Classical Music

Discussion in 'The Good Life' started by burningdarkness, Feb 24, 2009.

  1. burningdarkness

    burningdarkness Woot Off

    Any classical music buffs in here?

    I'm a huge fan of Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Dvořák, Schubert, Bach, Pärt, Stravinsky, etc., etc.

    Let's try to get a good conversation going in here.
     
  2. rodd

    rodd Knotty Boy

    I love pretty much any music, but my Dad got me interested in Classical from a young age. My wife keeps me interested by playing it on her Piano. :)
     
  3. otherstar

    otherstar Rodney Dangerfield of TSD

    I like classical. I'm particulary fond of music from the Baroque period and opera. I also like Beethoven. I must admit that I'm not terribly fond of some of the later 19th and 20th century composers.
     
  4. sol92258

    sol92258 I have no earthly idea

    Buff here, but not quite to the point of geek...
    I love music, especially classical/symphonic (you know, the stuff that actually qualifies as "music")
    I've a very broad range of music I like, I often tell folks I'm an ABR fan {Anything But Rap} :happy102
    All those you mentioned, Tchaikovsky, Joplin, Schroeder (yeah, I know it's Beethoven :D), John Williams
    I'm not as "geeky" on it as I was through college, but I do enjoy it all.
    Thusly, I unfortunately won't have much to add here, but look forward to learning new things in this thread, great idea!
     
  5. burningdarkness

    burningdarkness Woot Off

    What are some of your favorite pieces that she plays, Rodd?

    I need to find me a wife like that. :D

    Have you listened to Beethoven's opera Fidelio?

    Some of the more recent composers are very different than what you'd think of as classical. I'm assuming you don't like composers like Webern, Berg, Stockhausen. There are some, Arvo Pärt, for example, that sound quite similar to classical music we are familiar with.
     
  6. Dr. Mike

    Dr. Mike New Member

    I like a broad range of classical. Currently, my favorite to listen to is Mozart's The Magic Flute (Otto Klemperer conducting - my wife got it for me on CD for Christmas). I also like his Requiem. For a nice, dark piece, I like Mussorgsky's Night on the Bald Mountain.
     
  7. djwurm

    djwurm New Member

    My wife is a classical music piano teacher. She got her undergrad from Virginia Wesleyan, and her Pedagogy/Performance degree from Southern Methodist University here in Dallas.

    The SMU Master Program is very hard to get into. About 200 or more try out every year and they only take a few people usually around 3 to 4.

    She currently teaches at a Conservatory at Highland Park Methodist Church (the Bush family home church).

    If anyone in Dallas is looking for lessons she has a few slots open, she is in high demand in this area.

    She is also working on a website which will have a blog and forums for classical piano teaching. She has already gotten approval for the site to be linked from some of the biggest music teacher sites from the national level and local level.

    Classical music and teaching is her passion, and she has rubbed off on me. I like when she plays Debussy.
     
  8. MK-ULTRA

    MK-ULTRA New Member

    I enjoy it, but don't listen to enough. JS Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Brahms, Dvorak.

    I really love the Glenn Gould recordings of JS Bach. I have everything I could find. All loaded on iPod.
     
  9. Hi All,

    This was a favorite cartoon of mine as a little kid. Problem was, the only way to view it was on the TV, and that was really hit and miss. No other way to see something like that back then, unless it was run in the movie theater as a filler between double features.

    Anyway, it's still a good way to introduce a kid to classical music, and it doesn't hurt that it has a haunting melody to the thing. Hehe, I just watched it, and it's still worth seeing once again.

    Here you go,
    Martin

    Oh......don't feel too sorry for me......I did have the record. Yep, Danny Kaye narrated it, although he didn't play the instruments........

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVdHrF9QrQU
     
  10. burningdarkness

    burningdarkness Woot Off

    Mozart's Magic Flute is a great piece, as is his requiem. I don't think I've heard Klemperer's Magic Flute, but he's a great conductor, so I'm sure it's good.

    I've got close to ten different recordings of Mozart's Requiem. It's truly a grand, awe-inspiring piece. My favorite interpretation is the one done by Karl Bohm.

    Glenn Gould was a genius. His work - especially his Bach interpretations - is amazing. Even if you don't like his sound, his playing is always thoughtful and makes sense. His 1981 recording of the Goldberg Variations is one of his best recordings in my opinion. Great, great stuff.

    Will watch that later. Can't load it up right now.
     
  11. JimR

    JimR Active Member

    Gould's Goldberg Variations is quite possibly the single most brilliant piece of recorded music ever, in my opinion. Genius....

    I'm not a true classical cognoscenti, but I know what I like and I like a lot. Beethoven, of course, but Bach is an always will be my favorite composer. Rachmaninov's work is also very exciting...But to be perfectly honest, I think I prefer renaissance/medieval music more. Mediaeval Baebes, anyone?
     
  12. moviemaniac

    moviemaniac Tool Time

    I love classical music! The _only_ radio station I listen to (the German Bayern 4) mostly plays classical music (as well as some jazz, blues and such)
     
  13. Dr. Mike

    Dr. Mike New Member

    I had done some research before purchasing it, and quite a few people recommended Klemperer's conducting of the Magic Flute as the best - it lacks the spoken parts and focuses only on the music. Where it excels is in the female vocals - the Koenigin der Nacht (Queen of the Night) is particularly exceptional, and given the impressive parts Mozart wrote for her, that was an important consideration for me. EMI has a remastered version of the recording from their Great Recordings of the Century collection, and my wife tracked down a copy locally for me for Christmas, and it has nice liner notes as well. I highly recommend it.

