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New to classical music
Splendid
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
Hello
Willing to bet there's a few people out there with a similar kind of latent/active taste for classical/classical-ish music and I'd love to get a few suggestions that will indulge my pallette.
I'm tremendously ignorant, but am currently digging individual tracks from popular compilation CDs like the Ludovico Einaudi stuff, Beethoven's sonatas, and that Claire De Lune thingy. I wish I could sound less like a prat but that's simply out of the question at this point.
I like to hear just a few instruments at a time, perhaps the harp and violin or just a piano. I like the meloncholic/sentimental vibe. I like to feel that there's some understanding, empathetic pervadence of sonic intelligence exuding from a magical place where objective progress trumps human failings.
Something I feel compelled to share: am annoyed at the number of tracks I recognise from adverts that I cannot possibly learn to appreciate because of the association. Marketing has always been one of my pet targets for righteous indignation but it what a total, total cunt.
Please suggest a few things I might enjoy. Many Thanks.
Willing to bet there's a few people out there with a similar kind of latent/active taste for classical/classical-ish music and I'd love to get a few suggestions that will indulge my pallette.
I'm tremendously ignorant, but am currently digging individual tracks from popular compilation CDs like the Ludovico Einaudi stuff, Beethoven's sonatas, and that Claire De Lune thingy. I wish I could sound less like a prat but that's simply out of the question at this point.
I like to hear just a few instruments at a time, perhaps the harp and violin or just a piano. I like the meloncholic/sentimental vibe. I like to feel that there's some understanding, empathetic pervadence of sonic intelligence exuding from a magical place where objective progress trumps human failings.
Something I feel compelled to share: am annoyed at the number of tracks I recognise from adverts that I cannot possibly learn to appreciate because of the association. Marketing has always been one of my pet targets for righteous indignation but it what a total, total cunt.
Please suggest a few things I might enjoy. Many Thanks.
Splendid on
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|EDIT| Listen to some radio stations online, like this one: http://www.classical963fm.com/
This way, you can hear a broad sample of generally popular classical music, and get a better idea of what you like.
E.S. Posthumus is good too. Very pop-ish. If you look into Cartographer, get the Pi remixes, not the regular version. They're ruined by some crappy singer.
Frederic Chopin: Nocturne Op.9 No.2 and Etude Op.10-12
Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 and La Campanella
Niccolò Paganini: Caprice No. 24
Camille Saint-Saëns: Fantaisie for violin and harp Op.124
Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto. I have the version by Van Klimer on LP, and it's fucking amazing.
Second Piano Concerto in F by Shosatakovich - written by Dimitri Shostakovich for the 18th birthday of his son, Maxim. One of my favourite pieces.
Symphony No. 7 by Shostakovich - this is the "invasion symphony," written by Shostakovich while he was a fireman in Leningrad during the siege. It's famous because the opening movement literally depicts Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union
Bassoon Concerto in E minor by Vivaldi - Bassoon + Orchestra. One of the definitive concertos for solo bassoon, but not as cliche'd as Mozart's concerto in B flat.
Große Fuge B Dur by Beethoven - "Great Fugue in B flat Major," this is a fucking awesome string quartet. Probably Beethoven's best, and I think one of his last.
Finlandia by Jean Sibelius - Anything by Sibelius is amazing, especially his symphonies. But this is his most famous tone poem, and is basically a propaganda piece written to support the independence movement in Finland (which was occupied by the Russian empire at the time). It's still really great music, and one of the sections is now Finland's national anthem.
I'm not a big fan of Mozart, although he was no doubt a genius. Aside from his Bassoon concerto and a few of his overtures from his operas, I only really can recommend his Requiem in D Minor. It was the last piece of music he ever wrote, and, much like Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony, it can be viewed as his epitaph. It's not terribly long, and there is a beautiful bassoon solo off the top, so that helps...
That should get you started, and give you a decent taste as to what is out there. If you find you like any of it, come back and tell us, and I, and I'm sure others, would be happy to recommend to you more of the sort of stuff that you like.
Goodluck. Getting into classical music can be daunting, but some of the stuff that has been composed is quite literally the best our civilization has to offer. Not only that, there are some wicked cool moments that everyone should hear at least once.
