Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Months in the planning, this podcast finally came together this week and it does not disappoint. Dennis Prager, renaissance man, radio raconteur, and all around good guy joins us. The conversation ranges from pens, to Mahler, to the Arab spring, vinyl versus CDs, what the what the biggest problem in the country is today (hint: it's not who you think), and much more. Plus, the significance of 1947 to both Peter and James.
Listen in here and let us know what you think in the comments:
Music from this week's episode:
- Mozart Symphony #40 In G Minor, K 550 - 4. Finale Allegro Assai -- Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
- Symphony #9 in D Minor -- Anton Bruckner
The direct link to this week's episode (great for mobile devices!). But be a mensch and subscribe! Not an iTunes devotee? Visit our Feedburner page for a number of other subscription options.
Our thanks to the great EJHill for the graphic.
The Ricochet Podcast is proudly sponsored by Encounter Books. This week's featured title is New Vichy Syndrome by Theodore Dalrymple, now in paperback. Available at EncounterBooks.com and Amazon.com.
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Comments:
Dec '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Mona Cheran did a piece about Steve Jobs' adoption and abortion.
Edited on October 27, 2011 at 7:05amJun '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Peter, I appreciate your concern that people don't internalize that we won the Cold War. All I tell people is to take the Trans-Siberian Railway and/or live in a regional city. It will be completely obvious that we not only beat them, but vanquished them.
Oct '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Bruckner vs Mahler, I agree with Dennis. Bruno Walter said in an interview about the two something to the effect of (with is lovely accent and german-to-english pausen) "Mahler was always in search of God. Bruckner, ah, Bruckner...he had found God". And this from a student of Mahler. I've had the grateful joy of performing both, as much as Mahler thrills me give me Anton! One of life's highlights center of row 15 in Carnegie Hall w/ Abbado and the Vienna doing the 4th in the 90s
My essential Bruckner the Credo from Mass in e minor...the crucifixus passage (well maybe starting at incarnatus est) is beyond all theology (Jesus loves me this I know...).
Oh, high end/vinyl audio = split bamboo flyrods!
Edited on October 27, 2011 at 8:07amAug '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
I'm looking forward to listening to this podcast. I've been listening to Dennis Prager for about 7 years now and wondering what crazy antics the lot of you get up to in the podcast.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Douglas: With Bruckner, I'd start with the 4th, 5th, 6th, and the Te Deum. I like my Bruckner live when possible because you can see the motifs being passed around the orchestra.
Oct '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
I have to admit I didn't fully understand how wildly intelligent Dennis Prager was until I listened to this podcast. He's a fascinating fellow and I really enjoyed the interaction between the three. I am shamefully ignorant of classical music, but I very much enjoyed the discussion related to that at the start of the podcast.
I also have enjoyed discovering your podcast, R.J. I found it completely by accident when I was searching for podcasts...any podcasts at all...that had the magnificent Victor Davis Hansen. I found your interview with him and I have been listening to your podcast ever since. You have an incredible knack for getting great guests. I also appreciate how you spend time exploring their backgrounds with them.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Canesplitter: Bruckner vs Mahler, I agree with Dennis. Bruno Walter said in an interview about the two something to the effect of (with is lovely accent and german-to-english pausen) "Mahler was always in search of God. Bruckner, ah, Bruckner...he had found God". · Oct 26 at 10:54pm
Edited on Oct 26 at 11:07 pm
The thing I notice with Bruckner is how obsessed he was with musical architecture. The building blocks--melodies, rhythmic motifs, etc.--were just bricks to him. He cared nothing for the bricks. He would start with fairly simple, bland themes and focus on putting them together in interesting ways. On the sizzle-steak continuum, he's 100% steak.
So, he's polarizing. Most people are going to be amazed by how boring his music is, unless they are willing to make his priorities their priorities. Stevie Ray Vaughan fans: beware!
Aug '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Yes, yes, but did Peter really say that Mozart wasn't obvious enough?
Oct '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Dennis Prager is such a breath of fresh intellectual air. He is always a man of ideals and ideas, and, of course, with him it is clarity over agreement. And to hear Peter stop him cold by bringing abortion into the discussion of why the left hates adoption was a real treat. Seldom does anyone challenge Dennis Prager with a new idea.
MORE... MORE... please?
Thanks so much for today's treat.
Oct '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
I am only halfway through the podcast (listen while commuting), but I have a couple of things to say already (related to each other):
Aug '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Kelly B: I am only halfway through the podcast (listen while commuting), but I have a couple of things to say already (related to each other): · Oct 27 at 6:44am
Seconded! As long as you steer clear of Ives.
