The Slipped Disc doctor will see you now

The Slipped Disc doctor will see you now

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norman lebrecht

December 24, 2018

We receive arcane requests from time to time that are beyond our capacity to address.

For instance: I have been going out with a ballerina for three years and cannot get past first position.

We passed this on to our pals in tutus.

But this is more our line of country:

Dear Slipped Disc

I love Vaughan Williams to bits, but I’m listening to his Sea Symphony on Hyperion and thinking, wouldn’t we be doing the old boy a favour if we threw the first movement into English Channel and just enjoyed the rest? Would that be a terrible act of national betrayal, akin to Brexit? (signed) VWGroupie

Slipped Disc Doctor replies: Dear VWGroupie, You are not alone. I’m tempted to prescribe, in place of that chundering first movement, The Sea suite by Frank Bridge, very bracing on a winter’s morning.  I think it’s obtainable on the NHS. If not, try Chandos.

 

Or this:

Dear Slipped Disc

I’m worried that the Mahler wave has peaked and the number of performances is in decline. Some of the young conductors only ever do the show ponies – the 2nd and 8th symphonies.

What can I do about it?

Slipped Disc Doctor replies: We offer counselling. See the receptionist.

 

Who’s next?

 

Comments

  • Paul Brownsey says:

    More Brexit madness!

  • Ozan says:

    The Turkish cardiac surgeon Prof. Bingur Sonmez (right).

  • JBB says:

    Sed contra: I would keep the first two minutes and chuck the rest.

  • Stephen Gould says:

    Dear Slipped Disc: my local orchestra is not well. Dr. Gilbert did a poor job of treating it, and then Dr. Zweden came in, and has tried a different course of treatment but the orchestra is if anything worse than before. They only seem to improve when Dr. Bychkov calls, but he is seldom around. What can you suggest?

  • Spenser says:

    Dear Slipped Disc,
    Would it be possible to arrange your webpages so that the earliest commenter appears at the top of the comments section rather than at the bottom, and the comments then continued down in order of reception?
    That way, it would be much easier to follow the various lines of discourse.
    – Thanks, Spenser

  • John Borstlap says:

    An anxiety aunt department of SD would definitely be a much-needed extension of the service.

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