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:
Apr '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Beautifully done, gentlemen, very enjoyable right through James'pacing rant at the end. Go, James!
On getting the 97% to pay attention to classical music, there are a couple of problems. First, the world is always noisy these days -- hard to keep things quiet for a forty minute Beethoven symphony. You can't listen in the car, or at work unless as background music, and no forum our children attend have anything longer than ten minute blocks.
Second, to combat the noise problem for commuters, Classical music stations (most places synonymous with NPR) dig up Baroque and early Classical music due to (what they say is) it's more limited dynamic range, and to get away from Haydn and Bach as the sole representatives of music before Mozart, they play an obscure bunch of composers (Haydn's Landlady Composed?) they can find, played in dry Rheinemusik "only what's on the page" way that leaves the listener desiccated and thirsty for the slightest bit of emoting.
And heaven help us if it is popular! The booboisie's tastes must naturally be overcome. No Tchaikovsky for you; have some tuneless, rhythmic Phillip Glass!
Don't even start me on opera staging.
Feb '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
And I do...
Peter Robinson: EJ, you have surpassed yourself, and that's saying something. In all the long roster of western civilization, only Antonio Salieri might dissent from the otherwise unanimous acclamation of your genius.
Sincerely,
Wolfgang Amadeus Robinson ยท Oct 26 at 8:10pm
May '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Peter, James, sons of veterans of World War II. My father too, served in the Army in the South Pacific and, like your fathers, shared very little of his wartime experiences.
Over the years I was eventually able to coax some of his reminiscences and to me they were extraordinary. I treasure them as a fragmented picture of who my dad was before he was my dad. I wish I had been able to get more out of him before he passed away.
By the way, I love Dennis Prager but, I can't use a fountain pen. I'm left-handed and we just end up pushing our hands across the page as we write, making a mess. Ball-points for me.
Edited on October 28, 2011 at 5:17amJul '10
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Did I hear Lileks reference The Return of the Archons?
Feb '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
I listened to this on a flight last night, and if someone were watching me, they would have been amused by my rapt attention to every sound in my headphones and the slightly silly grin on my face from the sheer pleasure of listening to bright people talking about meaningful things.
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
Whiskey: "Did I hear Lileks reference The Return of the Archons?"
You did, sir. See you at the Festival. (I'll be coming in from the valley.)
Mar '11
Re: Ricochet Podcast #91: Classic Prager
3+ HUGE points by Prager c.46min mark, RE: rare opportunity to move US anti-left:
DP: NOBODY knows if Romney is a conservative
Me: question, of course, is which other candidate to back
DP: we've suffered more from GOPers not understanding conservatism than Dems understanding leftism
Me: he IDs almost EVERY GOP prez; a mod-con prez can do as much domestic damage as a hard lib because he tries for BOTH con causes AND to moderate libs by "only" giving them half the moon; result: inconsistent initiatives, HUGE BUDGETS w/ both welfare state & defense spending through the roof
JPR (JAMES-PETER-ROB), PLEA for podcast (and maybe an Unc Slash Knowledge) on this issue of the results of our moderate presidents
DP: we've forgotten what America stands for
Me: he hits on what I assess as an underlying identity/citizenship crisis of the Tea Party explosion; not that people understand what America is, they don't, but now many are realizing they don't and that they should; the optimism and opportunity is that so many are actively trying to rectify their ignorance and aimlessness (self included and so many @ Ricochet)