Any classical music fans here?

tremorsinmytree

I don't think this is what you're looking for but I've been listening to Lisa Gerrard/ Dead Can Dance a lot lately. I never heard somebody sing like her before. It's really hard to describe or put a label this music. Check out any of these albums if ya want

Dead Can Dance - Wake
Lisa Gerrard - Best of
Lisa Gerrard/ Pieter Bourke - Duality

Actually check this song out on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xpkRj99FH0

greenspirit

Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks

http://www.myspace.com/maxrichtermusic

DriftingByTheStorm

i can swallow some Vivaldi or some Handel, but that's about it.

Jeremy1012

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

i can swallow some Vivaldi or some Handel, but that's about it.

:eek:
Vivaldi is like the Britney Spears of classical music

DriftingByTheStorm

Jeremy1012 wrote:

:eek:
Vivaldi is like the Britney Spears of classical music

exactly.

he gets extra points for being a monk in my book though.
i find inspiration in the story, as much as the music.

but it is definately the "pop" of classical.
that was kind've my point.
about all i can stomach.

Jeremy1012

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

exactly.

he gets extra points for being a monk in my book though.
i find inspiration in the story, as much as the music.

but it is definately the "pop" of classical.
that was kind've my point.
about all i can stomach.

I used to hate classical music... but then I realised that it's only because most of the really well known popular stuff is done to death on TV, film etc. I've recently come to realise that the best classical music is better than anything else. The best of classical far outstrips the best of rock music. No, really

justam

Jeremy1012 wrote:

I used to hate classical music... but then I realised that it's only because most of the really well known popular stuff is done to death on TV, film etc. I've recently come to realise that the best classical music is better than anything else. The best of classical far outstrips the best of rock music. No, really

There's a lot of it that has been done to death though. And lot of the recordings out there are kind of second rate too...it's too bad because if someone picks up a great piece that's done in a dead way it's just as bad as a lousy piece...

harmless_little_f***

I saw a thing called Classical Star on TV a short while ago. A number of young musicians competed to get a classical music recording contract. One of the competitions was to play a classical routine to a bar full of students who would never otherwise hear it..

One girl (a pianist) introduced her favourite piece of music, said it was a very emotional piece of music, that it has special meaning to her at the moment, and that she wasn't going to tell anyone what it is.. and then she played it..

It was Chopin's 'Funeral March'. It had the entire bar (and me, almost) in tears. Fucking amazing. Everyone's heard this piece, but I'd never 'listened' to it. And shortly afterwards, someone on the board recommended me loads of stuff by Chopin. I haven't had time to look into it, but I need to..

justam

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

I saw a thing called Classical Star on TV a short while ago. A number of young musicians competed to get a classical music recording contract. One of the competitions was to play a classical routine to a bar full of students who would never otherwise hear it..

One girl (a pianist) introduced her favourite piece of music, said it was a very emotional piece of music, that it has special meaning to her at the moment, and that she wasn't going to tell anyone what it is.. and then she played it..

It was Chopin's 'Funeral March'. It had the entire bar (and me, almost) in tears. Fucking amazing. Everyone's heard this piece, but I'd never 'listened' to it. And shortly afterwards, someone on the board recommended me loads of stuff by Chopin. I haven't had time to look into it, but I need to..

Please, do yourself a favor and find recordings by Rubinstein, Perahia or Emanuel Ax. Don't just grab anything off the shelf.

harmless_little_f***

justam wrote:

Please, do yourself a favor and find recordings by Rubinstein, Perahia or Emanuel Ax. Don't just grab anything off the shelf.

Are these different composers, or people who played Chopin?

justam

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

Are these different composers, or people who played Chopin?

These are pianists who play Chopin well...which for Chopin means that they play in an expressive and emotional way...with give and take in the phrases and the rhythm.

There are others but I think there are quite a few recordings you could easily find available from these men.

Arthur Rubinstein's recordings have all been re-issued recently because they are so good.

For the etudes, M. Pollini has an excellent recording too.
For the waltzes, Dinu Lipatti is excellent.
For the mazurkas, I'd stick to Rubinstein.
For the Sonatas, you could also pick up Horowitz.

All these recordings are safe. What you want to avoid is bangy, rush-through-the-notes kind of performances.

harmless_little_f***

justam wrote:

What you want to avoid is bangy, rush-through-the-notes kind of performances.

