Classical Music and Composers Thread

[Adelheid]

Surprise, Surprise!!! There's no music thread yet, beside's Papayahed's music reccommendations one.

Talk about anything with music. (preferrably not rock metal or pop though) Ask questions, and others will try to answer. It is not limited to only the classical period. Just not disharmonic melodies.... eck! :eek2:

And you can talk about your instrument too... fun, eh? :banana:

Oh, and I wonder if we can include attachments of music pieces here? Just like we can attach pictures? Anyone know about that? It's be nice to listen to music!! :D

I'll start:
Does anyone know anything about Jean Baptist Duvernoy? Besides being famous for his Studies (for piano?) I need to find out about this guy for my general knowledge. And the net doesn't say much about him.

[Admin]

Allowing music attachments would be a bad idea, what with the rapid RIAA on everyones butt.

[Taliesin]

What is the RIAA, Admin?

Just not disharmonic melodies.... eck!
What have you got against, say, Schönberg or Prokofjev? They might be a bit non-classical in their musical tongues, but, still, there are quite a number of people who like them. We ourselves sometimes feel the need to write something a bit expressionistic, such as this one (http://www.sibeliusmusic.com/cgi-bin/show_score.pl?scoreid=67432)
Why shouldn't we talk about such composers?

[Logos]

RIAA (http://www.riaa.com/default.asp) is taking legal action against "pirating" and "peer-to-peer" music sharing via the internet. Unauthorised sharing of and hosting of music files is against the laws of copyright. So.. website owners can be legally accountable if they are "allowing" music sharing to go on on their site. ie: attached or "hosted" music files.

[Admin]

You can discuss it all you want, but no attaching mp3s etc.

[Adelheid]

What is the RIAA, Admin?

What have you got against, say, Schönberg or Prokofjev? They might be a bit non-classical in their musical tongues, but, still, there are quite a number of people who like them. We ourselves sometimes feel the need to write something a bit expressionistic, such as this one (http://www.sibeliusmusic.com/cgi-bin/show_score.pl?scoreid=67432)
Why shouldn't we talk about such composers?

No. What I meant by classical music not limited to classical PERIOD. "non-classical" music would refer to music such as rock music, pop, jazz, and all the other kind of music like that. :D

Schonberg or Prokovfiev is fine.... as well as other composers like Rachmaninov, Ravel, Bartok, etc. Discussing such composers are fine. I just don't like the other kinds of music... it's mere noise and raving to me- talking to the music! Blah.... And I can't understand how it is supposed to be relaxing and all.... :rolleyes:

Sure... talk about them! :D

[Adelheid]

Oh... Admin,

Couldn't we come up with some sort of filter then? Or perhaps like the quizzes, before the music is posted, they have to go through you for a review?

It's just an idea, because good and beautiful Music (like classical music) ;) would definitely do a whole lot of good to this forum.... :nod:

Maybe Mendelssohn's Concerto in Emin, or some Chopin, Lizst, etc.... *daydreams* :p

[Admin]

Too much work, and while classical sheetmusic is not copyrighted, performances by contemporary orchestra's are, so even though its Bach the performance might still be copyrighted.

Plus it drain alot of bandwidth.

If you wished to host your files elsewhere, then link to them, that'd be fine, but no posting music or video files directly to the forum.

[Adelheid]

Right. Thanks, Admin.

So I take it that we can use link to direct to the music, but we cannot post it here? Is that right?

[Adelheid]

Who are your favourite composers? Anyone?

I like Frederic Chopin.

He has this depth of the music, dreamy, lovely, and soulful, kinda. It's hard to understand Chopin, as well as to play his songs. It's unfortunate that he died so young, else we'd have a lot more beautiful music to play and enjoy....

Here's my favourite Chopin piece, Fantasie Impromptu in C# minor (http://pianoeducation.org/pnomusic.html#C)

Scroll down to Chopin, and click on Fantasy-Impromptu Op. 66 (valerie tryon) Hopefully you'll get the right one.... ;) My favourite Artist for Chopin is Vladimir Ashkenazy though, I couldn't get any recording of him playing the song.

[sir]

Chopin when i'm in love
Wagner when i need love
Puccini when i'm hurt
Bach when i'm in deep thinking mood
Mozart when i'm numb

[mono]

I like Frederic Chopin.
If someone forced me to name my favorite composer of all time, I would have to say Frédéric Chopin also - astoundingly beautiful, perfect for every mood, and entrancing. :brow:

Here's my favourite Chopin piece, Fantasie Impromptu in C# minor (http://pianoeducation.org/pnomusic.html#C)
^ one of my favorites, too ^

As for others I greatly enjoy, depending on my mood: Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Claude Debussy, Richard Wagner, Ludwig von Beethoven (of course), Johann Sebastian Bach, Edvard Grieg, Samuel Barber, Franz Schubert, Franz Liszt, Richard Strauss, Johann Strauss Jr., and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (of course again).

[Adelheid]

Bach is pretty hard to play. His songs are very notey, I find, and need quite a bit of attention to the shape of the music to make it not boring and repetitive.

