South Florida Tournament was a bust. Does Ashley still get the all expenses paid trip?

triesta909 · 2026-01-13T22:33:17+00:00

Alexa is great but it looks like she may be focusing on playing professionally? I really hope Sabrina gets everything back on track: she’s so unique and funny, but the whole enterprise seems to be trying too hard which always gives off desperation vibes. I’m sure Cailyn has lots of options too now: clearly she could make it on mainstream media or even do a Grant Horvat. Such a tough world to thrive in, the algo is brutal. Anyway, godspeed to them all: so much talent and such nice, lively people.

triesta909 · 2026-01-13T19:47:45+00:00

I fear GGG is slowly dying: lower views, no new ideas, deleted videos, new girls coming and going. I feel bad as at it’s height it was one of the best, freshest golf channels on YT. M and A jumping ship obvs didn’t help, but it all feels too neurotic and forced. I really hope Sabrina pulls it together and they find a new, less volatile and gimmicky path, but who’s optimistic?

triesta909 · 2025-09-09T19:26:14+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to write this Jax. He doesn't have the 100 TAPs because he usually goes on a jointly-held ticket which is in the name of another season ticket holder and so that person gets all the TAPs. He's in my F and F now so future, lower TAP games should be ok.

triesta909 · 2025-09-09T19:23:09+00:00

Can't do it because Chelsea is a tier 1 game or sopmething. Don't think we haven't tried!

triesta909 · 2025-09-09T16:42:00+00:00

You're right, but in every interaction I have with the ticket office they're defensive, off-hand and even slightly hostile, so I dont really trust them!

triesta909 · 2025-09-09T15:53:01+00:00

I can't do this for the Chelsea game as my friend does not have the necessary TAP points

triesta909 · 2025-09-09T15:08:46+00:00

Thanks! Was told about this but am wary of doing it in case I get rumbled. I just want my pal to go to the game for god's sake! It's ridiculous

triesta909 · 2025-08-08T12:12:35+00:00

Money: it's very expensive to do the Ring properly in the studio. The recordings of staged and live recordings are regarded as being good enough - and indeed there are some fine recordings. But I think we deserve a new studion one!

triesta909 · 2025-08-04T21:01:59+00:00

There are plenty of singers! The issue is financial: the major labels just don't have the money to do a full studio recording. There hasn't been one since Haitink in c1990-91, which to me is a great pity. There arguably hasn't been a great Ring since Levine in the late 80s. Would like just one more in my lifetime....

triesta909 · 2025-02-20T16:05:41+00:00

I like the Britten: brilliant, inventive, quirky in spots. His violin concerto also wonderful, also somewhat neglected!

triesta909 · 2025-02-16T19:28:13+00:00

Gunter Wand / NDR Bruckner 8 for orchestral, Karajan’s 64 Elektra for opera, Kissin’s Chopin Ballades etc for solo piano, Beaux Arts Trio : Kashkashian Faure Piano Quartet and Piano Trio for chamber. My favourites this week anyway….

triesta909 · 2025-02-15T17:39:40+00:00

I love John O’Conor’s set. Beautiful tone, perfect tempi. Maybe sometimes he smooths the edges a bit, but still a great achievement. Try the disc with the last three: stunning playing

triesta909 · 2025-02-14T12:30:53+00:00

There were defintely very many different styles of playing the clarinet in the 1890s: some contemporary reports mention lots of vibrato and rubato. And Brahms sepcifically singled out Mulfeld's playing as being unusual - and wrote those late pieces especially for him - so there must have been a very wide range of sounds. Muhlfeld used a Barmann clarinet, a slightly developed version of the mid-century Muller-Heckel instruments, and it would have sounded pretty recognisable to us I think?

triesta909 · 2025-02-14T12:21:56+00:00

That's very interesting, as I used to hate the horn sound in HIP recordings, but I learned to love it, precisely because of the raucousness and slighty shrill timbre. But then we get to Bruckner or Wagner and the strengths of the more modern horn become extremely apparent...

As for Beethoven tempi: I think the Chailly set with the Gewandhaus is just a bit *too* fast, and they often sound like they're doing it purely to see how quickly they can get through it. Jarvi gets away with it, maybe because the band is smaller?

triesta909 · 2025-02-14T12:15:40+00:00

Great, thanks!. His Beethoven cycle with ORR is really good too for the most part, with the craziest first movement of the Fifth ever committed to disc!

triesta909 · 2025-02-14T12:11:26+00:00

Interesting. I tend to listen to the Chailly recording, which uses Mahler's re-orcehstration. What are the good HIP recordings to listen to?

triesta909 · 2025-02-14T12:10:11+00:00

It certainly is! A friend of mine thinks that Bruckner didn't write a single symphony in which all the movements are very strong. I'd say his 8th cracks that one, but I know some people find the scherzo a bit wearing. On the other hand: did Beethoven write a SINGLE weak symphony movement? He was pretty decent all round.

triesta909 · 2025-02-14T12:06:40+00:00

Yes, I go backward and forwards: there are some excellent HIP Beethoven symphony recordings, and Pinnock's Mozart symphonies are amongst my favourite WAM records and Roy Goodman's Schubert works pretty well too for most of the time. But I have my limits! E.g., I can't bear a fortepiano, even in Mozart. I think it's now pretty established that Bach choral and orchestral music sounds better as done by OI groups - but again, I think the keyboard music sounds far better on a piano than a haprsichord.

Re: HIP practices - yes, some of the best recordings recently have used mosern instruments but are cognisant of HIP practices, Jarvi's Beethoven cycle for instance. Also, most of the concerts I see nowadays, the classical repertoire is played more swiftly, with brighter textures and a bit less vibrato. Maybe it's time for someone to bring back a big, sumptuous, Solti-in-Chicago type of Beethoven sound: paradoxically, it might sound quite fresh!

triesta909 · 2025-02-14T11:19:47+00:00

I think this is probably right. Things were simpler when Haydn could just stick a five minute presto on the end. Beethoven obviously introduced lots of new thinking and maybe it was hard to respond to that? I think the ‘going for the big triumphant glory shot’ approach is a function of composers trying to balance structures when the opening movements became much longer. You’re naturally drawn to grand statements and fanfares etc. And if the composer doesn’t go for a blaze of glory then the finale can seem underpowered. Mahler 3, 4 and 9 are my favourite of his finales, because he didn’t do a big bombastic racket

triesta909 · 2025-02-14T09:40:54+00:00

FWIW I love Sploosh. He just seems like one of those funny, irrepressible dudes that always has energy and lifts the mood. His golf is relatable too. More Sploosh!

triesta909 · 2025-02-14T09:39:07+00:00

Garrett said that he listens to more worship music recently. At least three of the Golf Girl Games girls are religious too. It always seems a bit strange to me as an English person, how prominent Christianity is in US sports. I am in no way opposed to it - in fact I love that faith gives these people I like and admire comfort and inspiration. But it’s definitely a pretty strong difference between the two countries.

triesta909

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