Classical Music

[TEND]

I'm a relative newcomer to Classical music, though I have listened to it since a child I have only know really looked at the different styles and composers.
Some favorite composer's I've picked up have been Mozart and Beethoven of course, Tchaikovsky, Listz, Vivaldi, Prokofiev, Brahms, Stravinksi, Rossini, well theres lots...and some pieces I particularly like are Listz's 'Mephisto Waltz,' Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake,' Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'(is there a formal title for the combination of those four pieces?), and practically anything Mozart especially the 25th and 40th symphonies, and the Marriage of Figaro overture.


Anyways, I was hoping to create a topic where we could have some discussion regarding this topic and hopefully some like me could expand there horizons ever farther. So....any thoughts?:D

[SleepyWitch]

i like classical music, too :) but normally i can't be bothered to remember composer's names :(
Vivaldi's four seasons are cool :)
I listened to a piece from the Barber of Seville the other day. It was sung by this new star baritone Simon Whatsname.
I love baritones :)

Do you know Carmina Burana by Orff?

You can listen to classical music, new classics and movie scores here.Klassikradio (http://www.klassikradio.de/live-stream/) (only works in i-explorer)
It's in German but they don't do much talking, so it shouldn't be a problem :) Just click on one of the players :)
(mods, is it OK to 'advertise' sites we like?)

[toni]

Before, I was more interested in the composers' biographies and tangled lovelives, hearing losses,-so much drama going on.:sick: But then, I got tired of it and started listening to their symphonies instead. :lol:

Classical music really helps when I'm studying. I usually listen to MOzart, and yeah, Beethoven, of course.the "Overture To The MAgic Flute" by Mozart is truly a masterpiece. :lol:

I'm not sure of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, though. That symphony conjures images of death, corpses, and everything ghastly.:confused: Do you guys feel the same way about Swan LAke? Actually, I prefer his Nutcracker.:thumbs_up

[bluevictim]

I'm a relative newcomer to Classical music, though I have listened to it since a child I have only know really looked at the different styles and composers.Isn't it great to find a new interest to explore?

I generally like Baroque music best of all, and I pretty much flip for fugues, so it's probably no surprise that my favorite composer is J.S. Bach. If I had to pick my favorite piece of music, it would probably be Bach's The Art of the Fugue (BWV 1080). A couple of my favorite cantatas by Bach are Christ lag in Todes Banden (BWV 4) (unfortunately I let someone borrow my favorite recording of BWV 4 and he never returned it!) and Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 61). Of Bach's longer choral works, the St. John passion (BWV 245) is probably my favorite, although that changes pretty frequently. There are too many great works by J.S. Bach to highlight. I would highly recommend Bach's music to anyone; there is no need to choose -- all of it is really good.

Another favorite composer of mine is Palestrina. For some reason I never got into the classical and romantic (and later) composers. I was probably too busy listening to Bach.

[SleepyWitch]

I also love "Bist du bei mir" by Bach (ooops, I used to think it was by Händel! you live and learn )
I find it soothing, although it's about dying and Jesus and I don't normally like either!

[toni]

Is that the syphony "St. Matthew's Passion?

My all time favorite by Bach is "Easter Cantata" .anyone familiar with it?

[bluevictim]

...although it's about dying and Jesus and I don't normally like either!haha! Most of Bach's choral works are about Jesus, and a large amount of them are about dying and Jesus! Well, I guess you can still enjoy the secular cantatas and the instrumental works.

[RobinHood3000]

Liszt is my favorite -- I LOVE "Un Sospiro".

[Virgil]

Great subject TEND. I love classical music. It takes a while to understand it. If you get an opportunity in school to take a class, it will make it more understandable. I started to like it before i had the basics (and that is all I have), by enjoying the sounds of the instruments. And then after I learned the basics, for instance the structures of a symphony or a concerto, it all fell into place, and I got to understand the composer and his composition like we understand an author's novel.