Perhaps out of the famous trio in the Classical period. (Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn) I find myslef liking Haydn first, because of his lively music and relatively easier style to play. Then 2nd would be Beethoven because of his moody pieces, sometimes lively, sometimes pathethique. ;) And last would be Mozart. I find that if you play music by those composers, you'll find that you'll get abit bored with Mozart's first. and Maybe Beethoven's last. (because of the unpredictable and varying nature of his music)

Lizst is beautiful too, but hard to play for pianists with smaller hands. ;)

The Impressionistic composers aren't my favourite. Most of them are sound clashes, so disharmonic..... eck! :D I'm learning a Debussy piece (Golliwog's Calk-walk) that's not too bad, it's actually quite okay, considering some of his other pieces. Bela Bartok isn't one of my favourites either.... neither is Ravel. :lol:

the Waltz King's waltzes are nice too.... I like to watch them being danced to. They have it on TV sometimes.

[Koa]

I think you should just open a thread in the general chat and call it Classical Music and discuss it there...so more people would see it...

[Adelheid]

I should have, huh? But if i open one there, what's gonna happen to this one???!!!

[RococoLocket]

I'm a Beethoven fan myself :)

What about operatic metal such as Nightwish? Are we allowed to discuss that; It infuses both metal & classical :)

[Koa]

I should have, huh? But if i open one there, what's gonna happen to this one???!!!


Ehy it was moved! Wow I wasnt sure that what I said made sense!

Adelheid, I wasnt really meaning that you should have posted this somewhere else, but rather that you should have opened a new one, cos first you were asking technical things about attaching files, which belonged to the Lit.Netwrok subforum as you were discussing technical sides with Admin, but then it became a talk about music which I think belonged better here were people do discuss random stuff (I myself rarely visit the other subforum). Always just in my humble opinion.
Anyway now we have it here and I think more people, such as RococoLocket will notice it and enjoy it.

That said, I don't have the slightest interest in classical music and I absolutely need words to music, so I guess you won't see me around here at all :)

[Adelheid]

:lol: there is no one else here since a long while, Koa. you might as well join. ;)

What is your favourite piece of classical music and instrument? What about composer?

[Mortis Anarchy]

Chopin when i'm in love
Wagner when i need love
Puccini when i'm hurt
Bach when i'm in deep thinking mood
Mozart when i'm numb

GENIUS! Although, I really love Vivaldi. The Red Priest as they called him. And how about that Paganini! Yngwie Malmsteen was brilliant with his recreation of Paganini's Fifth Caprice in A Minor. Brilliant! Chopin as well is amazing,uhhh... Beethoven, Mozart...Transiberian Orchestra! :banana:

Do any of you listen to Flamenco or stuff like that? If so, have any of you heard of Peppino deAgostino? or Clive Carrol, though he is more Celtic/folky but as well does the Flamenco preeettty Goood :nod:

Ciao.

[Virgil]

Chopin when i'm in love
Wagner when i need love
Puccini when i'm hurt
Bach when i'm in deep thinking mood
Mozart when i'm numb


Beethoven when I'm triumphant
Verdi when I'm emotional

[Shea]

I've never studied enough classical pieces to really know much about them, except that I've almost mastered Pachelbel's Canon. A beautiful piece, but it's a shame that it's being so overdone by weddings that it seems to be turning into a cliche (hence the reason I learned it). I know quite a lot about Celtic folktunes, but more to the history of the music as it influences my performance than the technical side of it.

My favorite harpist is Nancy Allen. I listen to her performances in awe, wondering if I would ever have the time in my life to study music hard enough to be that good.

My favorite composers are Debussy (Sonata is my favorite) and Rachmoninov (I started music on the piano, and I'm still drawn to it).

[Pensive]

Has Anyone heard "Shall We Dance?"

[starrwriter]

I'm not even sure they qualify, but Erik Satie and Claude deBussy are the only two "classical" music composers I ever enjoyed. I love Satie's serene lilting melodies and "Clare de Lune" gives me goosebumps.

[Shea]

Ooooh I love Clare de Lune! I'm gonna have to get another copy of that CD. I lost the old one when I moved. (I hate that!)

[thomaswood]

Does anybody like Mahler? I got a CD of his 4th Symphony by accident about a month ago, I really enjoy it.
I love Debussy's string quartet and Preludes. In his works, I found some melodies are very similar to me. Maybe he used some musical elements from east, I guess.
Adelheid, do you like Vladimir Ashekenazy? I rally enjoy his performance of Chopin's works, especially the Waltzes.

[Virgil]

I like Mahler. I'm familiar with Symphonies 2, 7, & 9. I'll have to check out the 4th.

[Scheherazade]

'Claire de Lune' is one of my favorites too (actually listening to it at the moment). I do not have one favorite composer but favorite pieces:

'Claire de Lune' - Debussy

'Moonlight Sonata' and 'Fur Elise' - Beethoven

'Montagues and Capulets' - Prokofiev

'Fur Elise' - Beethoven

'Tocatta' and 'Pachebel' - Bach

'Water Music' - Handel

'Bolero' - Ravel

and most importantly 'Scheherazade' by Rimsky Korsakov! ;)

[Virgil]

Oh is that where your name comes from! Does it translate?

