Ragtime

Immunotopia: A thought-experiment opting from a thirty-years' perspective on one of the most devastating events in human history: the Covid era.

A brief episode on the inescapable historic reality of Zionism and its ramifications.

Ragtime S2 Episode 3: The Science.  A short 9’ episode which examines the true meaning - albeit rarely understood - of moral relativism, leading to an argument featuring a brief tour through the evolution of Western ideas philosophic, scientific, good as well as bad, based upon the quintessential theme of Western culture: Science.

A brief, experimental episode which examines and critiques certain points raised in the previous interview with Kristian Winther.

Ragtime Series 2 Episode#1: Is a Mushroom Cloud Beautiful?  Featuring virtuoso violinist, deep thinker and maverick artist Kristian Winther.0:00. Intro: On a mushroom cloud0:45. Introducing Kristian Winther1:08. EXCERPT: Vanessa Mae playing Bach1:51. Art and mass consumerism5:23. Celebrating uniqueness10:50.  Bruckner versus Mahler15:30. Stravinsky and commercialism19:05. EXCERPT: Beethoven Violin Sonata#1022:42. Music being institutionalised 31:15.  Celebrating weirdos31:52.  A problem with diversity35:09. Can anyone be a Bach?37:35.  Preserving or overthrowing tradition52:14. EXCERPT: Terry Riley Half-Wolf55:36. EXCERPT: Orson Welles on art56:47.  Are you religious about art?58:19. Self-censorship1’03:33. Beethoven Razumovsky Quartets1’05:39. Can art save the world?1’08:51. EXCERPT: Scheherazade1’11:56.  EXCERPT: Brahms Piano Quartet in A1’13:30. More on self-censorship1’18:32. Are you a rebel?1’25:44.  Is a mushroom cloud beautiful?

Ragtime #9: The Language of Violence.  A brief homage to Charlie Kirk, assassinated for opposing cult ideology. 

Ragtime #8: AI - A Necessary Predicament.  Examining the shattering relevance of Walter Benjamin's most prescient essay.

Ragtime #7 - The Mass Man: outlining the attributes of a most dangerous type of character, the  'mass-man', through the prism of Kierkegaard and Jung.

Ragtime #6 - Streets of Consciousness: Few might imagine that a most celebrated street musician is in fact a brilliant academic intellect, composer, painter, poet, as well as a highly credentialed philosopher with extensive training in both Eastern and Western medicine.  Melvyn Cann is a genuine Renaissance-style polymath, embodying the empirical spirit of Diogenes with the humanity of Erasmus.0’00 Intro4’11 On the unknown9’25 On the street20’25 EXCERPT: Sound of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel)23’11 With Celibidache in Munich26’30 EXCERPT: Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony28’10 On intensity33’08 On preparing for exams37’30 EXCERPT: Paganini Caprice 1744’38 On the nature of the violin48’30 EXCERPT: Brahms Violin Concerto50’28 Scientific reductionism52’27 EXCERPT: Beethoven Violin Concerto1:01’18 Teaching composition1:08’02 EXCERPT: Beethoven String Quartet Op.1271:17’09 Synchronicity in life1:21’59 EXCERPT: Gluck Melodie 

Host Benjamin Martin on how a lack of grassroots artistic initiative results in a vacuum that is filled by a veneer culture.

The sprawling, thought-provoking, and highly entertaining forth episode of Ragtime with the brilliant Peter de Jager and renowned scholar and performer Peter Tregear.0’00 - Intro3’29 - EXCERPT: Faust Symphony (Liszt)5’34 - Is there an evolving principle at work leading to serialism?17’12 - EXCERPT: Moro Lasso al Mio Duolo (Gesualdo)18’52 - Are we losing receptivity to dissonances past?23’54 - Ross Duffin and Equal Temperament28’38 - Written versus oral traditions30’38 - EXCERPT: Le Sacre (Stravinsky)31’35 - How might Le Sacre have sounded to Mozart?33’36 - Wagner’s Rheingold35’42 - Octatonic versus bitonal37’52 - EXCERPT: Harry Partch39’53 - The Tri-tone44’30 - Von Helmholtz’s findings46’40 - EXCERPT: Etude Op.10#4 (Chopin)47’43 - Major = happy, minor = sad?55’46 - Derryck Cooke57’02 - Eastern music (Arabic, Chinese, Javanese)1:00’31 - Opening Pandora’s box 1:03’20 - EXCERPT: Cello Suite #1 (Bach)1:05’08 - Plato on the effects of modes1:09’37 - EXCERPT: Cantata Op.32 (Webern)1:10’42 - Thought-experiment: reorganising the genesis; substituting 9th-10th century Organum with Serialism.1:18’34 - Said and Orientalism.1:20’40 - A Taruskin tale

 Very short episode narrated by Ragtime host Benjamin Martin on the importance of remaining in touch with the unknown.

Ragtime’s Pilot episode featuring preeminent musicians David Berlin, Fabian Russell and Joe Chindamo, discussing a wide range of subject-matter addressing the underpinnings of Art, culture, and society.0’00 Intro2’22 What might be some quintessential aspects of leadership?16’04 Ought art matter to the person in the street?22’08 Aesthetics versus morals: is a mushroom cloud beautiful?33’23 The artist as subversive: is rebelliousness fundamental to originality?

Agent of History: exploring the musical and societal ramifications of Schoenberg’s twelve-tone method, as well as examining elements which presaged serialism.  With brilliant musical mind and celebrated pianist-composer Peter de Jager.0’00 - Intro3’48 - EXCERPT: Schoenberg Erwartung5’26 - Why was the implementation of the 12-tone method necessary?12’ -    Dissonance not necessarily subjective 12’51 - EXCERPT: Bach-Webern Ricercare19’02 - EXCERPT: Berg Lulu Act.III21’10 - To what extent might serialism ensure the ‘emancipation of dissonance’?25’29 - EXCERPT: Schoenberg Der Mondfleck26’37 - Can one distinguish between 12-tone and atonality?37’35 - The American influence: Carter42’45 - Busoni’s 1906 experiment with microtones50’26 - Plane overhead!50’47 - Alfred Tennyson versus Bertrand Russell52’50 - Varese, Pythagoras, and scientific objectivism 54’40 - EXCERPT: Ionisation56’54 - Might one distinguish between music and noise?1:01’05 - ‘Art means new art’ 1:01’22 - EXCERPT: Haydn Creation1:07’36 - 12-tone music’s ultimate paradox1:12’00 - Stravinsky, Hindemith, and WWI1:13’40 - Adorno and political overtones of tonality 1:18’45 - What exactly is ‘modernism’?1:19’20 - EXCERPT: 1918 Dixieland