Does anyone here love Classical music /

aquafire · March 13, 2004 2:47AM

Me.

I love Bach, Beethoven, Mozart & Vivaldi.

But I also love to hear relatively modern composers such as Vaughan Williams..variations on Tellemann still send a shiver down my spine. Then there is Faure and Philip Glass whom I consider something close to genius.

Missed anyone ? I am sure I have.

Please fill in my ignorance gaps.

.I am willing to broaden my horizons.

Aqua

hardhead · March 13, 2004 3:02AM

There are a lot of people here who appreciate classic jazz. I would expect the same of classical music.

I just acquired the entire set of Herbert Von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmonic doing the complete Beethoven catalog on Deutsche Grammophone. About 70 slabs of vinyl perfection. Mmmm. I also found a now kind of hard to find CD of Einojuhani Rautavaara's "Angel Of Light" symphony. Leif Segerstam conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Absolutly astounding!

Just a couple of suggestions.

aquafire · March 13, 2004 3:18AM

Quote:

Originally posted by hardhead

I just acquired the entire set of Herbert Von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmonic doing the complete Beethoven catalog on Deutsche Grammophone.

Yes, Old Herb sure put the "Awe back into Orchestra music.

"

Quote:

I also found a now kind of hard to find CD of Einojuhani Rautavaara's "Angel Of Light" symphony. Leif Segerstam conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Absolutly astounding!

"

Never heard of it.. But it does sound fascinating though.

Thankyou for the tip, I shall be checking it out soon.

Aqua.

wrong robot · March 13, 2004 3:24AM

My favorite composer is Stravinsky

aquafire · March 13, 2004 3:32AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wrong Robot

My favorite composer is Stravinsky

Didn't old Igor shake hands with Mickey Mouskey in the opening scenes of Fantasia?

splinemodel · March 13, 2004 4:13AM

I like music based on the content and the instruments. While there are different types of compositions (content) I like, I don't like music that doesn't use instruments with relatively narrow bandwidths. That is, I like instruments with bulky frequency response like organs and electric guitars that have had the crap amped out of them.

The other way around this is to play a lot of instruments at once.

So in classical there are all sorts of compositions from A-Z that fit the bill. Most notably I like Bach's organ stuff and Operas.

ganondorf · March 13, 2004 8:50AM

I have always liked Richard Wagner.

sdw2001 · March 13, 2004 9:15AM

Hey guys:

Well this one is my area. Maybe giant will show up to mock me and we can turn this thread into flame war

There are so many composers, I'm not sure where to begin.

Pre-classical/Baroque: Bach, Handel

Classical (1750's to early 1800's): Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven

19th Century:

Berlioz, Wagner, Brahms (check out some of his choral pieces), Mendelssohn, Verdi, Rossini, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner

Post-romantic/impressionist:

Debussy, Rachmaninoff (my favorite),

Modern: Stravinsky, Shostakovich (I think you'd like him)

Atonal: Webern, Berg, Schoenberg (probably not your thing...I'm no fan).

Others: Rimsky-Korsakov, Aaron Copland, Prokofiev, Mussorgsky.

I'm too lazy to go on. Some googling will help. Feel free to PM or e-mail with any questions or whatever.

hassan i sabbah · March 13, 2004 9:40AM

I like very old music and very new music. Thomas Tallis wrote 'Spem in Alium' in the mid 1500s; it's a piece for 40 voices and it makes Arvo Part look like Axl Rose. I recommend that, for a start.

fred_lj · March 13, 2004 11:30AM

Gustav Mahler.....so much more for me to discover from this incredible, visionary composer. His stuff is sort of an "acquired" taste, so it's best to start out with stuff that won't bore you to start with (heh, sorry, no other way to put it until you start listening and then can enjoy it), e.g., 5th, 1st, 2nd, 4th symphonies. He never wrote an opera despite being a revolutionary interpreter of Wagner, but his choral symphonies (e.g, 8, 2) and Lieder sind...eh, are incredible, masterful...the kind of stuff modern "big-time" film score writers strive for.

You might also enjoy just concertos for a while...I was hooked on violin concertos for a while, like Sarah Chang on the Paganini, Heifeitz on Brahms, Tchaikovsky, other showpieces; Anna Sophie-Mutter with von Karajan on Vivaldi's 4 Seasons, Perlman on Mendelssohn and Bruch. It's all great!!

Then, there's quartet music! About one of the best purchases you can make is on iTunes (I had it on CD before iTunes came about) -- a Deutsche Grammophon recording with Emerson Quartet on Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, and Borodin quartets (these are trademark pieces, you'll recognize them when you hear them).

It's an exciting listening experience that I wish more people were interested in; and it turns out sometimes that more are that I just don't know about (kind of a "closeted" thing among people my age -- 20/younger). And listening to classical doesn't exclude one from any of the other genres, but if anything it lets you discern more clearly the musicianship in them.

daver · March 13, 2004 12:09PM

Mahler is great stuff, fred_lj.

I've been a fan of classical music for most of my 22 years, although I don't explore new material or composers as often as I'd like to.