[Adelheid]

Hmmm.... have any of you heard Debussy's Golli-wog's Calkwalk before? It's also one of his more popular pieces, from the Children's Corner (written for his Daughter Emma)
I can play that song, and it is one of the only pieces I've really enjoyed from Debussy. The other is the Little Negro. Claire de Lune is not to bad too.

What about Chopin? Is he no one else's hero here? :bawling: He's the best! :banana:

[Shea]

What about Chopin? Is he no one else's hero here? :bawling: He's the best! :banana:

I like Chopin! I just haven't paid attention to the names of any of his pieces while I listen to them.

Just had a funny memory. I was talking to a guy once who was clearly trying to impress me. When I told him that I prefer classical style music, he said "Oh yeah, I've got a lot of Chop-in albums." He completely mispronounced the name. :lol: It was all I could do to suppress my giggles!

[Virgil]

Just had a funny memory. I was talking to a guy once who was clearly trying to impress me. When I told him that I prefer classical style music, he said "Oh yeah, I've got a lot of Chop-in albums." He completely mispronounced the name. :lol: It was all I could do to suppress my giggles!

LOL. Amazing the airs men will put on when they talk to women. Come to think of it, it's the same vice-versa.

[rachel]

i don't even know him and my face is red

[Kid2kiddo]

Who are your favourite composers? Anyone?

I like Frederic Chopin.

He has this depth of the music, dreamy, lovely, and soulful, kinda. It's hard to understand Chopin, as well as to play his songs. It's unfortunate that he died so young, else we'd have a lot more beautiful music to play and enjoy....

Here's my favourite Chopin piece, Fantasie Impromptu in C# minor (http://pianoeducation.org/pnomusic.html#C)

Scroll down to Chopin, and click on Fantasy-Impromptu Op. 66 (valerie tryon) Hopefully you'll get the right one.... ;) My favourite Artist for Chopin is Vladimir Ashkenazy though, I couldn't get any recording of him playing the song.

I personally consider Chopin to be very light and delicate. Very French.

[Virgil]

Wasn't Chopin Polish?

[Kid2kiddo]

Hi,

I'm a flute/piccolo/alto flute player. I also play piano and two other traditional Korean instruments. What do you guys play?

As a flute player stand point, I despite Mozart. Mozart is good, but too much Mozart is a killer. It's very light. It's very playful. I don't despise Mozart. I'll only say that as long as I have to the G major concerto.

I am personally not a big fan of French composer. But I do like some of their music. Le Flute de Pan for one. My most favorite composer will have to be....>_< darn... it's hard to choose. It's between Tchaikovsky, and Dvorak. It's kind of hard to believe Tchaikovsky was a flute player because he gives the flutes very hard passages to play! Bach, in my opinion, is hardest to play. The baroque period music are difficult. But I must say, taking music theory class, I think Bach's very very ancient being.

So what do you guys play? Do you play in an orchestra or band?

I like the Nutcracker Suite very much, but I prefer the Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev over that of Tchaikovsky.

[Kid2kiddo]

Chopin is polish, but his music like very French like

[LeonMello]

My favorite musician of all time: Bach. Listen to him, there is a holy peace within his music. I also appreciate Elgar, Dvorak, Prokofiev, Handel and Rachmaninov.

[stlukesguild]

Bach and Handel... and then a number of Moderns? Intriguing combination. I cannot help loving the giants: Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wagner, Haydn, Handel... but always Bach. A have a leaning toward keyboard and vocal music (and yes! I love opera!:nod:) and only recently have been listening more closely and with a bit more appreciation to the Russians: Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Scriabin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Taneyev, Prokofiev, Shostakovitch, Rachmaninoff... but not, for whatever reason, Stravinsky. For some reason Stravinsky has never done much for me with a few exceptions. I far prefer Richard Strauss. Right now, however, its Beethoven: Violin Sonatas with Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich... Marvelous!:thumbs_up

[Etienne]

My favorites would have to be Mozart, Beethoven, Saint-Saëns, Mussorgsky, Stravinsky, Brahms and Bartok.

[stlukesguild]

I like Chopin! I just haven't paid attention to the names of any of his pieces while I listen to them.

I love Chopin. Dino Lipati made some absolutely marvelous recordings of his works back in the 1930s that still speak today... in spite of the limits of the technology of the time. My absolute favorite Chopin, however, must be Rubinstein's recording of the Nocturnes... fabulous!

[Lily Adams]

My favorites as far as classical music goes are Handel and Vivaldi. I'm a Baroque person. I also adore "modern" classical music like Stravinsky. Right on with the Rite of Spring. I like Mozart and Saint-Saens, too. Blah blah blah. So many to like. :D


Just not disharmonic melodies.... eck! :eek2:

Aw, why not? :( :p



And you can talk about your instrument too... fun, eh? :banana:


Well, I have a keyboard and piano and I love to play them both. I would looooveee to own a synthesizer and an electric organ and a bass guitar. I used to be in band but I LOATHED the structure of it. Structed playing is obviously a key ingredient in producing orchestral music, but it is NOT for me. I can't stand "creative classes" most of the time because they're too structured because they're classes. So I just play whatever I want at home and figure out things by ear a lot.