I haven't heard it yet and already I agree with you. What I love about the Funeral March is how reflective it is.. I cannot stand RUSHED, BANG BANG! classical music.

justam

harmless_little_f*** wrote:

I haven't heard it yet and already I agree with you. What I love about the Funeral March is how reflective it is.. I cannot stand RUSHED, BANG BANG! classical music.

A great performance of this type of music should make you feel like swooning. It's supposed to have that dreamy, *sigh*, I-can't-move-I'm-so-caught kind of mood.

harmless_little_f***

justam wrote:

A great performance of this type of music should make you feel like swooning. It's supposed to have that dreamy, *sigh*, I-can't-move-I'm-so-caught kind of mood.

NICE

JaneNY

Now that the topic is dreamy - I am reminded of Debussy - La Mer, and Prelude a l'Apres Midi d'un faune (Prelude to the afternoon of a faun), which has quite a history. Nijinsky performed a ballet to the Afternoon of a faun, and it was quite scandalous for turn of the century Paris, and he was actually booed. Its a beautiful piece of music as is La Mer (the sea).

Another favorite: Rachmaninoff's rhapsody on a theme of Paganini. This piece sticks in my mind because parts of it were used in ballet class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90MuPqYtV_k paganini theme

Fender_Man

Jeremy1012 wrote:

Yay! I really got into classical music in a big way recently. I have some recommendations.
First and foremost, my favourite classical piece of all time is Tabula Rasa by Arvo Pärt. Here are some others. I know you said symphonic but here is a nice mix of different styles:

Tabula Rasa - Arvo Pärt (essential)
Chopin - 24 Preludes
Gyorgy Ligeti - Etudes pour Piano
Aus den Sieben Tagen by Karlheinz Stockhausen (RIP)
La Legende d'Er by Iannis Xenakis
Madrigali Libri Quatro, Quinto & Sesto by Carlo Gesualdo (Seriously, there is a 5 second section of Merce Grido Piangendo by Gesualdo that may be the most perfect moment in music I have ever heard)
Requiem by György Ligeti (This is a tad challenging for classical newbies probably but definitely worth a listen )
Rothko Chapel/Why Patterns? by Morton Feldman
Krzysztof Penderecki - Sacred Choral Works (incredible)

I didn't mention any of the well known stuff like Mozart or Beethoven because you need to hear as much of that as possible anyway.

I was at the Royal Festival Hall in London about 25 years ago to here an evening of Gyorgy Ligeti's work. I think it was the LSO and the main piece played was called "Atmospheres". Gyorgy Ligeti was in the audience and when the gig was over the conductor made him stand up and take a bow, the ovation he received was as loud and fervent as I had heard at any rock gig. It seemed to go on for about 10 minutes. A few of his pieces are featured in Stanley Kubrick's 2001 Space Odyssey film soundtrack, which is a good place to start if you want to here some of his work.

Jussi

Wow, Arvo Pärt's Tabula Rasa is my favourite piece of music! I like other work by Pärt as well. For example Für Alina is very beautiful.

Jeremy1012

Fender_Man wrote:

I was at the Royal Festival Hall in London about 25 years ago to here an evening of Gyorgy Ligeti's work. I think it was the LSO and the main piece played was called "Atmospheres". Gyorgy Ligeti was in the audience and when the gig was over the conductor made him stand up and take a bow, the ovation he received was as loud and fervent as I had heard at any rock gig. It seemed to go on for about 10 minutes. A few of his pieces are featured in Stanley Kubrick's 2001 Space Odyssey film soundtrack, which is a good place to start if you want to here some of his work.

Atmospheres is amazing. That's so cool. I wish I'd been there to be honest.

angryyoungman

i have a question in general and im not being sarcastic. . .can someone give me an example of bad classical music?. . .i can tell when something is good

Bangers_n_mash

Hey, I'm not a classical fan or anything (though I might try some of your recommendations) but I found this a while ago and it might interest you guys.


New Czech Radio recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos
The Brandenburg Concertos are an essential work in the baroque orchestral repertory, and yet we had to wait until last year to get the first complete Czech Radio recording performed on ancient instruments and based on the original scores, in line with modern standards of authentic performance.

Free downloads (flac & mp3):http://www.rozhlas.cz/d-dur/download_eng