I've got a thing for 20th century Russian composers right now: Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and such. I always liked Sibelius, too.

nerickson · March 13, 2004 12:16PM

I think my appreciation for classical music comes from years playing in bands and orchestras.

I like pretty much anything post-baroque.

I heard a piece a few years ago on NPR and had to order it. It is "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" by Henryk Gorecki. Very different. Solo female over very thick stings. It is on iTMS.

rampancy · March 13, 2004 12:34PM

Wow. Not only does AO have a kick-ass taste in Jazz, but they also have a kick-ass taste in Classical.

I agree with Aquafire that Philip Glass is amazing. I picked up his 2-CD Symphony #5 and while at first it took a little getting used to, it was truly an amazing piece. When I saw "The Fog of War", I smiled when I saw that Philip Glass did the soundtrack. A beautiful effort.

I also have to vouch for Shostakovich. His "Leningrad Symphony" is incredible, as is his Symphony #6, "The Year 1917". As you're listening to it, you can almost feel as if you're in the trenches with the Russians, fighting back the hordes of German soldiers.

powerdoc · March 13, 2004 12:39PM

Well i love classical music too.

The list is incredibely long. I will limit it to great experiences

The piano concerto by chopin (honey in hear)

The nocturnes of Chopin ( i love the one with Anton Rubisnstein : must be heard late in the evening of course)

The carmina burana (in live not in CD) by Karl Orf (excalibur music)

Lizt piano music sonata by Martha Argerich

2nd concerto of Rachmaninov by Martha Argerich (better than Horowitz) absolutely brilliant live recorded performance (philips)

Haydn quators

Bach (lot of stuff there : piano concertos, sonatas, viola, Brandebourgeois ..;

Requiem of Mozart (the music who make me cry)

concertos for clarinet

Requieme of Faure ( a good alternative to the previous one)

Concerto for Harp from Boieldieu

concertino for Trombon par Ferdinand David (wonderfull performance by Christian Lindberg, the best trombonist i know)

Grieg : Peer gynt suites

Sibelius : the swan of Tuolala, the violin concerto (wonderful performance with Oistrach)

Debussy piano music and symphonia : impressionist music

Satie, fun light hearted piano music

Gershwin : unique style (for the record Gershwin, asked one day an advice about music to Ravel, Ravel replied i have nothing to teach at you, continue your way, dont change anything)

Ravel : Dapnis and Chloe, concerto for the left hand (the best transposer of piano music to symphonic music)

Shubert : the eight , the trout, piano music

Beethoven the giant : piano, symphonia, concerto, quartet ...( a gold mine like bach)

Holst : the planets

Vivaldi : 4 seasons

Aranjuez concerto for guitar

Saint saens : concerto for animals

Tchaikowski, Moussorgski, Rachmaninov ....

The list is long, long , long

wrong robot · March 13, 2004 1:07PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SDW2001

-snip-

I'm too lazy to go on. Some iTunes Music Store browsing will help. Feel free to PM or e-mail with any questions or whatever.

Great post....I just wanted to modify this one bit

ganondorf · March 13, 2004 2:01PM

Ah, how could I have forgotten Erik Satie? Gymnopedie No. 1 is beautiful.

So, to correct myself, Wagner AND Satie are my favorites.

aquafire · March 13, 2004 7:07PM

Other than Glass.

Any other composers of merit from the 1980's and onward. ?

ganondorf · March 13, 2004 7:09PM

Successful composers of the modern era go on to compose soundtracks for movies, games, etc.

wrong robot · March 13, 2004 7:13PM

Though not 'classical' another one of my favorite composers is Steve Reich

matlock · March 13, 2004 7:52PM

Since I studied classical piano for 8 years starting at 6 years old, i tend to prefer solo piano stuff, especially the more technical compositions. I LOVE Liszt! Hungarian Rhapsodies are so much fun to play, and listen to of course. Chopin is my second favorite, with his Mazurkas being his best IMHO. Debussy's piano work is also very good. Half of Beethoven's sonatas are pure genius, the other half I don't care as much.

Mahler wrote the best symphonies I think, the 6th and 8th in particular. Strangely, I've never been really interested by Bach and Mozart. It might be due in part to their work being so massive that I don't know where to start. I don't like the sound of organ, so a major part of Bach is not for me

. But his Cello Suites are amazing, among others.

I do love classical music but I'm first and foremost a rock lover, therefore I don't know as much as I would like about it. Also It's not easy choosing the right CDs the buy. The same piece can be available in 20 versions from 15 different performers on 5 labels. Which of these is/are worth a listen? There are magazines, comments on amazon and other sources but still, it's easy to get lost.

I haven't played piano in 9 years, and I really miss it... Though I'm getting a piano within the next 2 month!! The artistic section of my brain needs to wake up.

sdw2001 · March 13, 2004 8:03PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ganondorf

Successful composers of the modern era go on to compose soundtracks for movies, games, etc.

Actually, that's not really true. Film composing is an entirely different thing from "new music" composing. Film composers often don't even do their own orchestrations. Williams doesn't, for example. I'm working on my Masters in Music and I've taken two composition classes with a successful composer. Today's composers often survive through University teaching posts and comissioned works.

Does anyone here love Classical music /

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