Yes, it's called the Four Seasons as a group. My favorites are Beethoven's symphonies. All nine are great, but if I had to choose i would say that #3, 5, and 9 are awesome. Also almost anything done by Mozart overwhelms me, especially his symphonies 40 and 41, his late piano concertos, and his Italian operas (I'm sorry I can never get into German opera), and the overtures to the operas, especially the one to Don Juan. Opera is another favorite and I love almost anything by Verdi. Let me mention also Bach, Stravinski, and Vivaldi as favorites.

That is quite interesting Bluevictum that you like Palistrina. Slowly but surely I've been working my way backwards and I enjoy renaissance and medevil music too. In that era though I prefer Monteverdi. I guess I haven't heard that much of Palistrina. Anything you would recommend?

[TEND]

Terrific, so many suggestions :D I'm trying to get as many of the pieces as I can that you all are mentioning.

[grace86]

I love classical music. I go to listen to the private colleges over here when they do a symphony orchestra performance from a popular composer. I usually don't have a preference as I think it is all soooo beautiful. I like Brahms and Vivaldi...umm can't remember who else right now.

[TEND]

It is very nice to have talented orchestras. That's one thing I can sya about Winnipeg is that we have a fantastic arts scene. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is fantastic and oh how I wish I had money to get season tickets....Alas the occasional concert will have to do for now.

[Guzmán]

Nobody has mentioned Wagner yet, the overture to his "Tristan und Isolde" is probably my favorite pease of music of all time. What about more "20th century" stuff? I myself am a fan of German expressionism and the 2nd Vienna school: Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Webern. Schoenberg's "Transfigured night" is one of my favorites.

[Shalot]

When it comes to classical music, I am a greatest hits kind of girl. I have a set called mozart's greatest hits and my favorite track is the magic flute.

Some of my other favorites are Fur Elise (who doesn't know that one, right) and Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor (we've all heard it).

I am pretty much still in the newbie phase. I am pretty much addicted to NPR and the station where I live has the afternoon and morning concert which I listen to while I'm at work, but I never bother to find out which piece of music goes with which composer (they list what they play on the Web). Maybe one day I will be motivated enough to match the pretty piece of music with the composer so that I can identify it.

[bluevictim]

Is that the syphony "St. Matthew's Passion?

My all time favorite by Bach is "Easter Cantata" .anyone familiar with it?No, "Bist du bei mir" is part of a notebook of compositions J.S. Bach gave to Anna Magdalena Bach (his wife) as a gift. It may not actually have been composed by J.S. Bach himself.

[bluevictim]

That is quite interesting Bluevictum that you like Palistrina. Slowly but surely I've been working my way backwards and I enjoy renaissance and medevil music too. In that era though I prefer Monteverdi. I guess I haven't heard that much of Palistrina. Anything you would recommend?I guess the most famous work by Palestrina is Missa Papae Marcelli. I am also fond of Missa Brevis. The style is quite different than the style of Monteverdi. There are many other great late Renaissance composers, but it seems like Palestrina and Byrd are the easiest to find recordings for.

[Idril]

I am pretty much addicted to NPR and the station where I live has the afternoon and morning concert which I listen to while I'm at work, but I never bother to find out which piece of music goes with which composer (they list what they play on the Web).

I listen to that quite often as well, I often have to prepare the lunch for the kids at work and it's so relaxing to get away from the screaming and biting and hair-pulling and pushing and scratching and go down to the basement and listen to some good classical music. I miss Karl Haas, he was so pretentious, he was awesome! :p

I've been surrounded by classical music all my life, but like Shalot, I really haven't paid attention to names of composers or pieces, any knowledge I have is pretty basic, I enjoy Brahms, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Grieg.

[Lily Adams]

Oh, I love classical music. In fact, I'm listeneing to Beetohoven's Symphony Number Four in Allegro right now. :D I also like Mozart, (I have the Amadeus soundtrack, plus some other one with "The Marriage of Figaro Overture on it.") Vivaldi, (I LOVE "The Four Seasons". They're my favorite.) Chopin, ("Chanson De L'adeiu") and I like other Beethoven works, too.

