Music

Don’t you hate it when you tune into the afternoon opera program on your favorite classical station, and you’re waiting and waiting for the first person to sing at the beginning of an act, but the music goes on and on without it happening? I know I do.

It goes on longer, and you start rolling your eyes in annoyance, then start harrumphing in disbelief that an intro could go on so long — all before realizing they’re airing a ballet today and not an opera.

This cracked me up listening to WCPE (TheClassicalStation.org), where it’s usually:

“And that piece was by Franz Schubert, performed by the Rembrandt Trio,” or

“We just enjoyed Mozart’s String Quartet No. 22 in B Flat, performed by the Shanghai Quartet,” or

“That was Brahms’s Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80, performed by the Houston Symphony.”

But just now, listening while doing my stretching and strengthening exercises:

“That delightful piece was Bach’s Violin Concerto #2 in E, performed by Janine Jansen and a group of her friends.”

I’ve never heard the performers described so casually like that. It probably didn’t help that I’ve never heard of (the apparently renowned) Janine Jansen, so it came across to me like some folks got together with some woman in her garage and pounded out a few numbers. 😂

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