Thanks to tired fingers/sore wrists, nothing else to do, and pay-per-view cable TV, I watched this movie tonight. Has anybody else seen it? It wasn't bad. The music was great! A lot of symphony #9 was in it, and like always, I cried my eyes out. Doesn't matter if I hear it in church, at school, on a tv commercial - that always happens. (ok, women do that.) And the synchronized conducting scene was very erotic, in my opinion.
Can't think of the name right now, but I did like the other Beethoven movie better, though. The one with the starry sky at the end - also with Ode to Joy.
Still, now I'm in the mood for some Beethoven. Maybe tomorrow I'll play around with him on the piano. Feel free to speak up if you have any suggestions.

Jeez, is it dead around here! Before I start practicing Beethoven (?), Chopin (yes), Granados (yes), Rachmaninoff (yes), I thought I'd tell my favorite joke. It's nothing to do with music, but who cares. Nobody's listening/reading, anyway. Sorry if you already know this one.

Ok - A blind man aided by a seeing-eye dog walks into a department store. After a few tentative steps, the man stops, picks his dog up by the tail, and starts swinging the dog high around his head in circles. A sales clerk immediately rushes over and says, “Sir, can I help you?” The man replies, “No thanks. I’m just looking around.”

Here's something else (and I leave the word open for interpretation) funny.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VdjpFyNbKPQ

About Beethoven, have you played any of his piano sonatas?

I know, that's really you Pete, right?

Beethoven - Yes, I have played through some of the popular sonatas. I don't always like every movement so only play the ones I like. But there are probably many, many parts of sonatas I have never seen, let alone played, so I'd be interested in learning which movements of various sonatas you and the others like. Or, if there are smaller works of Beethoven, like the Ecossaise that are just plain fun to play and won't kill me.

You mean Immortal Beloved, yep I thought it was an excellent movie. The actors are excellent too in their respective roles.

That's it - Immortal Beloved. Thanks, M. I love that one too. Think I'll rent it again tonight. (better get my box of tissues ready)

Sorry to dissapoint, it's not me. But it's a perfect example of why you will never hear me sing!

I can't play the Pathetique with a straight face after that movie. (Kind of an inside joke.)

Monica, try his first sonata in F minor. It's not technically demanding (relatively speaking). To be sure, it has its difficulties!

If you don't have a complete Beethoven Sonatas (recording or sheet music) get one (Schenker or Urtext editions for the Sonatas, not the free-domain copies) , you don't know what you're missing!

Pete

Speaking of movies, remember Amadeus? Now that was funny and tragic.

Amadeus is a messed up flick....reminds me of A Clockwork Orange but 18th Century style

I liked Amadeus.

I agree with that.

I liked it too. But then, I liked A Clockwork Orange...

> That's it - Immortal Beloved. Thanks, M.

Not bad. My favourite film on music and musicians is "Tout les matins du monde",
a portrait of Sainte Coulombe (french violist and composer of XVII) and his world.
I do not like all other "film- musician portraits" of LvB (but not bad, I repeat, "Immortal beloved"), Mozart, Schumann and so on. The things are better IMHO in jazz world, with good portraits
of Chet Baker ("Let's get lost") and Charlie Parker ("Bird").

All best,
Sandro

I knew 'Immortal Beloved was around here somewhere. So why am I bringing this back up? Because it was on again last night and made my day. But the movie I'm really excited about is the one I just saw tonight at the movie theater. It's called "Across the Universe". And Wow! Is it good! I loved it. Of course it helps if you are a Beatles fan. It's a movie about a young British man who comes to America in the late 1960's and ends up living with a young American girl and a bunch of other wild characters. The movie is about 80% musical and uses only Beatles tunes. Fantastic.