[ex ponto]

Beethoven's "Kreutzer sonata" (Ashkenazy) etc
Dvorak
Rachmaninov
"Claire de lune" sounds nice in an orchestral version (Oceans eleven)
There's a film music composer - John Barry, I find his music great too.

[Abraxas]

Oh, wonderful thread! I used to listen to a lot of romantics and post-romantics, with a preference for Prokofiev and Scriabin (disharmony can be absolutely beautiful, by the way) and Rachmaninov! with a lot of Chopin and Liszt (ah, for his piano sonatas!) thrown in.
But I find I've come back to Mozart (the piano concertos, especially; but also the Requiem, the Great Mass, and the symphonies), Beethoven (the piano sonatas), and Bach (all his keyboard stuff - more specifically the Partitas, The Goldberg Variations - played by Gould of course, and the concertos) there seems to be more depth, more structure, more beauty in them somehow.
I love Schumann and Schubert as well though, and can listen to them non-stop. And Haydn, and Scarlatti.. oh, there are too many of them, aren't there...

[Sir Bartholomew]

I like Debussy & Satie

[stlukesguild]

Mozart's Great Mass... Yes! I was just listening to it yesterday in my studio. I must have played it 3 times. Magnificent! And Scarlatti! I recently read an article in which an earlier critic described his music as the sound of pearls falling to the floor from a broken necklace.:thumbs_up

[Abraxas]

And Scarlatti! I recently read an article in which an earlier critic described his music as the sound of pearls falling to the floor from a broken necklace.:thumbs_up

Oh yes!!! that's a lovely description!! I see him as a sort of magical compound of Bach and Chopin (hope this won't shock any purist...): structure and a sort of wistfulness

I'd advise Horowitz's interpretations, by the way...

[JBI]

For Opera, which is my favorite form of expression:

Verdi is probably the greatest, he has the best track record, and the most productions

Wagner has a special place, but it is sometimes difficult for anyone to sit through a full later Opera, let alone 4 of them.

Puccini, I think him lacking the defining features of these two (who from what I know seem to be his biggest direct predecessors, his Manon Lescaut premiering and kicking off his career the same week Falstaff ended Verdi's career) Puccini has great Arias, but I feel he sometimes lacks the expression of either of these two.

Mozart - Don Giovanni generally regarded as his masterwork Opera, with Le Nozze Di Figaro and The Magic Flute coming close. He was a true master, but I find it a little difficult to sit through most performances now since I have seen them so many times, and no every joke. (I can only enjoy these operas now if the performers are above excellent).

Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin the opera was worthy of the novel it was based on. I feel Tchaikovsky did a great job capturing the beauty and sadness of the story, meanwhile staying relatively true to the text.

Dvorak - Rusalka is perhaps the most heart-breaking Opera I have seen (even above Verdi's tragic operas La Traviata and Rigoletto). The sheer beauty of the Czech language with the romantic music is breathtaking.

Handel - Some great Operas, specifically Rodelinda, Serse, and Saul. However do to lack of enthusiasm and Counter-tenors able to sing the heroic parts, I feel it is a little too difficult to see these operas on stage.
Bizet - Carmen being the only really performed work (the others generally have famous pieces, but not the same production level) You have a unique place, especially because of the mezzo-soprano heroine you based your opera on. The character remains unique, by voice and by style, and earned a great place in the operatic repertoire.

Gunound - His most famous operas, Romeo et Juliette, and Faust have earned a major place in the English and outside of French world. Probably the best of French opera writers I can think of.

Massenet - Great work, unfortunately, not preformed enough, and not known enough outside of France.

Rimsky-Korsakov - great Operas, especially The Tale of the Tsar Saltan, The Golden Cockerel, and Sadko.

Richard Strauss - I still can't get over this composers politics, however I confess he wrote some great Operas, especially Salome.

Bellini - Great operas, unfortunately died to young, now the most enduring of his work being Norma and I Puritani

Donizetti - Extremely prolific, although only a couple of works remain in the general repertoire, Lucia di Lammermoor, Elizer d'Amore, and The Lady of the Regiment.

Rossini - Perhaps the biggest of the Bel Canto composers, still very much enjoyable, especially The Barber of Seville, and Il Turco.

That's a start, I am sure I left some mentionables out, but Oh well.

[Lulim]

I like Verdi best, my favourite composition by him: "un ballo in maschera"

[stlukesguild]

I'd advise Horowitz's interpretations, by the way...

Horowitz yes... but don't miss Perahia and Schiff... to say nothing of Kirkpatrick's marvelous versions on harpsichord. Kirkpatrick was really the artist who made the modern revival of Scarlatti... so much so that his scholarly edition is the standard listing of Scarlatti's work (thus K. 29, K. 247, etc...) he also made a marvelous recording of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier played upon Clavichord.:thumbs_up

[aeroport]

My absolute favorite Chopin, however, must be Rubinstein's recording of the Nocturnes... fabulous!

Awesome, awesome recording!
I'm also really enjoying Thibaudet's Chopin recording lately ("The Chopin I Love").

