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The Pessimist 
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 Topic: The Classical Appreciation Thread
Posted: November 01 2008 at 16:41 |
I am a big fan of classical music, it goes without saying. I almost live my life by it. But I'm intrigued: how many of you prog fans out there enjoy it? I know for a fact there are some, but i'd like to see how many there are exactly. So I've generated this thread to celebrate its beauty and the genius behind most of it. It would also be brilliant if you could tell us who your favourite songs and composers are as well  Mine are Brahms and J.S.Bach. I have many favourite songs, but of my very favourites are: Rhapsodie in B minor - Brahms Ballade in D - Brahms 1st Movement from Symphony No. 4 in E minor - Brahms Allemande from the 4th French Suite - Bach Mass in B minor - Bach ALL of Matthew's Passion - Bach Finlandia Suite - Sibelius Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity - Gustav Holst The Firebird - Stravinsky Moonlight Sonata, 3rd Movement - Beethoven There are lots to chose from, but those stick out. Please join in all classical music fans, and celebrate the wonderful style of music which has been almost lost in this day and age 
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"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."
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Jared
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Posted: November 01 2008 at 16:47 |
^^this has the ring of Deja Vu about it...didn't you start a very similar thread a while ago?
I remember listing 10 of my faves...  |
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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The Pessimist
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Posted: November 01 2008 at 17:41 |
 Yes, i did do a similar one. However, that one wasn't an appreciation thread.
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"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."
Arnold Schoenberg
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BroSpence
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 02:27 |
My appreciation of "Classical" music started not too long ago. It was when I started to really study music that I began to truly appreciate the fine points of the genre. Before that time all I really enjoyed of it was the main motif of Beethoven's 5th, and the beginning of Bach's famous Toccata and Fugue.
I started trying to get familiar with the entire 5th and 9th symphony by Beethoven, various Mozart works, some Bach, and eventually Paganini's great caprices. Beethoven was easy to get into. Mozart still doesn't do it for me, I was turned off Bach at first but after playing some of his pieces and arranging the second part of the cello suite I have seen the light. Paganini is still impressive, but not someone I regularly listen to.
Then I was introduced to the modern composers, Webrn, Berg, Schoenberg, Glass, Cage, Reich, Stravinski, Ives, Bernstein, etc. I hit it off right away with them because I was an oddball teenager and knew classical music as pretty straight forward music by old dudes. Needless to say, Schoenberg blew me away, as did Reich, Stravinski and especially Glass. I've written two songs in respect to Schoenberg's influence on my mind and ears, and have written three big papers on Glass and minimalism. Stravinski is a big favorite of mine whether its the firebird suite, petroushka, Rites of Spring, or my more recent favorite the Pulcinella suite.
Then I went off to study classical guitar at my conservatory which exposed me to even more great music. Brouwer, Villa Lobos, Tarrega, Sor, Ponce, Giulliani, Mussourgsky, Shostakovich (became more familiar with than before), Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Barber, Copland, Janecek, Dvorak (another favorite of mine!), and especially Debussy, Satie, Ravel, Milhaud, Strauss and Mahler. OH! and Brahms and more Bartok!
Hearing several of the works by these great composers, and studying them for different classes I fell deeper into the greatness of the music. I started going out and looking for new composers on my own. I branched out into Saint-Saens who's Organ Symphony is awesome, Ralph Vaughn-Williams whose various impressionistic works continually amaze me, and I also decided to revisit some of those other composers lesser known works.
Nowadays I don't listen to it as much as I used to, except when I am playing/practicing guitar, but I do still love it and can't wait to bring out one of those fantastic works and blast it on the stereo. YEEEE HAWWW!
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Atavachron
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 02:46 |
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I grew to love the 20th Century greats; Honegger, Schoenberg, Barber, Ives, Bartok
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Jared
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 03:29 |
well, I like loads of stuff...just too much to mention in a single post, so I'll just list 10 of my traditional faves:
Sibelius: King Christian II Suite
Liszt: Les Preludes
Dvorak: Slavonic Dances
Tchaikovsky: Romeo & Juliet Suite
Smetana: Die Moldau
Rimsky Korsakov: Easter Festival Overture
Mendelssohn: Fingal's Cave & Scottish Symp
Rossini & Verdi: too many overtures to name...
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis
Beethoven & Brahms: Entire Symphonic Rounds
Bruckner: Symph 7
Handel: Water Music Suite & Music For Royal Fireworks...
that doesn't even scratch the surface, 'cos I love early music too... 
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Visitor13
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 04:22 |
 fandango wrote:
that doesn't even scratch the surface, 'cos I love early music too... |
Do go on, please.
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Ricochet
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 04:50 |
fandango wrote:
Bruckner: Symph 7 |
Quite interesting where the Debussy-addicted in me and the Haendel-admirer in you cross paths.  Well, to be fair, I'm a Bruckner/Mahler junkie, but the 7th Symphony, maybe in a close call with the 5th, is one of my favorites (meanwhile, the Scherzo in the 8th is also among my favorite moments). I don't know what precisely you like about this symphony here (that is, if not the whole thing!), but for me it's the 2nd part, so epic, slow and with an emotional core theme...it's wonderful to hear, plus the climax (mark 20 minutes or so) is phenomenal. ~~ Oh, so a "Classical Appreciation Thread"...seems like I must express some thoughts in here...
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Jared
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 05:27 |
Visitor13 wrote:
fandango wrote:
that doesn't even scratch the surface, 'cos I love early music too... |
Do go on, please.
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Oooooh don't get me started... 
