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Classical Music and You: Share and Discuss your Favorites

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P

Peru

Member
Probably right place to say how deeply affected I was by the Peter Sellars + Simon Rattle (w/ Mark Padmore, Magdalena Kožená [two of the greatest Bach voices ever)) staging of Bach's St Matthew and St John. Dramatized to some extent to bring out the true emotional weight of the works with perfect and intense performances by the main players. I was wiping away tears at the end of both.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jb-W7vtvBo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7cyHotTtcc

Highly recommended purchases from the Berlin Philharmoniker

maxresdefault.jpg
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Matth%C3%A4uspassion.png

https://shop.berliner-philharmoniker.de/rattle-sellars-matthaeus-passion.html
https://shop.berliner-philharmoniker.de/rattle-sellars-johannes-passion.html
 
B

Bodacious

Banned
I grew up in a redneck blue collar hell, so not much exposure to classical music until I was an adult. I do know you can't really go wrong with Karajan (conducting), and I like Tchaikovsky best for feels. And if you like Chopin, you really need to find a way to see Rafal Blechacz playing live.

My daughter's been playing violin for about 4 and 1/2 years so that has enhanced my exposure quite a bit. We take her to see orchestra performances 4-5 times a year.
 
P

Peru

Member
Peru said:
Probably right place to say how deeply affected I was by the Peter Sellars + Simon Rattle (w/ Mark Padmore, Magdalena Kožená [two of the greatest Bach voices ever)) staging of Bach's St Matthew and St John. Dramatized to some extent to bring out the true emotional weight of the works with perfect and intense performances by the main players. I was wiping away tears at the end of both.


Matth%C3%A4uspassion.png
Click to expand...

You guys can take a sneek peak at this staging here http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x18f1bs_j-s-bach-matthaus-passion-simon-rattle-2013-1-4_music

Not the same recording, but same crew and location.
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
I've been pretty heavy into Bruckner, Mahler, and Borodin lately. Any recommendations for work on their level, outside of the "Mighty Handful"? I'm still pretty noobish to classical, but I love their sound(s).
 
C

close to the edge

Member
Pokemon Trainer Red said:
Can anyone recommend great musicians? I heard Yo-Yo Ma is good.
Click to expand...

If you want to listen to cello music, you can't go wrong with Rostropovich. Also, Misha Maisky, Jacqueline du Pre and Pierre Fournier come to mind. I really, really like piano music, so I'm just going to list some of my favorite pianists in no particular order.
Glenn Gould
Maurizio Pollini
Sviatoslav Richter
Marta Argerich
Ivo Pogorelich
Grigory Sokolov
Friedrich Gulda

Now there's lots of overlap in what sort of music they recorded, but you should probably be able to get a recording for almost everything you want in terms of piano music from that group of pianists.

Also, came across this today, Stravinsky apperantly transcribed parts of his Petroushka for piano and it's awesome. I especially like the third movement, it's just so colorful and rhythmical. The chord trills at the start of that movement are like a warning sign to people like me who can cheat their way through a Mozart sonata, saying "this here is not for you". He uses four staves in parts of that movment because the leaps in both hands are so big.
 
T

TheWarrior

Banned
Hello all.

So a little background, I have a baby and for the past 9 months have used classical music to help him sleep. Turns out after listening to it myself for so long I have developed a love for it. My favorite period is most certainly Baroque, and Vivaldi my favorite composer.

I've started to branch out a little and currently am in awe of this piece by Gabriel Faure. His Pavane Opus #50.

Here it is being performed by the Berlin Philharmonic in the more traditional form.

Faure Pavane Op 50 - Die 12 Cellisten der Berline…: http://youtu.be/NCqQpZJ2AZA


While looking further into the piece I discovered Faure recorded a piano roll of it. He preferred it to be played at a faster tempo and I'm blown away by it and wanted to share. Its so beautiful.

Fauré plays Fauré Pavane, op 50: http://youtu.be/xUsGh2xYYQg
 
M

Mumei

Member
TheWarrior said:
Hello all.

So a little background, I have a baby and for the past 9 months have used classical music to help him sleep. Turns out after listening to it myself for so long I have developed a love for it. My favorite period is most certainly Baroque, and Vivaldi my favorite composer.

I've started to branch out a little and currently am in awe of this piece by Gabriel Faure. His Pavane Opus #50.

Here it is being performed by the Berlin Philharmonic in the more traditional form.

Faure Pavane Op 50 - Die 12 Cellisten der Berline…: http://youtu.be/NCqQpZJ2AZA

While looking further into the piece I discovered Faure recorded a piano roll of it. He preferred it to be played at a faster tempo and I'm blown away by it and wanted to share. Its so beautiful.