I also like Tchaikovsky's "Marche Slave" and his "1812 Overture", and one of my all time favorite songs is "Danse Macabre" by Saint-Saens. Oh! And I like Holst's "The Planets", too. And how could I nearly forget! I like Igor Stravinksy's "The Rite of Spring" and his "Firebird Suite" as well.

Huzzah for classical music!

[bluevictim]

I love classical music. I go to listen to the private colleges over here when they do a symphony orchestra performance from a popular composer.If you live within driving distance of L.A. (it says you're from Southern California), I hope you are aware that the L.A. Philharmonic has a special price for students for leftover seats of their weekend concerts. The tickets are approx. $10 (at least they used to be). The seats are whatever is available, usually dispersed throughout the auditorium since the concerts are rarely sold out (in other words, they're usually fine seats). It's a great bargain for a top-notch orchestra. I highly recommend any students in the L.A. area take advantage of this (I hope it is still going on).

[Boris239]

I love opera and go to the Metropolitan Opera pretty often. Last year Mariinsky theater came to NY and gave a magnificent opera "Mazepa". "Don Giovanni" is probably my favorite one closely followed by "Eugene Onegin", "Boris Godunov", "Traviata" and "Carmen".

[aeroport]

Nobody has mentioned Wagner yet, the overture to his "Tristan und Isolde" is probably my favorite pease of music of all time.

Indeed, Wagner is something of a god, is he not? The "T&I" prelude is excellent (and the one for Akt III is pretty much the most gut-wrenching music I think I've ever heard). His Tannhauser overture, with that amazing Pilgrims' chorus melody at the beginning, is also a favorite of mine. I've never got through all of "Parsifal", at least while paying close attention to every little detail, but the Akt I prelude is awesome, especially at the beginning, with that strange homophonic melody that doesn't really fit into any regular rhythm. We will not even go into the "Ring-cycle"...

I am a great fan of Rachmaninoff's piano concerto No. 2 - as a whole it is quite cool, but I would love the guy even if the adagio to this were the only thing he ever wrote. Beautiful stuff, folks - no joke.

Certainly Beethoven deserves "props", if for the Ninth alone... The Kansas City Symphony is doing the Fifth in January, I think, about which I am terribly excited. :D I haven't really got into the quartets yet, though I hear some of them are amazing. I've never really listened to much chamber music.

Chopin is also probably one of the best, for me; all of the etudes are fun, the nocturnes really quite lovely - especially the Artur Rubenstein recordings - and the rest, as a rule, just awesome in general. I am also a great lover of his first and fourth ballades, especially the latter. Some people are kind of critical of his cello sonata and his two concertos, but I've not really listened to those enough to comment. As an (amateur) pianist, though, I have to say the guy's something of a hero for me. I like his use of shorter forms; as much as I dig the Ninth, it's an hour long (though well worth it) and so I must generally confine myself to the last movement, but most of Chopin's works are, like, five-to-ten minutes at the most. There's an intimacy that comes with that, I guess one might say. Highly diggable.

[jon1jt]

there was Gustav Mahler, then there was god.

[MissJaneEyre19]

my all time favorite is Dvorak's "New World Symphony." every time i listen to the finale i get light headed. ;)

also, shostakovich's fifth symphony. very very good.

[aeroport]

there was Gustav Mahler, then there was god.

Quite so. :)

[Taliesin]

Bach is an excellent background music for mathematics.
We like the romantic period composers, especially Chopin and Grieg.
Rachmaninov is also great, but it is bloody hard to get his music here so we haven't heard much. But he has stunning works.
20th century composers are actually quite interesting.
We like composers who use the old modes. (we believe that the impressionists did that, for example). It has a feel of a legend or a fairy-tale, of the days auld lang syne.
Orffs' Carmina Burana cannot of course be forgotten.
We also like the works of some Estonian national composers and prefer Tormis over Pärt, but probably it doesn't tell anybody anything.

[Shalot]

Do you know Carmina Burana by Orff?



Yes --- it's on The Doors soundtrack (kind of gives you an idea of what kind of classical music listener I am). But it is a good piece I think.