I have a fave 15th Century music CD: Ockeghem: Requiem & Desprez: Missa...just beautiful... 
but other bits which make the hairs stand up on the back of neck are:
Monteverdi: Vespro Della Beata Vergine (1610) [this is a VERY good place to start for anyone wishing to hear some early music, with sackbutts & timbrels...as its so accessible...  ) Slightly less accessible, but still worth hearing, are the 1643 Ventian Vespers, composed by Monteverdi and his understudies, and reconstructed by Paul McCreesh...they are unique.
Heinichen: Concerti Grandi (if you want something Handelesque, and really light, bouncy and optimistic... )
Vivaldi: Pick any of his concerti for woodwind, strings, violins or Oboe...but the one he did for 2 mandolins in G major is marvellous...
Handel: Concerto Grosso 'Alexander's Feast'...among just about every other Concerti the man wrote...you can't go wrong with a bit of Handel...
Hummel: especially his Masses and Choral Works...sublime... 
that's enough for the moment....
Mozart...well, take your pick, but his Requiem remains my favourite, although lots of his symphonies get an airing on my player, especially the great ones...38-41
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Jared
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 05:30 |
Ricochet wrote:
Oh, so a "Classical Appreciation Thread"...seems like I must express some thoughts in here...
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Hi Riccy,
I've not heard 5 yet, but have just invested in a complete set of Bruckner symphonies, which will get an airing this autumn/ winter. I have a copy of 7 which I play in reception at qwork, as I have always enjoyed it...and the 2nd movement is also my favourite.... I find him to be the more accessible end of Mahler, whom I admit to struggling with, tbh...
although I do listen to Mahler 1 from time to time...
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Ricochet
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 06:10 |
fandango wrote:
Ricochet wrote:
Oh, so a "Classical Appreciation Thread"...seems like I must express some thoughts in here...
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Hi Riccy,
I've not heard 5 yet, but have just invested in a complete set of Bruckner symphonies, which will get an airing this autumn/ winter. I have a copy of 7 which I play in reception at qwork, as I have always enjoyed it...and the 2nd movement is also my favourite.... I find him to be the more accessible end of Mahler, whom I admit to struggling with, tbh...
although I do listen to Mahler 1 from time to time... |
It's understandable. Mahler revolutionized the whole "symphonism", while Bruckner's music is, practically, neo-classical. Even as characters, Mahler was a titan, whilst Bruckner was modest, hardly considering him as worthy as giants of those days such as Brahms or Wagner. Mahler's music clicked to people a lot faster than Bruckner's, who was practically rediscovered and revalued after the 1st half of the XXth Century. In Mahler's music, I couldn't even begin to tell what I love. His 2nd and 8th are full masterpieces (though "masterpiece" sounds totally like a human term in this case...), but I'm into a lot more from his symphonies (including the impossible 6th and 7th!).
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Ricochet
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 06:20 |
fandango wrote:
Hummel: especially his Masses and Choral Works...sublime...
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About Hummel, I mostly think of the Trumpet music, because my best friend used to play trumpet and studied Hummel..."intencely" (now he left me alone in the dark woods of college, dumping music and going to another university  ). One thing I laugh about with him is how he asked me - once - to write his diploma essay, in the XIIth grade, taking Hummel's music in account as a possible theme. Naturally, despite having written 60% of that boy's essays in my life, I didn't agree to do this one as well...
Edited by Ricochet - November 02 2008 at 06:21
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Jared
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 06:53 |
^^the lovely Alison Balsom has just released a CD containing Hummel and Haydn's trumpet concertos on...I am thinking of investing in it, purely for the cover....
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Nizz
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 07:22 |
I'm way out of my depth here but three I play regularly are Messaien's Turingalila and Firebird and Rite by the boy Strav.
Liked all the Schoenberg and Debussy I've heard too.
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Wot Gorilla?
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Ricochet
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 07:27 |
fandango wrote:
^^the lovely Alison Balsom has just released a CD containing Hummel and Haydn's trumpet concertos on...I am thinking of investing in it, purely for the cover....
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I also remember Tine Thing Helseth, taking 2nd prize at the Eurovision Young Musicians contest, two years ago. She played 3rd part of Haydn's Trumpet Concert in E flat. She was so amazing, all my trumpet friends from school, the next day, thought about quiting their instrument. (Talk about "emasculation"! ).
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Jared
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 07:30 |
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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Ricochet
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 07:39 |
Well, no wonder I work with equal doses, since I'm a Libra... On-topic, the birth of this thread (even if another such thread out of others ) is for me just the right impulse to schedule a listen of Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concert, with Arcadi Volodos, Berlin Phily & James Levine as conductor. It simply stirs me up. 
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Jared
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 07:45 |
^^on Friday, I played around with my Vaughan William's Symphonies again...No 5, and his Mass in G minor...
you know, we really ought to get Man Erg involved in this thread...his knowledge is exponential...
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Music has always been a matter of energy to me. On some nights I believe that a car with the needle on empty can run 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. Hunter S Thompson
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MusicForSpeedin
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 13:47 |
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I like a lot of 20th century music
that is what I have been listening to a lot latley
Ussachevsky
Stockhausen
Leuning
Babbitt
Cage
Lucier
Crumb
also
Glass
Reich
Riley
AWESOME
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The Pessimist
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Posted: November 02 2008 at 14:39 |
Stockhausen was a genius in every right. But John Cage... he was plainly just a nutter. A 639-year-long song? Come on man, even prog hasn't pushed the boundry to years. Yet.
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"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."
Arnold Schoenberg
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The Classical Appreciation Thread