His F.C. polonaises are great too - I wish he'd recorded more of them...

Chopin is probably my favorite composer, and the shorter length of his works makes him, "IMO", a little bit more accessible. But I regard Beethoven and Wagner as gods. (Bach too, but I don't listen to him nearly as much as I should.)

[stlukesguild]

Ah Opera! A field unto it's own. And those opera lovers are such fanatics that they make us mere bibliophiles seem truly "normal" in comparison.

I'd probably go with Mozart as my favorite. His operas and his piano concertos really secure his position in music history. No other composer can almost "throw away" the most exquisite melodies that most would kill to write but once. Don Giovanni, Le Nozze Di Figaro, and The Magic Flute yes! But don't underestimate Cosi fan tutte, either. Some of his concert arias are quite exquisite as well... check out the inimitable Elizabeth Schwarzkopf recordings. Also be sure to give Gluck a listen if you like Mozart's operas. He lead the shift away from the ornate vocal mannerisms of Baroque opera toward a greater simplicity and greater balance between the vocalists and the orchestra.

I'm currently greatly enamored of Puccini who admittedly was a poor judge of librettos... usually selecting popular novels almost on the level of a soap opera. What he does with these, however, is exquisite: such lush, aching melodies. And if one wants a little more honest emotion, Maria Calas is always there to infuse these light roles with a passion equal to anything.

Bel Canto! Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti! I can't get enough of them... The entire operas... or collections/recitals by the most illustrious singers. Rossini is certainly the greatest of these... and under-recorded/performed. Cecilia Bartoli (God! I love that woman's voice) however has made a good effort of correcting this. Her Cerentola (Cinderella) is magnificent! Oddly enough... I have been somewhat slow to coming around to Verdi... in spite of Aida having been the first opera I actually attended.

In spite of my preference for the Italians (and I'd throw in Monteverdi in there as well) I certainly love Wagner and Richard Strauss. Wagner may just have been the most influential composer post-Beethoven, however he is not the composer one should turn to upon first coming to opera or classical music. The structures of his operas are quite removed from the usual concept of opera as a sort of musical play in which recitativs (dialog) are interspersed with arias, duets or other song-forms. Wagner organizes the entire opera as Beethoven might a symphony... as one giant organic whole. But God! he can be so grandiose... so thrilling... so spiritually uplifting... so sensual as to be almost erotic!

Strauss... well he's probably my favorite 20th century composer. His past is actually a lot less murky than Wagner's. He was certainly a member of the Nazi Party (as was any German needing to keep his job). On the other hand he largely attempted to remain apolitical, and no where in his notes do we find any antisemitic or pro-Nazi sentiments expressed. A good part of his purpose in maintaining at least a surface appearance of compliance with the Nazis was due to his intention to protect his Jewish daughter-in-law, Alice. This political stance did come in of use as he was able to secure her release following arrest by the Gestapo. He resigned his position as the president of the State Music Bureau after refusing to remove the name of his Jewish friend and librettist, Stefan Zweig, from a concert playbill, and wrote a letter to Zweig insulting the Nazis. His one-act opera, Freidenstag was seen as a thinly veiled hymn to peace and criticism of the Nazis... a dangerous position to take in 1938. However Strauss, like the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, road out the war in Germany and Austria refusing to abandon his homeland. This combined with the fact that he most certainly would have been afforded a degree of safety as Hitler's favorite living composer has unfortunately marred his reputation and presented a portrait of Strauss as antisemitic. It is interesting that Picasso's decision to remain in occupied Paris rather than to flee to the US (as did most major artists of the time) only served to strengthen his reputation for bravely standing up in the face of adversity... while in the instances of Strauss, Furtwangler, Max Beckmann, and other German artists in any number of fields it was seen as a mistake... casting a dark cloud of suspicion of having collaborated and benefited from the Nazis. Regardless of his politics his operas are magnificent. And such variety. The great early operas Elektra and Salome are intense, modern, erotic, expressionistic works. Later operas like the marvelous Rosenkavalier are a joyful blend of the marvelous melodies and plots of Mozart and Rossini and Johann Strauss... with a post-Wagner/Modernist air.

Handel has always been a favorite as well. His operas and his oratorios may be the only realm in which he can challenge Bach. Ombra mai fu is certainly one of the most achingly beautiful melodies ever produced by any composer. If you like Handel is counter-tenor certainly seek out Andreas Scholl or Russell Oberlin (his 1960 DG recording still sounds fabulous!).

As for the Russians. Well I've only recently started giving them more of a listen to after hearing a marvelous recording (Russian Album) by the risingg star, Anna Netrebko. Russian music has taken me some time to warm to. I've always found it too sprawling... too lush (sweet?)... too bombastic... or lacking a solid structure (Not German enough? No... I love Chopin and the Italians and the French) Time will tell here.

[stlukesguild]

SLG (quote)-My absolute favorite Chopin, however, must be Rubinstein's recording of the Nocturnes... fabulous!

Awesome, awesome recording!
I'm also really enjoying Thibaudet's Chopin recording lately ("The Chopin I Love").