Fauré plays Fauré Pavane, op 50: http://youtu.be/xUsGh2xYYQg
Click to expand...

Speaking of Vivaldi, I've recently been listening to Philippe Jaroussky and I'm sort of in love with that performance.
 
J

jb1234

Member
TheWarrior said:
Hello all.

So a little background, I have a baby and for the past 9 months have used classical music to help him sleep. Turns out after listening to it myself for so long I have developed a love for it. My favorite period is most certainly Baroque, and Vivaldi my favorite composer.

I've started to branch out a little and currently am in awe of this piece by Gabriel Faure. His Pavane Opus #50.
Click to expand...

Faure is nice. Check out his chamber music (like the piano quartets). He's mostly known for his songs these days but not everyone likes classically-trained singing.
 
Z

ZoronMaro

Member
I used to listen to tons of classical music when I still played instruments regularly, makes me sad I don't very much anymore. Unfortunately like others I don't remember many names, but that was true before (names like "5th symphony" and "Waltz in D-minor" aren't very memorable).

The few I do are the very famous ones like Fur Elise and Nocturnes. I will add though I'm always disappointed when people mention Moonlight Sonata referring to only the first movement. I prefer the third movement personally, and I've found a lot of people don't even know it exists. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zucBfXpCA6s

As far as favorites, I was a huge fan of a CD I got with a bunch of Chopin piano soloist compositions, one of those would have to be it, but don't remember names.
 
M

Mr. Luchador

Member
jb1234 said:
Hrm. There might be some 20th century classical music that fits the bill. Horner got a lot of inspiration from the Russians, especially Shostakovich and Prokofiev. Also, Britten. His Ballad of Heroes has a military bent to it, as the opening is a large funeral march.
Click to expand...

I've gave this a listen recently and while I can sort of hear what I was after, it's still a bit 'soft' (I still like it though).
 
J

jb1234

Member
Mr. Luchador said:
YES!!!!!! This is more along those lines, thank you :) I just feel like there isn't much of this heavy grandiose percussion stuff (there probably is but knowledge is too weak).
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I think it's out there but I'm honestly not very familiar with the composers who would greatly use it. I'm working on fixing that though and if I hear anything else that fits the bill, I'll let you know. :) Gotta delve more into Shostakovich's (and Prokofiev's) symphonies. ;)
 
H

hamauzu kaito

Member
I'll throw in Milhaud, love his compositions, so IDGAF bold! Also the composer Aaron Asvhalomov, he only has a handful of compositions but I love and listen to them all the time.

EDIT: Speaking of percussion Milhauds 4th Symphony is great! Also Concerto for Percussion and Chamber Orchestra and L'homme et son désir.
 
M

Mr. Luchador

Member
There was this great piece I really liked I heard while driving last Friday. It was on BBC Radio 3 around 3:30 or so, I think it was a Polish composure, played by the Welsh Orchestra or something. It was totally bombastic. Loads of percussion, siren like horn sections totally reminded me of James Horner's 'Aliens' and 'Star Trek' work. However, I can't find out who or what it was.
 
M

Moonkid

Member
TheWarrior said:
Hello all.

So a little background, I have a baby and for the past 9 months have used classical music to help him sleep. Turns out after listening to it myself for so long I have developed a love for it. My favorite period is most certainly Baroque, and Vivaldi my favorite composer.

I've started to branch out a little and currently am in awe of this piece by Gabriel Faure. His Pavane Opus #50.

Here it is being performed by the Berlin Philharmonic in the more traditional form.

Faure Pavane Op 50 - Die 12 Cellisten der Berline…: http://youtu.be/NCqQpZJ2AZA


While looking further into the piece I discovered Faure recorded a piano roll of it. He preferred it to be played at a faster tempo and I'm blown away by it and wanted to share. Its so beautiful.

Fauré plays Fauré Pavane, op 50: http://youtu.be/xUsGh2xYYQg
Click to expand...
Hi, I've recently discovered this gem of a piece too and it really is lovely. I actually found it first through a choral arrangement of it. While the choir is lacking in some places in this particular recording I love it overall - the woodwind especially at the start sits just right for me. I'd also suggest Ravel's Pavanne, of which there is also a piano roll I believe as well as the orchestral arrangement with a really stand out horn part.
 