[stlukesguild]

I can't even begin to define some sort of limits as to what I like within the range of what we call "classical music". Perhaps I should simply say that I like everything from the medieval period to just last week. I must admit to liking some things less and some more. I'm not overly fond of Tchaikovski... or Stravinski... or a good deal of the Russians in general... although I have begun to reexamine Rachmaninoff and Prokoviev lately... and also Shostakovich' cello concerto. I'd have to agree with Bluevictim is nominating J.S. Bach (is there any other Bach... really?) as the greatest composer... nay, as God. I cannot listen to Glen Gould's recordings of the Goldberg Variations or Angella Hewitt's complete "Well Tempered Clavier" enough. I am equally fond of the cantatas (especially nos. 80, 140, and 147). perhaps my favorite Bach piece, however, is his profoundly moving collection of Cello Suites (preferrably played by Pierre Fournier) or than marvelous Sonatas and Partitas (played by Nathan Milstein).

Among other absolute favorites I would have to include Monteverdi's Vespers, Handel's Messiah and "Ombra mai fu", Haydn's Creation, Mozart's later piano concertos, the clarinet quintet and concerto, and the 4 great Operas: Cossi Fan Tutte, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Die Zauberflotte. I would also include Beethoven's piano concertos and symphonies 3,5,6,7, and 9, Rossini's Barber of Seville, Schubert's symphonies 8 (unfinished) and 9 and his brilliant lieder especially Die Winterreisse, Chopin's nocturnes (by Rubinstein) Brahms work for clarinet, his first symphony, and his piano concertos, Bruckner's late symphonies, and Wagner's "Ring" and the absolutely lush... sensuous... no, "erotic" Berlin Philharmoni/Karajan recording of Tristan und Isolde. Obviously, I have no problem with German opera. Indeed, beside Mozart's "Magic Flute" and Wagner, I am an absolute fan (as in fanatic) of Richard Strauss' operas, especially Salome and Die Rosenkavalier. I'm not really big on Verdi (yet...) although I LOVE La Traviata and Aida... I am a huge Puccini fan, however: Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, Tosca. Indeed, I am so into opera that I have collected a great many collections and recitals by some of the greatest singers past and present: Jussi Bjorling, Leopold Simoneau, Rita Streich, Fritz Wunderlich (Virgil, you should give this inimmitable tenor a listen to; he might change you opinion of opera in German), Franco Corelli, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Carlo Bergonzi, Beniamino Gigli, Angela Gheorghiu, Renee Flemming, Cecilia Bartoli, and of course, Maria Callas. Recently, I have begun to explore more contemporary clasical in greater depth, listening to Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Arvo Part, Henryck Gorecki, Tan Dun, John Zorn, and Osvaldo Golijov.

[Virgil]

Fritz Wunderlich (Virgil, you should give this inimmitable tenor a listen to; he might change you opinion of opera in German)

OK, I'll look for him. But you got to give Verdi a fair shake. :D

[cuppajoe_9]

Anybody seen Immortal Beloved? Very good movie starring Gary Oldman as Beethoven. Beethoven is, if not the greatest genius ever to walk the earth, certainly up there with Newton.

[TEND]

Anybody seen Immortal Beloved? Very good movie starring Gary Oldman as Beethoven. Beethoven is, if not the greatest genius ever to walk the earth, certainly up there with Newton.

Funny you should ask, I actually rented and watched it for the first time on Friday. I really agree with you on Beethoven, I absolutely love his music, something about it that is so passionate, theres so much intensity and emotion behind it, and the 9th is just too amazing....Such a perfect piece of music written by a man completely deaf, that's truly unreal.