His F.C. polonaises are great too - I wish he'd recorded more of them...

Chopin is probably my favorite composer, and the shorter length of his works makes him, "IMO", a little bit more accessible.

If you like Chopin's Nocturnes, check out John Field... the English composer who "invented" the form (really quite good) as well as Faure, who wrote some marvelous Nocturnes as well.

[JBI]

Hmm, so for favorite sopranos, You like Netrebko, I like her for some dramatic and a lot for her lyric, but not at all for bel canto. Renee Fleming is probably the best living light lyric I can think of, and the best Bel Canto artists historically are probably Joan Sutherland, and Maria Callas (her vocal control was perfect). Jessye Norman is a great Dramatic Soprano, as is Karita Mattila (just saw her on live broadcast from the met in Puccini's Manon Lescaut). The best Mozart Interpreter I have come across is probably Lucia Popp (unfortunately, died too early from Cancer).

Stlukesguild, on the subhject of libretti, almost all libretti are junk, with the exception of Wagner (his ring cycle is a literary masterpiece). If you saw any of those as play scripts, you would probably leave the theatre. To me, I feel that the story is irrelevant since the emotion of the music, something which really cannot be captured in words, is the key focus (with the exception of Wagnerian opera) of opera. The plot is written just to set the stage for emotional conflict.

[stlukesguild]

Hmm, so for favorite sopranos, You like Netrebko...?

Far from it. I really admire her on the Russian Album but for female singers (living) I am torn first and foremost between Rene Fleming and Cecilia Bartoli. Of course she's a mezzo-soprano, but who gives a damn? Her voice is so sensuous and he singing so intelligent. Other contemporary favorites would include Anne Sophie von Otter, Dawn Upshaw, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Magdalena Koczena. Of course... thanks to the wonders of digital technology and remastering I can listen to all the great singers of the golden age of opera recording as well. My favorite older singers (female) would have to be Callas followed by Schwarzkopf... but not to forget Nielsen, Ferrier, Tebaldi, Rita Streich, Sutherland, Tebaldi, and many others... including certainly Popp who was marvelous at Mozart... and also did a great recital of Schubert. Among my favorite male singers I would include Paul Wunderlich, Carlo Bergonzi, Pavarotti, Domingo, Franco Corelli, Jussi Bjorling... and in a category by himself Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.

[aeroport]

If you like Chopin's Nocturnes, check out John Field... the English composer who "invented" the form (really quite good) as well as Faure, who wrote some marvelous Nocturnes as well.

I thought he was Irish...(?)
Faure I'm not familiar with at all, and will check him out soon.
I remember playing one of Field's nocturnes, though, back in my playing days, and finding it not as interesting as F.C. I might look into a recording sometime, though.

[JBI]

Have you ever heard any work by Michael Schade? he's an excellent Canadian Tenor specializing in Mozart.

[stlukesguild]

I thought he was Irish...

You may be right. I haven't read enough about him. I only know he's British and developed the nocturne as a genre. Faure is a marvelous composer mostly known for his wonderful Requiem... but his songs and his nocturnes are quite special as well.

[stlukesguild]

Have you ever heard any work by Michael Schade? he's an excellent Canadian Tenor specializing in Mozart.

I haven't come across him before... but he certainly looks promising. My favorite Canadian singer is probably Leopold Simoneau... albeit this opinion is based upon a single magnificent recording on Deutsche Grammophon from the late 1950s.

[stlukesguild]

I'm currently listening to the piano music by Alexander Scriabin. Scriabin is a fascinating figure in music history and I have yet to have even begun to fully digest his work (admittedly, I've not been overly fond of Russian composers until recently). Scriabin's early work should be admired by anyone fond of Chopin as it certainly owes much to his Polish predecessor... even employing the same forms: preludes, etudes, nocturnes, mazurkas, sonatas. His later music becomes far more "Modernist"... experimental... unorthodox... and yet quite different from Stravinsky or the formalism of Schoenberg. He became increasingly fascinated with various religious/spiritual beliefs drawing upon influences as diverse as Nietzsche and Theosophy. His compositions grew increasingly complex and often employed technical diagrams that sought to explain his metaphysical beliefs. These works are in part influenced by his own synesthesia and a belief that sounds or notes conveyed optical or color sensations. This synesthesia was the source behind his unrealized magnum opus, Mysterium, and epic symphonic/theatrical composition that was was to have been a grand week-long performance including music, scent, dance, and light in the foothills of the Himalayas that was to bring about the dissolution of the world in bliss!:eek2: His theories have led many to dismiss him (and his music) as the ravings of a madman. Others are drawn to the very same mystical ramblings. Personally, I find his music quite fascinating... and beautiful. The earlier work can be as achingly lovely... and light of touch... as Chopin. Later works are far more surprising in their shifts in rhythms, tonality, structure, etc... In some way they remind me of what Shostakovitch would achieve building upon the traditional forms of Bach with his Preludes and Fugues . He is definitely worth investigating when considers that his complete piano sonatas may be had on a two-desk set and the entirety of his remaining solo piano work on a 5-disk boxed set by Voxbox priced at les than $20.00 and marvelously played by Michael Ponti.