That reminds me, you should listen to Dvorak's Slavonic Dances. They are wonderful.
YES! That is one of my favorite pieces.
You can hear some of it here.
I think the 3rd Movement ("Presto") has to be one of my favorite pieces of all time.
Let me know what you think!
Right now I'm listening to Tchaikovsky's "Valse Sentimentale" which is a really nice pairing of piano and violin.
This. This.
The 4th movement trumps all:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlci-kCEaKE&feature=related
1:15 and beyond sends chills up my spine. So masterful.
Wow. That was... yeah... Thanks for that link man. Can I get this on CD somewhere? This is PERFECT driving music.
EDIT - Nice - Columbia University Orchestra has it on their site.
Oh man, Godfather .. That 4th movement is fantastic. Majestic.
steam
Just look for Dvorak at any music retailer, or any online site. I'm sure his CD's aren't too hard to find.
There was one version that may be a bit tricky to locate however. I can't remember the title, but it had voices from Prague accompanied with it, and it's enough to bring any man to his knees.
Very powerful and moving.
I'm listening to the third movement now. It's very, very good. Thanks again for the suggestion.
I will unleash myself on the retailers tomorrow.
I consider myself a bit of a movie buff and I'm really quite shocked at how many riffs from scores seem noticably close to elements of the (much) older stuff I'm exposing myself to.
Cheating bastards!
I should probably back that up with citations but I'm too busy faffing: will do later.
I would definitely suggest trying out Chopin as well, and even go to www.pandora.com and type one of those guys in and you'll probably like what comes up.
Second Debussy.
Check out Beethoven's 7th maybe.
There's shittons of it out there... I would suggest radio or something equally... broad, until you have a better idea of what exactly you're looking for.
I am desperately trying aproach each new piece with a clean pallette. It's proving hard!
Download culture has enormous potential for ruining everything through sheer over-exposure & saturation.
I dutifully report that I am resisting.
'Nocturne' and 'romantic' seem to be key words at the moment. Further confirmation that I'm becomming dour and/or sentimental in my old age
Chopin has made a big impression.
Not convinced about Mozart.
Bumped into some very surprising piano stuff by Evanescence.
Debussy is great.
Have lots of Beethoven ready to go but haven't given it the sofa/solitude treament so far.
Played some CS to Wagner (an idea based upon memories of an Andromeda episode). That was a reaaally good idea. Not strictly the kind of thing i refered to in my OP but I'm forever expanding my scope on things. Project managers never seem to appreciate it
Currently trying to find some Franz Liszt to give him a spin.
I've not cried in over ten years but I'm betting I'll find something soon that reduces me to a blubbering emo.
Should be good.
Shostakovitch Cello Concerto - Almost made me shed tears when I saw it live. Pure emotional energy. Shostakovitch spent most of his life trying to work under repression by the Soviet regime. His music expresses a lot of angst and fear.
Smetana La Moldau - Musical depiction of a river that flows through Czechoslovakia. Beautiful.
Sibelius Symphonies - I imagine vikings and icebergs when I listen to these. Sublime. Go with 2 and 5 if you don't know where to start.
Beethovens and Mozarts are great too, but I guess you're looking for more Romantic stuff. Check out mvt 2 of Beethoven's 7.
Solo instruments are a great starting place for getting the hang of things, but nothing matches the interplay of tone colors in orchestral pieces. Youtube is a great place to start if you want a free preview of some of the music. The quality is crappy but you'll at least have an idea before you buy the CD.
edit: Oh, and if you like the New World, take a listen to his cello concerto. Very much in the same vein. There is a version with Rostropovich on youtube.
Beethoven's 7th is my favorite of his symphonies.
He also did some great trios that you could look into for piano, violin, and cello.
If you want something pretty epic check out Brahms' requiem. Nothing like a German requiem, man.
I love the idea of classical music, and I love orchestral music. However, I've always gotten hung up on a few aspects of classical music.
1) The cacophonous part of many of the classical music I've listened to always turns me off. I know that dissidence has its place in music, but normally it takes away from the melodic themes of the music.