    For Requiem, I have the DG release with von Karajan conducting. I'll have to look for the Bohm one.

    I have developed a taste, as of late, for German opera, and now I am looking to pick up Wagner's Tristan and Isolde - the Wilhelm Furtwaengler directed one. I'm trying to locate the EMI remastered version, but it is proving to be a little harder to track down - at least without costing an arm and a leg.

    I have been on a music kick lately, and am also looking to expand my jazz collection - I am wanting to get John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." I have to watch it, or I might end up with more than just shaving acquisition disorders! Music was my obsession for the longest time.
     
  14. burningdarkness

    burningdarkness Woot Off

    I agree with you on Gould's 1981 Goldberg Variations. Stellar work.

    What Medieval/Renaissance composers do you like? I'm a fan of John Dowland, Byrd, Josquin, Palestrina, and a number of others. If you're a fan of Renaissance polyphony, I'd highly recommend checking out some of Arvo Pärt's choral works. He's still composing today, and combines the Renaissance aesthetic with the modern.

    I'm fortunate enough to have two stations dedicated to classical here in Boston. One is Harvard's classical radio, the other, the one I listen to, is "Boston's Classical Station 99.5 WCRB". :D

    If you can post a link showing which version it is (the EMI Great Recordings Series?), I can try finding it for you.
     
  15. Dr. Mike

    Dr. Mike New Member

    Is this the version of Requiem you are referring to? I was just at my Barnes & Noble today, and they didn't have Requiem with Bohm conducting.
    http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Requiem/dp/B000001G5A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1235592966&sr=1-1
    I did, however, pick up Mozart's 40th and 41st symphonies with Bohm conducting. Still in the process of listening to it, but enjoying it so far. I've been switching back and forth between it and John Coltrane "Blue Train" (again, also big on jazz right now).

    This is the link on Amazon to the Wagner I am looking for. It isn't a high priority, but I just keep my eyes open. I have been a big Beethoven fan for the longest time, but lately have really started to appreciate Mozart. Part of it stems from my father having been a huge Beethoven fan, and he had the entire works of Beethoven on record, which I remember listening to as a kid.
    http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Tristan-und-Isolde/dp/B00005NW0D/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1235593265&sr=1-4
     
  16. MK-ULTRA

    MK-ULTRA New Member

    I have both versions of Gould's Goldberg Variations (A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations (1955 & 1981)), but I haven't tried to compare them.

    My iPod has a very eclectic collection of Jazz, Classical, Opera, and Rock (70's, 80's, early 90's). It's interesting to play it on shuffle. Seems that about every 3rd tune is Glenn Gould playing Bach. I didn't realize I had that much!
     
  17. burningdarkness

    burningdarkness Woot Off

    That is the version of the requiem I was talking about. Böhm is a phenomenal conductor. His style is very, very German, consisting of an emphasis on the bass and slower, richer phrasing. His Mozart is also quite excellent. I have a box set of Böhm doing Mozart's Symphonies that is quite superb.

    I pick my CDs up from a place called Newbury Comics in downtown Boston. They have excellent prices on classical music - almost always beating the best price you can find online. Their selection is huge and they don't carry the "100 Favorite Classical Pieces" CDs that are just awful. They have a large selection of actual classical music that would put any Barnes and Noble to shame.

    In any case, I'll keep my eyes open for that Wagner recording and let you know if I spot it next time I'm in Newbury Comics.

    You really must try comparing them. They're two different beasts. The earlier is an amazing display of virtuosity, agility, and passion, while the later recording is beautifully balanced, extremely thoughtful, and transcendental. It's amazing to see how much his interpretation changed throughout the course of his life.
     
  18. Dr. Mike

    Dr. Mike New Member

    I wish I knew of a similar place here in Columbus, OH. If anybody knows of one, let me know. As pitiful as my Barnes & Noble selection was, it now seems to have gotten smaller.

    Incidentally, as my fascination with Mozart is relatively new, and my selection limited (The Magic Flute, Requiem, Symphonies 40 and 41), can anybody recommend any other works of his that would be must haves? I am not as familiar with his symphonies as with Beethoven's, but I'm interested in more than just symphonies. Also, if you happen to know what conductor to look for with the respective works, I'd appreciate that as well.
     
  19. burningdarkness

    burningdarkness Woot Off

    Mozart's Piano sonatas are worth checking out. I like Andras Schiff's recordings. Vladimir Horowitz is also very good. I have heard great things about Christoph Eschenbach's Mozart sonatas, but I have only listened to a very select few of his performances. What I did hear was exceptional. Amazon has a nice box set of Eschenbach's performances of the sonatas right now, so that might be a good option. Murray Perahia also does a great job and is very thoughtful in his performances.

    You said you like opera, so take a look for Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). I'm not huge on opera, so I can't make a solid recommendation on that.

    EDIT: Mozart's Piano Concerto's are also very good. These two are great to start off: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000004194/?tag=thshde-20 and http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000041AB/?tag=thshde-20

    If you'd like the entire collection, I'd go with either this set: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GLKLCK/?tag=thshde-20 or this set: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000DZ6VAK/?tag=thshde-20

    Tate is a pretty good Mozart conductor (not as good as Böhm, but good nonetheless), and Uchida does a good Mozart interpretation. I really like Perahia, so may be tempted to go that way myself.
     
  20. MK-ULTRA

    MK-ULTRA New Member

    Glenn Gould - Goldberg Variations


    Thank you for the suggestion. I have always meant to, but just never got to it.
     

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