[Guzmán]

John Zorn
Zorn is the man! I must admit im more into his "popular" stuff than his "classical", though. From the latter category ive only listened to Rituals, i think though some bits of Taboo and Exile sound like "contemporary classical" music at times too. Im a big fan of his more popular-music-wise oriented groups; Naked City, Masada, Electric Masada. I enjoy "Masada Guitars" very much, specially the only track where Frisell picks up the electric guitar, a real killer definetly.
And im forgeting about his game pieces, have you listened to any? Im only familiar with Cobra and Xu-Feng, Xu-Feng is great reminds me at times of King Crimson´s Thrakattak (which I absolutely love).

i know its not exactly classical music but does anybody here know Cecil Taylor?
His approach towards the Piano is sort of Bartok meets free jazz, he is a really virtuoso improviser who at times shows influence from early twentieth century european music, definetly worth checking out if you are into the avantgarde.
Sorry if i got off topic but you have stumbled into a free jazz/improv fan over here and mentioning John Zorn is all that´s needed to get me started...

[cuppajoe_9]

Oh dude, guess what I just found!

http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/~howe/Freshman/

And it's all free. This is easily the most awesome piece of the web that I have found today, and I found free sheet music for Beethoven's Ninth. (Well, some of it. Not very much, really.)

[Laindessiel]

I can never seem to memorize what Symphony goes with the certain tune I just heard (I usually ask Toni about it). It feels easy and light to listen to Mozart and Johann Strauss and Illyich Tchaikovsky and their pieces make you appreciate the little wonders of life. When we study for a big exam, we always listen to Baroque music (there's a radio station here in our place that's only dedicated solely to Baroque music - DZRE, The Masters' Touch) because it's been proven by researches and studies to have a calming sort of effect on your brain and makes you understand and comprehend more what you are doing.

And Classical Music is a very imaginative and interpretative genre of music. Listen to a certain piece and it makes you think about trees and flowers and birds and princesses, castles. And listen to another one yet and images of the dead, funerals, battles, wars, skeletons and other gory and horrid images encircle your thoughts. And every person is entitled to interpret it in their own way, much like abstract pieces.

Classical Music, in its own way, is art put into melody.

(I just am not very fond of listening to operas and female sopranos; they break my eardrums into pieces. The voices cuts the flow and the continuum of the melody.)

[thevintagepiper]

I'm not sure of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, though. That symphony conjures images of death, corpses, and everything ghastly.:confused: Do you guys feel the same way about Swan LAke? Actually, I prefer his Nutcracker.:thumbs_up

I believe it is supposed to do that! Having danced for ten years I absolutely love Tchaikovsky. Swan Lake, Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty...
Ballet music would have to be my favorite form of classical.

I also really enjoy opera, and tenors such as Andrea Bocelli, and some sopranos (just the ones who sound younger...not all stuffy and old sounding ;))

[RobinHood3000]

Awww, am I the only Liszt fan in here?

My favorite (http://www.iqb.es/musica/un%20suspiro%20listz.mp3) -- it's even better in person.

[Virgil]

Awww, am I the only Liszt fan in here?

My favorite (http://www.iqb.es/musica/un%20suspiro%20listz.mp3) -- it's even better in person.

No, Liszt is interesting. I just haven't listened enough of him to list him in my favorites. I don't dislike him.

[stlukesguild]

Robin;

Yes, I like Liszt as well. If I had to choose a favorite by him it would probably be the Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2. I've loved that piece ever since I first heard Bugs Bunny gleefully mutillating it on the old cartoon:). As for Andrea Bocelli:sick:... his name and "opera" should never be used in the same sentence... at least not around any true opera buff. The consequences can be ugly;).

[TEND]

Awww, am I the only Liszt fan in here?

My favorite (http://www.iqb.es/musica/un%20suspiro%20listz.mp3) -- it's even better in person.

I am a great Listz fan, my favorite piece being 'Mephisto Waltz no.1.'

[bluevictim]

I am a great Listz fan, my favorite piece being 'Mephisto Waltz no.1.'I still remember my first experience with Liszt. It was at an organ concert; I was in college. The program started with some great Bach pieces. After the intermission, the organist played something by Liszt. It was too much for my poor little Bach-and-Buxtehude-trained sensibilities. I don't think I've ever recovered.

My favorite place on the web for sheet music is the Werner Icking Music Archive (http://icking-music-archive.org/).