2) The lulls in the movements. I'd love to listen to whole albums of classical music, but between the main themes are what my unlearned brains hears as filler. The music gets really low and again the overall theme is interrupted.
This may be blasphemous, but I think that movie themes are exactly what I'm looking for. Not full scores, since once you get a few tracks in you can tell that the music is no longer the focal point but just background music to be synched with the movie. But taken alone, many movie themes are 5 minute chunks of powerful, beautiful music.
Some of my favorites:
Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves
Apollo 13
Band of Brothers
From the Earth to the Moon
The Rock
Jurassic Park
Pirates of the Caribbean
Kingdom Hearts
All of those songs are completely associated with the movie/game in my head, so the solution may be for me to find themes to movies I haven't watched, but my dream scenario is to find a composer or group that creates songs like these that aren't associated with movies. Just powerful, moving songs. Michael Kamen might be my best bet (haven't looked too deep), but I thought I'd throw it out in this thread.
Thanks
Schumann and Liszt.
I think those are the two biggest issues that deter people from listening to classical music. Actually I thought the exact same way as you do before I started studying music seriously.
You gotta keep in mind that dissonance is the result of centuries of musical evolution, so things may sound very chaotic if you are not familiar with styles that happened before it. Don't worry about it too much if you are just starting out and don't get it. Listen to music that you enjoy but also slowly branch out into more adventurous areas. If you tell us what you like I think we can suggest some directions for you to explore.
I think we have been conditioned by popular music to tune out the developmental aspects of music. Pop music is usually very obvious and doesn't require the same degree of attention to reap enjoyment. In classical music, there are usually some really cool things happening between the main themes that are much more exciting than the melodies themselves.
A big problem with listening to recordings is that a lot of the softer parts get lost due to background noise (driving) or setting the volume too low. Try to listen at a volume that even the soft parts can be heard comfortably. Then pay attention to what is actually happening at these "lulls". Is the composer referencing and transforming a melody that is presented earlier in the piece? How are the background parts interacting with the melody? How are the sounds of the different instruments blending with each other? Where are the tensions in the music and where do they climax?
For me, I started to really "get" what's going on after studying music history. It's very helpful when you have someone pointing out interesting stuff in the music while you listen to it. Of course, I'm not suggesting you need a Bachelor of Music degree to truly enjoy classical music. In fact, there really is no secret to enjoying classical music and it's not hard at all. Just pay attention when you are listening.
It's like seeing the arrow in the fed-ex logo. Once you "get it", you wonder why you've never seen it before.
Dude, you really need to listen to Resphigi. "The Pines of Rome" (more specifically The Pines of the Appian Way) and Church Windows (St. Michael the Archangel) are just what you're looking for. Respighi writes tonal poems, songs that tell stories with the music. There isn't really the "lull" you describe. Actually, when I first got into classical music I was really, really into movie scores. I told this to my teacher and he suggested Respighi. Go listen!
Pines of Rome - Pines of the Appian Way is about the Roman army triumphantly marching through the Appian way and is basically one exciting long crescendo. St. Michael the Archangel from Church Windows is about the battle between St. Michael and Lucifer. It's constant brutal themes bashing back and forth and is completely awesome.
Oh, and for a consistent use of a main theme, and a great example of how to use all orchestral instruments, listen to Ravel's Bolero.
http://www.keepingscore.org/
It's a great way to get started. Explain many of the ideas expressed in music in a tutorial like format.
If you like to hear few instruments at once, maybe try looking up some musical groups, instead of composers, as well?
http://www.westwindbrass.org/ Brass ensemble
http://www.cypressquartet.com/ String quartet
http://www.canbrass.com/ Another brass
Those are just ones I've heard of. Personally I think that string quartets and piano quintets (a string quartet + a piano) are beautiful, I am an absolute sucker for them. Try googling "string quartet" or "Piano quintet" or even something like "chamber music ensemble" to find some modern groups that are excelling in the 'golden oldies'
Rachmaninoff's The Bells
Bedřich Smetana's Má vlast
Edward Elgar's Sospiri
Those are the romantic composers and my favorite works, I hope you enjoy them!