T

thespot84

Member
Mr. Luchador said:
There was this great piece I really liked I heard while driving last Friday. It was on BBC Radio 3 around 3:30 or so, I think it was a Polish composure, played by the Welsh Orchestra or something. It was totally bombastic. Loads of percussion, siren like horn sections totally reminded me of James Horner's 'Aliens' and 'Star Trek' work. However, I can't find out who or what it was.
Click to expand...

mossorgsky? pictures at an exhibition?
 
D

Diabelli

Member
iamblades said:
Beethoven's tempo markings for Hammerklavier (which AFAIK is the only piano sonata he gave tempo markings) is faster than anyone plays it at. The first movement seems damn near physically impossible to play at the suggested tempo.

Tempo markings aren't gospel by any means, but IMO every time I've heard Beethoven done as close to the markings as possible, I've felt it improved the music.

The idea that all of Beethoven's tempos were mistakes or his metronome was broken make no sense when you consider what kind of person he was. Setting almost impossibly fast markings sounds exactly like the kind of thing he would do to his players and audience.

Tell me this isn't 100x better than the slow heavy ponderous way that many modern symphonies play it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXdWELSgEQ

There has been a general trend over the last century for classical music (not just Beethoven, he was just one of the first to adopt tempo markings) to be played slower and slower, that suddenly it seems so much more exciting when played at the original intended speed.

Take Chopin for instance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cxkLZoEFEk

Note all the comments about him playing too fast and realize it is still slower than the tempo Chopin marked it at.
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This is the most egregious example I have found yet. You have to speed the video up to 1.5x to get it to actually sound like Beethoven's 9th (I don't know what the people in the comments are on). But hey, there's room for all interpretations, even "bad" ones. If anything, it's actually rather helpful in dissecting the layered textures of the music, especially if you're following with a score. Here's a rather funny comparison at either end of the scale: Cobra; Gardiner. I generally feel that too fast Beethoven is better than too slow Beethoven, but there are of course exceptions. John Lill's Opus 111 second movement, for example, is quite a bit slower than what you're usually accustomed to (Schiff even played a parody in his lecture on the sonata), but I'll be damned if it isn't one of the most atmospheric interpretations of the movement that I've heard. Seriously, get a pair of good headphones, listen to it and night and turn off all of the lights - it's transcendental. You can really appreciate the expansive sound world Beethoven has created at this tempo.

I'm actually listening to this live performance of Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's 9th by John Ferguson. The lady in the Waldo shirt watch is almost as interesting to watch as the performance. Liszt's transcription for two pianos is better, but there's nothing quite like seeing someone tackle this monstrous piece on their own.
 
D

dragonlife

Member
This thread is definitely relevant to my interests. I want to get into classical music more, so I'll be going through the thread for links!
 
J

jb1234

Member
Mr. Luchador said:
There was this great piece I really liked I heard while driving last Friday. It was on BBC Radio 3 around 3:30 or so, I think it was a Polish composure, played by the Welsh Orchestra or something. It was totally bombastic. Loads of percussion, siren like horn sections totally reminded me of James Horner's 'Aliens' and 'Star Trek' work. However, I can't find out who or what it was.
Click to expand...

They might have a playlist available online, although I'm not sure if it goes back a week.
 
N

Number45

Member
Mr. Luchador said:
There was this great piece I really liked I heard while driving last Friday. It was on BBC Radio 3 around 3:30 or so, I think it was a Polish composure, played by the Welsh Orchestra or something. It was totally bombastic. Loads of percussion, siren like horn sections totally reminded me of James Horner's 'Aliens' and 'Star Trek' work. However, I can't find out who or what it was.
Click to expand...
Try tweeting them: https://twitter.com/BBCRadio3
 
N

neurochasm

Banned
Mr. Luchador said:
There was this great piece I really liked I heard while driving last Friday. It was on BBC Radio 3 around 3:30 or so, I think it was a Polish composure, played by the Welsh Orchestra or something. It was totally bombastic. Loads of percussion, siren like horn sections totally reminded me of James Horner's 'Aliens' and 'Star Trek' work. However, I can't find out who or what it was.
Click to expand...

Penderecki - Passacaglia from 3rd symphony maybe?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxjD49Q6QsI
 
J

jb1234

Member
Mr. Luchador said:
AHA!

Solved it using a bit of everyone's advice! I checked the BBC Radio Schedule and it was the end of Revueltas' La Noche De Los Mayas I caught. Then the talked about Penderecki for a bit before playing some of his stuff too!

I think I've just expanded by interest in Classical Music by 50% today haha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRwExCe6iFc
Click to expand...

Listening to the Revueltas now. Sounds a little bit like Ginastera, a similar Latin approach to the orchestra. Very compelling music.
 