[Petrarch's Love]

I'm a huge classical music fan and a lot of my favorites have already been mentioned hear. Earlier today I was listening to Bach's cello suites--the sort of music you can really get lost in. I think my classical music favorites are probably far too many to list, speaking of which, I also like Liszt, Robin. The sospiro you gave us the link to is a wonderful example of why to love Liszt. Just this Sunday I heard Fazil Say play Liszt's sonata in B minor down at the symphony center. Unfortunately, though Say is an incredibly talented musician, he's also incredibly dramatic and his Liszt interpretation was a bit excessive. I don't think I've ever heard a professional pianist pound a keyboard like that.


As for Andrea Bocelli... his name and "opera" should never be used in the same sentence... at least not around any true opera buff. The consequences can be ugly

When I was in Italy the technical term for Bocelli and the like was "popera." I'm not sure if that's become an international term now or not, but it could help the hapless avoid ugly consequences at the hands of violent Wagnerians and pazzo Puccini-ites.:lol:

[toni]

Awww, am I the only Liszt fan in here?

My favorite (http://www.iqb.es/musica/un%20suspiro%20listz.mp3) -- it's even better in person.

I wasn't familiar with Liszt until that wonderful, wonderful link...


I believe it is supposed to do that! Having danced for ten years I absolutely love Tchaikovsky. Swan Lake, Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty...
Ballet music would have to be my favorite form of classical.

I also really enjoy opera, and tenors such as Andrea Bocelli, and some sopranos (just the ones who sound younger...not all stuffy and old sounding ;))

You dance ballet? Oh that's great! But Tchaikovsky's "nutcracker" still gets my vote..:D

What's your fave opera? I've just seen one opera-on tv. La Traviata Opera




When I was in Italy the technical term for Bocelli and the like was "popera." I'm not sure if that's become an international term now or not, but it could help the hapless avoid ugly consequences at the hands of violent Wagnerians and pazzo Puccini-ites.:lol:

I guess "popera" refers to Josh Groban and the band "Il Divo" as well..:lol:

[stlukesguild]

I guess "popera" refers to Josh Groban and the band "Il Divo" as well..

Oh, definitely! And don't forget Sarah Brightman and Charlotte Church. There are any number of "younger" (a relative term in classical music... perhaps I should say "contemporary") singers of real talent, including:
Angela Gheorghiu:
http://www.angelagheorghiu.com/
Magdalena Kozena:
http://www.kozena.cz/core.php?lmut=1
Cecilia Bartoli (probably my favorite... such a rich voice and a very intelligent singer to boot:
http://www.deccaclassics.com/artists/bartoli/index.html
Renee Fleming (probably my favorite American singer... I must agree with George Solti who declared he was having a "love affair" with her voice:brow::
http://www.renee-fleming.com/
Andreas Scholl:
http://www.andreasschollsociety.org/
Roberto Alagna:
http://www.jcarreras.homestead.com/Alagna1.html

Of course the "old" singers are not to missed: Fritz Wunderlich, Placido Domingo, Jussi Bjorling, Carlo Bergonzi, Leopold Simoneau, Beniamino Gigli, Franco Correlli, Rita Streich, Janet Baker, Gundula Janowitz, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau... and always Maria Callas...:
http://www.callas.it/english/home.asp
http://www.callasonemiclassics.com/site.html
... are quite accessible and often quite beautifully restored in digital recordings.

[TEND]

I've been listening to Beethoven's 7th symphony lately and I absolutely love it, the allegretto is so beautiful, has anyone else heard this piece?

[stlukesguild]

Certainly:brow:

[TEND]

Certainly:brow:

And....any opinion, beyond :brow: :D ?

[Virgil]

I've been listening to Beethoven's 7th symphony lately and I absolutely love it, the allegretto is so beautiful, has anyone else heard this piece?

Yes, I really love the 7th too.

[aeroport]

I really dig that movement as well, but I think it's the only part of the symphony that I've heard. There's no excuse for this - it's sitting four or five feet away on the dresser here. I should definitely look into this...