Aug '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
I'm midway into the podcast (I listen during the commute and live to close to the office to finish) and I'm somewhat surprised. I'm a programmer and receive a fair amount of tech news. I was hit with the wave of Steve Jobs hagiography to the point it transformed my natural compassion and sadness to apathy and animosity, and this morning was the first I had heard that Jobs' birth father was Syrian. Trying to understand if this demonstrates that I live in a cave or what.
Dec '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Publius
I have to admit I didn't fully understand how wildly intelligent Dennis Prager was until I listened to this podcast. He's a fascinating fellow and I really enjoyed the interaction between the three. I am shamefully ignorant of classical music, but I very much enjoyed the discussion related to that at the start of the podcast.
I also have enjoyed discovering your podcast, R.J. I found it completely by accident when I was searching for podcasts...any podcasts at all...that had the magnificent Victor Davis Hansen. I found your interview with him and I have been listening to your podcast ever since. You have an incredible knack for getting great guests. I also appreciate how you spend time exploring their backgrounds with them. · Oct 27 at 5:35am
You made my day, P!
I love how supportive Ricochet has been. I see myself as an extension of the amazing work they're doing. Stay in touch!
Dec '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
raycon: Dennis Prager is such a breath of fresh intellectual air. He is always a man of ideals and ideas, and, of course, with him it is clarity over agreement. And to hear Peter stop him cold by bringing abortion into the discussion of why the left hates adoption was a real treat. Seldom does anyone challenge Dennis Prager with a new idea.
MORE... MORE... please?
Thanks so much for today's treat. · Oct 27 at 6:40am
Since Blue Yetti mentioned to me back in August that he and the boys wanted to get Dennis on the podcast, I have envisioned this day and it did not disappoint. The values I had been hearing espoused by Dennis on his daily radio show since I first found him in 2005 were precisely the ones I discovered Ricochet were espousing last summer when a friend recommended this site/podcast to me. We NEED to be working together on the "Center-Right" and when you share such a common vision (as Prager and Ricochet do), it's a no-brainer and you end up with gems like this latest podcast episode.
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Great show, and lots of challenging ideas again.
Love Mozart's 40th Symphony in G minor, it is one my favourite of his symphonies. The first movement really needs to be listened to, as the last movement does the beautiful sonata form thingo, and reworks the first movements theme in a totally amazing way. Adore the horns arrangement in this symphony
The 2 other G Minor works of Mozart (Symphony 25, and the G Min Piano quartet) are again fiercely passionate, tender, and melancholic and worth the time and effort concentrating on their themes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzbRQYMn9rA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwCWh3WcJ6A
Edited on October 27, 2011 at 5:46pmOct '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Douglas
I dunno, Joseph. I think that its more likely the case that classical music just isn't for everybody.
When I said painful, I meant it was literally painful to listen too-it hurt my ears.
Mar '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
I find the most enjoyable part of the Dennis Prager show to be the weekly Open Phones segment, and this Classic Prager podcast was better than the best Open Phones segment, by dint of the hyper-incisiveness of Peter and James's questions and their responses to Dennis's responses. Nonetheless, the discussion was afflicted with one deeply grievous flaw; specifically that it did not go on and on and on for deliriously glorioius hour after hour, of course with the participants subsequently receiving 3 days of R&R in Tokyo, complete with barefooted backwalks.
Also, add me in to those commenters who have requested a Music-oriented podcast on Ricochet.
Jul '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
I just watched that Bugs Bunny episode last week! Those old cartoons are the best, in no small reason for the music.
Another great Stokowski appearance from that era: Fantasia. Loved that movie; funny that it's one of only 2 Disney movies I've seen censored (the other being Song of the South).
-E
May '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Re: Steve Jobs adoption, the 'Pro-Choice' crowd has a strong distaste for anyone whose CHOICE is something other than abortion. This may be the source of their insane hatred of Sarah Palin. I remember just a year or two back that the left was up in arms over Tim Tebow's mother's decision not to abort him 20 something years before and also the scorn directed at him for him for having the sheer audacity to be born over their objection. They're a bunch of really sick b---tards.
May '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
On the podcast Peter mentioned how much Stalin was personally liked by Truman and Churchill. Let's not forget FDR. From Paul Johnson's Modern Times (http://tinyurl.com/655ff4m), FDR wrote to Churchill:
"He [Stalin] thinks he likes me better, and I hope he will continue to do so . . .
I think that if I give him [Stalin] everything I possibly can and ask nothing from him in return, noblesse oblige, he won't try to annex anything and will work with me for a world of democracy and peace."
And this is the president liberals idolize.