[stlukesguild]

So does anyone have a favorite piece of music for the holiday? A few years back I attended a performance of the St. Matthew Passion staged in a beautiful old Gothic-Revival style cathedral. It was certainly quite moving. In fact I think I'll pop Otto Klemperer's recording of this piece into my disc-drive right now.:lol:

[Virgil]

So does anyone have a favorite piece of music for the holiday? A few years back I attended a performance of the St. Matthew Passion staged in a beautiful old Gothic-Revival style cathedral. It was certainly quite moving. In fact I think I'll pop Otto Klemperer's recording of this piece into my disc-drive right now.:lol:

Funny you should mention that St Lukes. My wife and I attended a performance of Bach's St Matthew's Passion last night at the NY Philharmonic. It was ok. Only ok I'm afraid. Yes there was some beautiful, soaring moments, but it was three hours and twenty minutes long in its entirety with a short intermission roughly mid way. It was just too long and frankly (and I can't blame Bach for this) it being in a foreign language that i didn't understand (German of course) made me lose focus. I did enjoy the arias, but what i think I had the most problem with was how much recitative there was, probably more than half. I didn't find the recitative all that intersting musically, but it told the story. Alas in German. ;) Overall very nice, but I prefer Handel's Messiah.

[Nossa]

Do I have to know the story of the symphony to enjoy it? I mean I have Handel's Messiah, and I like listening to it sometimes, but due to not being a christian, I don't think I really get the essence of the idea behind it. Is that really a problem when it comes to the religion related musical pieces?

[stlukesguild]

Virgil... Nossa... I do understand the problem. And I certainly agree that it is much easier to get into the "highlights" of an opera or oratorio: those great arias, duets, and rousing choruses. At the same time, however, I cannot imagine that we can fully appreciate the music while ignoring the words. That would be like appreciating a film for the beauty of the colors and cinematography without having any concept of the narrative. I might have an advantage with Bach in that I was raised Lutheran and constantly exposed to his music in church services and still maintain some German (albeit rather rudimentary) from years ago. In most of the instances in which I go to see an opera or oratorio I do some preparation ahead of time. I'm somewhat surprised that the recitatives were not performed in English... or at least English subtitles provided as is now standard t most opera performances. As for whether one must be of the same faith to appreciate an artistic expression of a certain religious belief... I don't believe so. I appreciate an variety of Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic, etc... art. I think what is central to any such expression are experiences common to all faiths: life, birth, death, love and sex, etc...

By the way Virgil... as much as I love Bach I probably would agree that Handel's Messiah is the superior oratorio (although Haydn's Creation would be a close second).

[Nossa]

I think what is central to any such expression are experiences common to all faiths: life, birth, death, love and sex, etc...

Yeah I totally agree...I mean I do appreciate the art itself, without knowing that much about christian faith..so yeah I think you're totally right :D

[Virgil]

Virgil... Nossa... I do understand the problem. And I certainly agree that it is much easier to get into the "highlights" of an opera or oratorio: those great arias, duets, and rousing choruses. At the same time, however, I cannot imagine that we can fully appreciate the music while ignoring the words. That would be like appreciating a film for the beauty of the colors and cinematography without having any concept of the narrative. I might have an advantage with Bach in that I was raised Lutheran and constantly exposed to his music in church services and still maintain some German (albeit rather rudimentary) from years ago. In most of the instances in which I go to see an opera or oratorio I do some preparation ahead of time. I'm somewhat surprised that the recitatives were not performed in English... or at least English subtitles provided as is now standard t most opera performances. As for whether one must be of the same faith to appreciate an artistic expression of a certain religious belief... I don't believe so. I appreciate an variety of Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic, etc... art. I think what is central to any such expression are experiences common to all faiths: life, birth, death, love and sex, etc...
Actually the words were provided in the playbill and they uncharacteristically kept the lights on so everyone could read along. And I did, but still it was hard to keep one's focus for over three hours. I think that was better than scrolling subtitles across a screen.


Do I have to know the story of the symphony to enjoy it? I mean I have Handel's Messiah, and I like listening to it sometimes, but due to not being a christian, I don't think I really get the essence of the idea behind it. Is that really a problem when it comes to the religion related musical pieces?

It depends to what level. One can appreciate great music without knowing the story, but I think the nuances might escape one. For instance, I can't imagine writing a good essay on an Islamic writer (who uses the religion in his work) without understanding at least some basics of the religion. Or even secular literature of another nation. I'm sure I would miss something if I was not immersed in that culture. Yes everyone has the basic issues of life, and that is the most important thing, but we also have local nuances.

[Nossa]

It depends to what level. One can appreciate great music without knowing the story, but I think the nuances might escape one. For instance, I can't imagine writing a good essay on an Islamic writer (who uses the religion in his work) without understanding at least some basics of the religion. Or even secular literature of another nation. I'm sure I would miss something if I was not immersed in that culture. Yes everyone has the basic issues of life, and that is the most important thing, but we also have local nuances.

