What this forum needs is a classical music thread

curmudgeoness
curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
in Other Music
No, seriously.
The first time I visited Seattle, in the early '90s, I was surprised to discover it had a thriving jazz scene. My husband was up there for a conference, and the hotel where we stayed had a "turn down" service; we came back to our room after dinner to find chocolates on the bed and classic jazz, courtesy of KPLU, on the radio. I was hooked, and when we moved to Seattle the following year KPLU became a big part of my day.

My point being that broadening one's horizons can be a good thing. :-)

My younger son is a classical musician, so I have been exposed to a lot of great music and amazing musicians over the last few years. I'll admit, some classical music puts me to sleep (Brahms, for some reason, acts like a knockout drug on the entire family), but there's a lot of great, thrilling, intense music out there, too.

I thought I'd start by sharing one of my favorite pieces, the Sibelius violin concerto. Fans of face-melting guitar playing should enjoy this. Hearing it live is an indescribable experience. The first movement is long, but worth every second. My favorite version is by Augustin Hadelich, but my son and many others say Leonidas Kavakos plays it best, so here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwu5pNrIC8c


All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.

Comments

  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    edited June 2016
    And a few clips of the person I think is the best violinist playing today:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbEcIBW3ohI

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwo-vKPR4Lo

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsJyuJppA7s
    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • g under p
    g under p Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,237
    edited June 2016
    Antonio Vivaldi is always a favorite of mine......here in a slightly different version....

    http://youtu.be/w2wqScREFiU

    Peace
    *We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti

    *MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
    .....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti

    *The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)


  • 2-feign-reluctance
    2-feign-reluctance TigerTown, USA Posts: 23,462
    g under p said:

    Antonio Vivaldi is always a favorite of mine......here in a slightly different version....

    http://youtu.be/w2wqScREFiU

    Peace

    That guys hand looks like a giant 8 legged spider.
    www.cluthelee.com
  • tempo_n_groove
    tempo_n_groove Posts: 41,636
    Yo Yo Ma is a bucket list of mine. His sound reminds me of Cliff Burtons bass.

    I do like bachs fuge too!
  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    Yo-Yo Ma is super cool -- and, my son would say, a total badass. We went to see him one time and his A string popped while he was playing; he just moved to the D string and played up, closer to the bridge, as if nothing happened. My young musician was very impressed.
    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • tempo_n_groove
    tempo_n_groove Posts: 41,636
    Thanks for sharing that. I've watched quite a few performances of him and was really impressed with how he plays. I like his improv too. Watch him with Bob McFerrin!
  • MedozK
    MedozK Tennessee Posts: 9,212
    I collect very early classical CD pressings.. :blush:
  • OffSheGoes35
    OffSheGoes35 Posts: 3,517
    When my morning starts off on the wrong footing, I listen to either this movement or "Doojiman" by Iggy & The Stooges. Depending on whether I need to calm down or laugh.

    https://youtu.be/BxgmorK61YQ
  • hedonist
    hedonist Posts: 24,524
    Among my favorite childhood memories is running errands with my dad on the weekends, in the car with him blasting Mozart and Beethoven and Bach and so many other brilliant composers. He'd "conduct", and then clap and shout "Bravo!". Such a treat to share that with him, and fostered my love of classical music.

    Glenn Gould seemed to channel it to the point where it almost looked like he was in pain or the most exquisite pleasure.

    I will definitely check out all of the clips posted.

    Great thread, thank you!
  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    Two of the most famous/ popular 20th-century works, by Rachmaninoff. Both feature the brilliant young pianist Daniil Trifonov:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joev9kpDs0M

    He's only 19 or 20 here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAu6BRWL8p8

    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    My son's a violist, and his first love is chamber music. Chamber music is a term usually applied to pieces written for two to eight musiciansns. I think chamber music is really interesting to watch; there's a lot of non-verbal communication happening when the musicians are playing, and they also get to be more expressive than they might be in an orchestral section. Plus, as a parent, it's much easier to hear my child in a quartet than it is in a full orchestra. ;-)

    Dvorak's "American" quartet often is used as an example of/ first exposure to chamber music, because it's fun, popular, and pretty accessible. This is the final movement.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gfYV6AlIZw
    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • JWPearl
    JWPearl Posts: 19,893
    I listen to this when I need peace
  • bluegrace
    bluegrace Posts: 2,357
    I listen to classical music sometimes, my fave is Rodriguez Concerto des Aranjuez. I never thought I would experience it live, but Swedens most famous classic guitar player played it in a church, the sound was perfect. I enjoyed every minute of it.
    Kool Kat Club 1992, Moderna museet 1992, Globen 2012, Friends arena 2014
  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    I'm reviving this thread because, well, why not?
    I'm listening to this work right now, and I promise you, it's absolutely gorgeous -- everything a piece bearing the name "Vox Amoris" should be. If you need a lift, this should do the trick. Hint: Play it loud.

    Peteris Vasks, "Vox Amoris"
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOouJLaaKRU


    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,677
    edited July 2017
    In the mid-eighties, a buddy off mine and I saw Michalangelo Bennedetti perform some Debussy piano pieces in San Francisco (wish I could remember which ones).  He was mind blowing!  I guess since this is a classical thread  I should say "superb" or "splendid"  but... no, he was mind blowing!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    Mind-blowing is fine, LOL. Great music affects us on a basic level, regardless of genre. If it moves you, it moves you. That's part of why I started this thread; there's a lot of great music out there, why limit yourself to one genre?
    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.

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