 2/11/19 at 11:25am
My personal favorite of the nominated albums is 'Carousel', but they're all worthy of the award so I can't say I'm displeased that TBV won. Maybe this will lead to more interest in the score and a longer life for the show outside of New York, which would be great.
Posted: 2/11/19 at 11:45am
After Eight reminds me of Joe in MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG.
JOE
That's great. That's swell
The other stuff as well
It isn't every day
I hear a score this strong
But fellas, if I may
There's only one thing wrong:
There's not a tune you can hum
There's not a tune you go bum-bum-bum-di-dum
You need a tune you can bum-bum-bum-di-dum ?
Give me a melody!
Why can't you throw 'em a crumb?
What's wrong with letting 'em tap their toes a bit?
I'll let you know when Stravinsky has a hit ?
Give me some melody!
Oh sure, I know
It's not that kind of show
But can't you have a score
That's sort of in between?
Look, play a little more
I'll show you what I mean
Listen, boys
Maybe it's me
But that's just not a hummmmmmmmmmmmmable melody!
Write more, work hard
Leave your name with the girl
Less avant-garde
Leave your name with the girl
Just write a plain old melodee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee
Dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee
Posted: 2/11/19 at 12:08pm
After Eight said: "StageDoorSally wrote:
"What we desperately do not need is music that can only be deemed music in thesense ofan amalgamof notes strung together, with all the appeal of a mud puddle."
Seeing as how the majority of the score is Middle Eastern music (the band numbers) and influenced by Middle Eastern music (most of the songs), your comment is borderline racist. Just because a culture’s music may not fit your Western-tuned ear doesn’t mean it isn’t music.
Posted: 2/11/19 at 12:57pm
rpvee said: "After Eight said: "StageDoorSally wrote:
"What we desperately do not need is music that can only be deemed music in thesense ofan amalgamof notes strung together, with all the appeal of a mud puddle."
Seeing as how the majority of the score is Middle Eastern music (the band numbers) andinfluenced by Middle Eastern music (most of the songs), your comment is borderline racist. Just because a culture’s music may not fit your Western-tuned ear doesn’t mean it isn’t music."
Whoa, rpvee, it's a bit of a jump to imply racism based on someone's opinion of music. After Eight's opinions may be harsh, even mean-spirited at times, but jumping to a conclusion of near-racism might be a bit of a stretch, in my opinion.
Posted: 2/11/19 at 1:00pm
AADA81 said: "rpvee said: "After Eight said: "StageDoorSally wrote:
"Whoa, rpvee, it's a bit of a jump to imply racism based on someone's opinion of music. After Eight's opinions may be harsh, even mean-spirited at times, but jumping to a conclusion of near-racism might be a bit of a stretch, in my opinion."
They described a score heavily influenced by a foreign culture’s music as being a messy, nonsensical combination of notes that shouldn’t even be considered music. It’s at least sheer ignorance and closed-mindedness, racism at worst.
Updated On: 2/11/19 at 01:00 PM
Posted: 2/11/19 at 1:06pm
Posted: 2/11/19 at 1:07pm
After Eight said: "StageDoorSally wrote:
"The music is not your run of the mill Broadway stuff and deserves itsGrammy nod."
If by run of the mill Broadway stuff you mean such run of the mill Broadway stuff as My Fair Lady, Hello, Dolly!, South Pacific, or Kiss Me,Kate, to name a few, then you know what? Let us haverun of the mill Broadway stuff --- cascades of it--- from here to eternity!
No After8, I did not mean that.
Posted: 2/12/19 at 12:36am
rpvee said: "They described a score heavily influenced by a foreign culture’s music as being a messy, nonsensical combination of notes that shouldn’t even be considered music. It’s at least sheer ignorance and closed-mindedness, racism at worst.
"
You think maybe we should save the "r-word" for more important expressions of hatred?
I do know what you mean and "ignorance" is indeed the word. But I have to admit I've never warmed up to 5-tone scale music. Is it ignorance on my part? Yes, not willfully so, but I've never taken the time to experience 5-tone scale music except as the soundtrack to Chinese opera or Japanese drama.
I don't think I have anything against Asian people. I just don't have as much experience with music that is so different from that of the West.
Posted: 2/12/19 at 11:30am
GavestonPS said: "You think maybe we should save the "r-word" for more important expressions of hatred?
I do know what you mean and "ignorance" is indeed the word. But I have to admit I've never warmed up to 5-tone scale music. Is it ignorance on my part? Yes, not willfully so, but I've never taken thetime to experience 5-tone scale music except as the soundtrack to Chinese opera or Japanese drama.
I don't think I have anything against Asian people. I just don't have as much experience with music that is so different from that of the West."
The difference here is that you at least acknowledge it as being a culture’s music and art that's just not your taste, as opposed to dismissing it as an outright random combination of notes that isn’t worthy of being considered anything but noise.
Posted: 2/12/19 at 12:23pm
rpvee said: "AADA81 said: "rpvee said: "After Eight said: "StageDoorSally wrote:
"Whoa, rpvee, it's a bit of a jump to imply racism based on someone's opinion of music. After Eight's opinions may be harsh, even mean-spirited at times, but jumping to a conclusion of near-racism might be a bit of a stretch, in my opinion."
They described a score heavily influenced by a foreign culture’s music as being a messy, nonsensical combination of notes that shouldn’t even be considered music. It’s at least sheer ignorance and closed-mindedness, racism at worst.
"
I've heard Sondheim's music described in ways similar to what After Eight used. What I hear as memorable music others may hear as unlistenable, but not liking a piece of music doesn't mean someone is ignorant. It just means that the person doesn't like it. I think you may be reacting to the harshness of how After Eight expressed it. There's a difference between disliking something and condemning it for all, which is a line After Eight crossed for some.
Posted: 2/12/19 at 1:31pm
After Eight said What we desperately do not need is music that can only be deemed music in the sense of an amalgam of notes strung together, with all the appeal of a mud puddle.
I took this statement as reference to The Band's Visit music NOT to all music of that style.
Posted: 2/13/19 at 8:26am
AADA81 said: "There's a difference between disliking something and condemning it for all, which is a line After Eight crossed for some."
He's definitely crossed that line a number of times. On one occasion he suggested that someone's enjoyment of Passion indicated poor character; on other occasions he's implied that people who support certain shows he doesn't like are contributing to the decay of American culture. Of course, on still other occasions he's denied doing any of this.
Posted: 2/13/19 at 10:06am
The Mean Girls cast recording was actually extremely well engineered and a great technical achievement given it's blend of electronic/pop/traditional orchestrations. Stephen Oremus & Mary Mitchell Campbell have done some great talk pieces about this. I think based on technical merit and sound quality, that album probably should've won the Grammy. However, it usually goes to the Best Musical winner (or cultural juggernaut) by default simply because most of the voting body doesn't actually know much about Broadway.
Posted: 2/13/19 at 10:57am
OKBroadwayFan said: "After Eight saidWhat we desperately do not need is music that can only be deemed music in thesense ofan amalgamof notes strung together, with all the appeal of a mud puddle.
I took this statement as reference to The Band's Visit music NOT to all music of that style."
I kind of doubt they’re familiar enough with Middle Eastern music to specifically think TBV is a horrible representation of it, and beyond that, their criticism was of the music in the world of Broadway. It was ignorant and bigoted.