[Annamariah]

I like classical music very much, especially baroque. I can't name any favourite composers, but I can list some of my favourite pieces of classical music.

Albinoni - Adagio. I just love it. Organ and strings - It's so sad and yet so beautiful.
Bach - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring I remember this from my early childhood, but it took me ages to find it, since I only knew it was Bach's but nothing else.
Chopin - Fantasie Impromptu It's great, though it makes me sad because I know I will never learn to play it myself.
Järnefelt - Berceuse Järnefelt was a Finnish composer, so you have propably never heard of him, but this piece is really lovely.
Mozart - Requiem I can't help it, I love sad music.
Pachelbel - Canon in D Almost perfect.
Schubert - Unfinished Symphony Maybe I just like everything in minor. :D
Sibelius - Finlandia Sibelius, the most well-known Finnish composer ever. Finlandia always makes me think of independence day.
Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture I've always liked this one, and even more since I saw V for Vendetta :lol:

[dramasnot6]

Am i the only terrible person around who listens to parts of four seasons during those actual seasons?

[TEND]

Am i the only terrible person around who listens to parts of four seasons during those actual seasons?

Well not specifically for each season, but I do frequently listen to them (it's usually my bedtime tracks). Although that's not quite terrible just sort of....umm.....eccentric perhaps? :lol:

[Annamariah]

I love Vivaldi's Four Seasons, but I don't listen them at the "right time of the year" :D My favourites from those are Presto from Summer and Allegro non molto from Winter <3

[dramasnot6]

Well not specifically for each season, but I do frequently listen to them (it's usually my bedtime tracks). Although that's not quite terrible just sort of....umm.....eccentric perhaps?

:lol: :lol: Eccentric it is then.

I love Vivaldi's Four Seasons, but I don't listen them at the "right time of the year" My favourites from those are Presto from Summer and Allegro non molto from Winter <3

oh i love Presto from Summer also! Spring Allegro is my favorite.

[TEND]

My favorites are the Spring Allegro and Winter Allegro non molto, very nice the whole thing is very relaxing and pleasant.

[Scheherazade]

-The violin solos in Korsakov's 'Scheherazade' melts my heart every time I listen to it.

-Prokofiev's 'Romeo and Juliet' ('Capulets and Montagues' to be exact)

-'Claire de Lune' by Debussy

-'Bolero' by Ravel

[Annamariah]

-Prokofiev's 'Romeo and Juliet' ('Capulets and Montagues' to be exact)
-'Bolero' by Ravel

These two should have been on my list, too. I Love them <3

I could also add Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries.

[bluevictim]

That is quite interesting Bluevictum that you like Palistrina. Slowly but surely I've been working my way backwards and I enjoy renaissance and medevil music too. In that era though I prefer Monteverdi. I guess I haven't heard that much of Palistrina. Anything you would recommend?I thought I'd revisit this since this thread inspired me to go through some recordings of Renaissance composers that I haven't looked at in a while.

If you're looking for a sampling with several different composers, there is a nice compilation by The Tallis Scholars called "The Essential Tallis Scholars", which has samples of several composers. Unfortunately, there is less than five minutes of Palestrina on the whole two CD compilation. They also have a two CD release of Requiem mass settings by a few different composers (not Palestrina). I really enjoy their recordings, and these two compilations would be great for an introduction to a variety of Renaissance composers (except Palestrina, but there are several fine recordings of Palestrina by them as well). The Tallis Scholars do use female singers, so these wouldn't be "authentic" performances.

[stlukesguild]

The Tallis Scholars do use female singers, so these wouldn't be "authentic" performances.