I understand what you mean. I do know a little about christianity, since I have many christian friends already, but I think in order for one to really understand a musical piece like Messiah you need to know the whole story and understand it completely. Which is sadly the problem in my case. I know that I'm definitely missing on things in the story. The basis of a religion (whatever it is) doesn't give you the 'feeling' but only an idea. I also believe that every religion has it's own spirituality. Meaning that, if you're a christian, you'll not be moved when you hear Qura'an for instance, and vice versa. So when it comes to Easter music, or any music related to the Christian faith, I think I'll always have a hard time getting the real idea, cuz I'm not christian. Still I can always appreciate the music, and even identify with certain meanings in the piece, but the real essence would still be missing. Hope that made sense :D

[Erichtho]

So does anyone have a favorite piece of music for the holiday?

This year I attended Bach's Johannespassion, and enjoyed it, but I cannot say that it is my favourite or that I have any favourite at all. I also like the already mentioned Matthäuspassion.
I must admit that I've never heard Händel's Messiah, they hardly play Händel around where I live.

[stlukesguild]

I've never heard Händel's Messiah :eek2::confused::eek2:

they hardly play Händel around where I live.

They don't play Handel in the "Evening Land"? Blaspheme!:eek2:

[aeroport]

And not even at Christmas? They do the Messiah every year here. (I still have not heard it yet, either, though.)

[stlukesguild]

Back to work tomorrow after 10 days of Spring Break.:bawling: I should be playing a Requiem... or Chopin's "death march".:sick:

[Sarasvati21]

Yes, I could be playing that as well. Chopin is amazing.

I'm working on composing a piece for a wind ensemble right now. It's a lot more difficult than I had anticipated it would be. I didn't realize how vast the gap is between what I hear in my head and the staff.

[johann cruyff]

I myself am a big fan of Bach,Mozart(Requiem is something I could listen to every day) and Carl Orff.I don't care much for Bizet or Franck,for instance,but that could be simply because I haven't heard much of their music though...

However,I've recently discovered Rachmaninoff and right now,he is by far my favourite composer...brilliant!

[stlukesguild]

Bizet is OK... in small doses... but I'll take Liszt or Wagner or Bruckner over him any day if Romantic bombast is what I'm after.

[Louis Red]

is an absolute genius who transcended the idiocy of society to create some of the most thought-out and well-composed music ever.

[JBI]

I like Brahms, but lets be honest, he was heavilly influenced, and wasn't a "major" composer in the sense that Beethoven, Mozart, Hayden, Bach, Wagner, Handel, Or even Schubert were. Your fascination seems marred however, with the disillusionment on his biography. You do know that he stopped composing at age 57 until just before his death don't you, and the fact that he wrote music to please the ear, and of course, make money. He wasn't at all about transcending society, and actually was friends with many of his contemporaries, and wrote music for many of his friends to preform.

[jgweed]

Scattered comments:

Opera and lieder aside, there are some compositions where an understanding of the words increases the understanding and pleasure when one hears the piece, and some where this is relatively unimportant.
Handel's St. Celia or Stravinski's Oedipus Rex are perhaps two examples of the former (Stravinski helpfully provides a narrator); the Missa Solemnis of Beethoven, or Brahm's German Requiem are examples of the latter.
*****
There was quite a prolonged controversy between the Brahmsians and the Brucknerites which was a disguised argument about Wagner. Fortunately, now one can enjoy both composers for themselves.
****
Most French composers are known for one or two works, and the others they wrote are merely competent, perhaps enjoyable, compositions. Who listens to Saint-Saens outside of the Organ Symphony and Carnival of the Animals?

[Niamh]

And not even at Christmas? They do the Messiah every year here. (I still have not heard it yet, either, though.)

They do the Messiah here every year too around christ church where the first ever preformance was. Still havent managed to get to it though! :p

[jgweed]

One of the great pleasures I associate with Christmastime is participating in one of the many "sing-along Messiahs" in my area. Fortunately for all concerned, my voice is drowned out by hundreds of others, but I enjoy myself.

[JBI]

JGweed, you forgot his opera Samson and Delila

[stlukesguild]

Although I am far from a Brahmsian (I definitely prefer Wagner... and Bach before anyone) I would in no way under-rate him as a composer. He is most certainly one of the "major" composers, and probably stronger than anyone who has come along since. Certainly he was not as innovative a symphonist as Beethoven (and who is?) but his symphonies are certainly quite lovely... especially the first, which undoubtedly deserves the tongue-in-cheek title "Beethoven's 10th" for more than its derivativeness. His piano concertos and violin concerto are quite magnificent, as is his Deutsches Requiem. His work for solo piano is magical and every bit equal or superior to Schubert's and Scumann's efforts in the genre. He must also be credited as one of the greatest composers of lieder... although surely not equal to Schubert... but then I must repeat myself and ask, "who was?" In the area of chamber music, however, Brahms is almost without peer: the string quartets, the piano trios, piano sonatas, cello sonatas, the violin sonatas, and of course all the marvelous chamber work for clarinet.

[jgweed]

I wish I COULD forget Samson and Delia, truly I do, JBI. It ranks right up there with Girl of the Golden West and Mahagonny.
*Ducking under the table*
Cheers,
John