N

neurochasm

Banned
Mr. Luchador said:
AHA!

Solved it using a bit of everyone's advice! I checked the BBC Radio Schedule and it was the end of Revueltas' La Noche De Los Mayas I caught. Then the talked about Penderecki for a bit before playing some of his stuff too!

I think I've just expanded by interest in Classical Music by 50% today haha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRwExCe6iFc
Click to expand...

Rad! I played low brass for years so I'm all about that bombastic shit. Might as well use this post to dump a few things I hadn't seen yet in the thread before it vanishes into the ether.

Shostakovich:

5th movement 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YarFI7r2shY
10th movement 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDYT2Qhb9oI
Festive Overture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2yjV58NBxk

Respighi:

Pines of Rome movement 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMeXzqTfNcY
Fountains of Rome - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwMwaePtEmo

Ginastera:

Estancia Malambo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhFpd0fDmZ4

jb1234 said:
Listening to the Revueltas now. Sounds a little bit like Ginastera, a similar Latin approach to the orchestra. Very compelling music.
Click to expand...

Ha, I was formulating this post when you mentioned Ginastera.
 
J

jb1234

Member
neurochasm said:
Rad! I played low brass for years so I'm all about that bombastic shit. Might as well use this post to dump a few things I hadn't seen yet in the thread before it vanishes into the ether.

Shostakovich:

5th movement 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YarFI7r2shY
10th movement 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDYT2Qhb9oI
Festive Overture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2yjV58NBxk

Respighi:

Pines of Rome movement 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMeXzqTfNcY
Fountains of Rome - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwMwaePtEmo

Ginastera:

Estancia Malambo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhFpd0fDmZ4



Ha, I was formulating this post when you mentioned Ginastera.
Click to expand...

Haha! Ginastera is a blast. As far as bombast goes, he's pretty great at it.

thomaser said:
From your earlier description, I thought perhaps you were looking for Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra. Give it a listen, maybe you'll like it.
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Great music. Really, almost everything I've heard with that title is a masterpiece (Bartok, Lutoslawski, Higdon, Lindberg).
 
H

HeelPower

Member
L

Llyranor

Member
HeelPower said:
Concerto for 3 violins in D major.(The superior arrangement of a concerto for 3 harpsichords)
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Hear hear. I love the harpsichord, but I generally prefer the reconstructions of his harpsichord concerti (musicologists think they may be the original lost versions later transcribed for harpsichord)

BWV 1052R for violin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwDyoXI5EVs

BWV 1056R for violin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnmIBN6JSz8

BWV 1053R for oboe d'amore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj-NAESu4TE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqXxroTfwwE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgjTx0GkvVw

BWV 1055R for oboe d'amore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VoazB5g5aY
 
H

HeelPower

Member
Llyranor said:
Hear hear. I love the harpsichord, but I generally prefer the reconstructions of his harpsichord concerti (musicologists think they may be the original lost versions later transcribed for harpsichord)

BWV 1052R for violin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwDyoXI5EVs

BWV 1056R for violin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnmIBN6JSz8

BWV 1053R for oboe d'amore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj-NAESu4TE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqXxroTfwwE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgjTx0GkvVw

BWV 1055R for oboe d'amore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VoazB5g5aY
Click to expand...

These are fantastic performances.I only recently discovered Gli Incogniti and Amadine Beyer ,and they seem one of the great period ensembles(alongside europa galante,giardino arominco,carmignola)

And I completely agree.I like the harpsichord very much and it does sound great as part of BC ,but I don't think its able to bring out the full potential of these fascinating solo parts as well as the violin or oboe can.

1052R is such an intense,virtuosic piece(probably the greatest violin concerto of the Baroque?)

Oh and if you're interested in another take on 1053,there's the viola version.Its a sweet rarity.
 
C

clav

Member
Anyone play Google's doodle today?

https://g.co/doodle/xh7puy

Speaking of whom, I think Beethoven and his Coriolan overture deserve more love outside of his popular works.

https://youtu.be/D3qbOTgEJOk

Some background info to understand the work:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolan_Overture said:
The structure and themes of the overture follow the play very generally. The main C minor theme represents Coriolanus' resolve and war-like tendencies (he is about to invade Rome), while the more tender E-flat major theme represents the pleadings of his mother to desist. Coriolanus eventually gives in to tenderness, but since he cannot turn back having led an army of his former enemies to Rome's gates, he kills himself.
Click to expand...

I usually like following the overture up with the 7th symphony's second movement.

https://youtu.be/J12zprD7V1k
 
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