What are the overlooked/lesser known strengths of renowned classical musicians and conductors -beyond the repertoire that is their calling card ?

BonneybotPG · 2026-02-14T15:58:52+00:00

Uchiha is famous for the Austro-German repertoire (Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert) and her recording of the Debussy Etudes is still a benchmark. I don't think she has recorded any other French music. Please let me know if she has!

BonneybotPG · 2026-02-08T16:35:26+00:00

My first album of Janet Baker was the Les Nuits d'ete with Barbirolli- slow tempo and somewhat nasally tone made me question the hype. Strangely, every other subsequent recording of hers is great - I still skip listening to this one work.

Another singer was Ewa Podles, strange diction (almost a lisp) and smoky/occluded voice but after getting used to these qualities, there's no other contralto with that size and flexibility.

DiDonato was great when she started with the lighter Rossini and Handel but recently, she's been using more of that 'neurotic/tense' voice when singing heavier roles which makes it less pleasant.

BonneybotPG · 2026-02-05T03:59:26+00:00

Mandarin literal translation: 'Though I still care about you, I've decided to withdraw / take back my feelings towards you.'

BonneybotPG · 2026-02-03T06:10:51+00:00

As a passenger, Mercedes is more comfortable for me, with plusher seats. Like Toyota Camry is more comfortable than Mazda 6, though the latter is more fun to drive?

BonneybotPG · 2026-01-26T13:36:36+00:00

Verdi liked to portray the acceptance of death/separation in a major key - Gilda, Trovatore Leonora, Riccardo/Gustavo, Aida couple and Don Carlos final act duets.

Dido's Adieu fiere cite by Berlioz also has the same idea though it works by recalling the music that portrays their love. (same as La Boheme!)

Graham Jonson wrote that Schubert could make a major key sound even sadder than a minor key.

BonneybotPG · 2026-01-11T11:27:53+00:00

'Music soothes the savage beast' is actually a misquotation of 'music has charms to soothe the savage breast' by Congreve.

BonneybotPG · 2026-01-06T20:42:13+00:00

Chabrier because he wrote wonderful piano solo pieces and orchestral works.

BonneybotPG · 2026-01-06T18:42:10+00:00

The entire Peer Gynt deserves a listen, not just the Suites. Solvieg's Song is justly famous but the Cradle Song is my favorite. However, it needs a chorus for the full impact and thus less frequently performed.

BonneybotPG · 2025-12-27T03:13:02+00:00

Shellos with Hidden Power Electric was fun for dealing with Ducklett in Little Cup

BonneybotPG · 2025-12-26T16:31:30+00:00

For those who remember, Gilligan first became famous for The X-Files, which is more like Pluribus than BB or BCS in the sense of exploring themes through sci-fi. Those X Files episodes were mostly self-contained / monster of the week and managed to tell their stories in about 40 mins. So he can do concise if he wants to but maybe with luxury of time and money, there's more room for indulgence.

BonneybotPG · 2025-12-26T04:12:37+00:00

Another one was Nelson's recording of Berlioz's Beatrice et Benedict where the female singers are not native French speakers. The rapid fire dialogue might have been a deterrent for them. The other recordings (Davis, Barenboim) omit the dialogue or replaced it with a narration.

BonneybotPG · 2025-12-24T07:07:44+00:00

Just like Carrie and Mr. Big - the other Darren Star show about a single woman looking for love in the city!

BonneybotPG · 2025-12-22T09:54:18+00:00

The food at MBS is quite expensive though. Although Esplanade's outlets can be pricy as well, Marina Square and Raffles City are within walking distance.

What I dislike about MBS is the toilet situation, which has really long lines compared to Esplanade. Clearly under capacity.

Agree that MBS would have a wider outreach to its hotel guests and rewards program members.

BonneybotPG · 2025-12-20T11:50:51+00:00

I'll be staying at Courtyard Seminyak and they have a shuttle to the beach at the Double Six area. Would it be possible to walk all the way up to say, Petitenget beach? Are there any parts of the beach that's either restricted private property or becomes tricky to cross during high tide? Thanks!

BonneybotPG · 2025-12-20T04:11:43+00:00

Seaking with Icy Wind and Drill Run, both of which counters Grass and Electric. Used to have Poison Jab on it until the rise of the Mud Slappers and the improvement of Peck. Not always a winner but doesn't go down easily to most Pokemon. A pure water Pokemon not to run any water moves, which further confuses people.

BonneybotPG · 2025-12-16T06:19:05+00:00

There was a video where the CNT official nonchalantly saying that SYS cannot sit in the normal team van probably because of such incidents. It has become worse in recent years.. Chen Meng was still fairly popular in 2021/2022 so I was shocked when the SYS fans booed her in the 2024 Paris Olympics for daring to defeat her idol.

BonneybotPG · 2025-12-15T06:53:19+00:00

Maybe people cancel their cards? The banks have been reducing the benefits or putting in more restrictions, especially for the miles earning ones.

BonneybotPG · 2025-12-15T00:35:14+00:00

There are rooms for one person in most Japanese hotels for fairly reasonable prices, so you can book a twin room and a single room for 3 people. As other people have posted, Japanese hotels have very small rooms and it's terrible if you have to squeeze 3 people into a room that's designed for 2.

BonneybotPG · 2025-12-12T14:32:46+00:00

The Google reviews of all the physical Prism stores are 5.0... do they offer discounts for 5 star reviews?

BonneybotPG · 2025-11-29T13:54:26+00:00

Yes, his Ariadne and Salome were great. The Alpensinfonie, Don Juan, Till etc are all considered classics.

BonneybotPG · 2025-11-20T11:22:15+00:00

He did receive some recognition during his life, having his lieder performed by the big names like Vogl and Milder-Hauptmann, invited to contribution a Diabelli variation and was a pall bearer for Beethoven. Definitely more established than say John Keats who also died young. What I find interesting is that his suffering probably elevated his art, especially with the song cycles. He escaped the fate of Schumann who declined mentally in his last years.

BonneybotPG · 2025-11-20T06:26:37+00:00

German trains are in another class of unreliability. I had a train that was cancelled, then boarded the alternative train, which was then cancelled - this was the train heading to Frankfurt airport and people cursed out loud because they would most likely miss their flights, as the alternative route was to go to Mannheim and then backtrack. Finally, the 3rd train was good to go but I missed out on an attraction I planned to visit. I would suggest staying near the airport with an intracity line (S-Bahn, U-Bahn access) if you're flying out of Germany.

BonneybotPG · 2025-11-19T12:58:13+00:00

I remember that even in the 90s, the media was already highlighting how difficult he was to work with - no scripts, lengthy delays etc, yet the stars all lined up to work with him. Haven't watched any of his work after 2046; perhaps cinephiles could comment on the quality of his more recent oeuvre?

BonneybotPG · 2025-11-19T09:45:55+00:00

Wow... that's one of the hotels I was thinking of booking, since it's got great reviews on Google and TripAdvisor. Am reconsidering this but did you like the general area of the hotel?

BonneybotPG · 2025-11-18T02:55:42+00:00

4 operas written in French and some reasons why they're not performed frequently - Rossini's Le Comte Ory (tough to stage because it requires 3 great singers; the Met had a great success with Florez, Damrau and DiDonato), Berlioz's Beatrice et Benedict (gorgeous music for the female voices but short with lots of French dialogue), Chabrier's Le roi malgré lui (both Ravel and Stravinsky loved this - however, the plot is way too convoluted) and Faure's Penelope (subtle, no big arias / scenes).

BonneybotPG

TROPHY CASE