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‘It’s fractionally overwritten, with an unvarying density of texture in the first two movements, though the monochrome orchestral palette becomes more coloured for the finale, where melodic contours suggestive of Gershwin and Ravel add touches of Hollywood glamour and Parisian chic.’

UD felt self-congratulatory, getting to the end of this sentence in one piece.

Margaret Soltan, May 30, 2023 3:53AM
Posted in: it's art

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6 Responses to “‘It’s fractionally overwritten, with an unvarying density of texture in the first two movements, though the monochrome orchestral palette becomes more coloured for the finale, where melodic contours suggestive of Gershwin and Ravel add touches of Hollywood glamour and Parisian chic.’”

  1. Dmitry Says:

    Is this a cleverly disguised backhand at the piece and/or the performance? The last time I saw Paris, it was far from chic. It’s been a much longer time since I was in Hollywood but it had no glamour back then and my mates in Los Angeles say it has even less now.

  2. Margaret Soltan Says:

    Dmitry: It’s all sincere – the admiration for the piece, and the equating of Hollywood with glamour and Paris with chic.

    Of course, Ravel and Gershwin would be early 20th century chic/glamour. Both composers would probably agree with you that these places have lost a lot of those qualities.

  3. Dmitry Says:

    Reads like a parody on the lines of Monty Python’s Australian Table Wines sketch.

  4. Margaret Soltan Says:

    My suspicion – based on no knowledge – is that the writer is very young and eager to impress. He’s a smart guy and will get better. Also – note that it’s a very short review. If he was held to this length, then some of the sentences reflect a decision to stuff a lot into a small space.

  5. Dmitry Says:

    Looks well into middle age if his photo and profile are any guide. I thought it the sort of purple prose that would be soundly thrashed in a basic writing course.

  6. Margaret Soltan Says:

    Ah. I didn’t check his profile.

    Yes, this is the sort of writing that instructors should flag as dense and pretentious.

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