SLG-Ahhh! The old "authentic" argument. While I'm certainly not up for Hooked on Classics (Bach and Bartok with a disco beat:sick:) nor one of those "new age" Bach on synthesizer (with sounds of birds and crashing waves superimposed, no doubt:brickwall) I am not stickler to absolute authenticity when it comes to classical music. I am very enamored of John Elliott Gardiner's recordings of Beethoven's 9th and 3rd on period instruments etc... but that is simply because Gardiner is an absolutely brilliant conductor. I am just as enamored of the absolute lush big orchestra sounds of Karl Böhm's recordings of Mozart's symphonies which most certainly were never originally omposed for such a large modern orchestra or even Klemperer's very modern/romantic version of Bach's Mass in B Minor. And then there's the issue of the harpsichord vs the piano. While there are any number of brilliant recordings of Bach's music upon the "authentic" harpsichord, there is no way I would want to be without the piano recordings of the great keyboard pieces such as the Well Tempered Clavier, Two and Three-Part Inventions, The Keyboard Concertos, The Goldberg Variations, etc... by Angela Hewitt, Murray Perahia, Dinu Lipatti, Sviatoslav Richter, and of course, Glenn Gould.

[bluevictim]

SLG-Ahhh! The old "authentic" argument. While I'm certainly not up for Hooked on Classics (Bach and Bartok with a disco beat:sick:) nor one of those "new age" Bach on synthesizer (with sounds of birds and crashing waves superimposed, no doubt:brickwall) I am not stickler to absolute authenticity when it comes to classical music.
...
While there are any number of brilliant recordings of Bach's music upon the "authentic" harpsichord, there is no way I would want to be without the piano recordings of the great keyboard pieces such as the Well Tempered Clavier, Two and Three-Part Inventions, The Keyboard Concertos, The Goldberg Variations, etc... by Angela Hewitt, Murray Perahia, Dinu Lipatti, Sviatoslav Richter, and of course, Glenn Gould.Indeed. I'm much more familiar with Bach on the piano than any other keyboard instrument because we had a piano at home but no harpsichord or pipe organ (although that certainly would have been nice). In my opinion, Bach's music is very adaptable to varying vocal and instrumental forces. In fact, he adapted his own music to different instruments in several instances, as well as the music of others. I'm tempted to go so far as to say that being dogmatic about realization goes against the spirit of much of Bach's music, and indeed a lot of Baroque music in general.

That said, I'm glad the "historically informed" movement resulted in the availability of many good period performances. I think, especially for vocal works, Bach's counterpoint is served very well when conceived as a small number of individual voices rather than a huge collective choir. It's fun to hear the performances with insane romantic proportions, too, of course.

[stlukesguild]

I'm glad the "historically informed" movement resulted in the availability of many good period performances. I think, especially for vocal works, Bach's counterpoint is served very well when conceived as a small number of individual voices rather than a huge collective choir. It's fun to hear the performances with insane romantic proportions, too, of course.

Exactly. I love the recordings of Bach and Handel and Vivaldi etc... by John Elliott Gardiner, Christopher Hogwood, Sir Neville Marriner, The Academy of Ancient Music, and all the other "historically correct" bunch. There is indeed something to be said for Mozart on the piano-forte with a small orchestra or even Beethoven with the greater muscularity of a historically accurate orchestra... but I also want it all. I am absolutely floored by Murray Perahia's brilliant recordings of Bach's "piano concertos", Renee Flemming or the inimitable Kathleen Ferrier singing Handel's "Ombra mai fu" as opposed to a castrato (although I admittedly love the counter-tenor, Andreas Scholl).

Right now... by the way... I'm miles away from the Baroque, having recently purchased a number of CDs of the great singers of the century I've been listening a lot to Puccini, Bellini, Verdi, etc... by Renata Tebaldi (fabulous) and Maria Callas. I do have my Hyperion disc of Palestrina's Missa Pape Marcelli and Missa Brevis sitting out by the computer and may give it a listen again.

[RobinHood3000]

Ehhh...I like Romantic style better than Baroque style. I like playing music that's dynamic and demanding in terms of flexibility. Part of the reason I like that Liszt Concert Etude so much.

[Misscaroline]

One of my teachers got me hooked on Hector Berlioz a long time ago... She said that I ought to get the crazy French composer since it was a good match! :p There again, she was right-:blush:- I love him and his little madness dearly!