I get very strange comments from the people I talk with online because my iTunes library has a large compliment of classical music in it. I don't claim to listen to it exclusively - I do like other types of music - but I think it's partly because of my age and general scruffy appearence.
A few of my favourites include:
Holst - The Planets (*all* the Planets <3). Mars is the go-to song if you want a grand entrance for something. With Neptune, Holst really managed to nail the sense of isolation and distance - a beautifully haunting piece.
Sergei Prokofiev - Montagues & Capulets (also called The Knight's Dance). A very dark, powerful and menacing piece of music, the whole thing sizzles with wrath.
Polovtsian Dances - Prince Igor. A wonderfully peaceful piece of music, with the clarinet solo adding pleasant spark of whimsy aginst the string backdrop.
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata (this piece seems hard-wired to my emotional centre )
Are there any other classical fans on here with recommendations?
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Last edited by The Succubus : 07-26-2012 at 04:33 AM.
I love Classical music, Bach and Beethoven especially. Vivaldi's Seasons are quite awesome as well. Clint Mansell is a Contemporary Classical composer I really like. [insert obligatory Lux Aeterna fangasm]
I love Classical music, Bach and Beethoven especially. Vivaldi's Seasons are quite awesome as well. Clint Mansell is a Contemporary Classical composer I really like. [insert obligatory Lux Aeterna fangasm]
I am sad to say that Vivaldi has been permanently ruined for me. One of my former bosses had "Summer" as her call holding music and inevitably would chew me out after picking up the phone. It still gives me a nervous twitch when I hear it. -.-
See below - properly identified the blighter this time.
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Last edited by The Succubus : 07-26-2012 at 06:08 PM.
Holst - The Planets (*all* the Planets <3). Mars is the go-to song if you want a grand entrance for something. With Neptune, Holst really managed to nail the sense of isolation and distance - a beautifully haunting piece.
I like Jupiter best, it's just so cheerful. His First Suite in E-flat and Second Suite in F are also quite enjoyabole, especially when you get to play them yourself.
Carmina Burana by Carl Orff is also very awesome, I'm sure you'll know a least one of the pieces from it.
I'd also recommend Alexander Borodin, especially his In the Steppes of Central Asia and Symphony No. 3 in A minor.
And of course Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, orchestrated by Maurice Ravel.
Also Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz, especially thze fifth movement Songe d'une nuit de sabbat. Gives me goose bumps every time.
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Last edited by Iruka : 07-26-2012 at 09:06 AM.
Reason: adding Berlioz
I tend to like more intense pieces, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra are two examples of what Inmean.
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Sergei Prokofiev - Montagues & Capulets (also called The Knight's Dance). A very dark, powerful and menacing piece of music, the whole thing sizzles with wrath.
One of my favourites too. In fact I'm going to listen to it right now, and fantasize about mountainous giants with thunder and holocauste in their eyes and sooty shag beards, dancing intimately.
Quote:
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata (this piece seems hard-wired to my emotional centre )
I shall play this for you on the piano during my inevitable sex tour of England. Yes all three movements.
I gravitate the most towards baroque, though. I like Bach's Concerto in d minor and Brandenburg #5 and all of Well-Tempered Clavier. Bach is my favouritest of anything, ever.
Last edited by Kneenibble : 07-26-2012 at 11:52 AM.
I get very strange comments from the people I talk with online because my iTunes library has a large compliment of classical music in it. I don't claim to listen to it exclusively - I do like other types of music - but I think it's partly because of my age and general scruffy appearence.
Oddly enough, I get the exact opposite reaction with some frequency: nobody's surprised when Bach pops up in my playlist, but eyes bug out when the very next track is rock (or even rap!).
Anyway. The lovely thing about "classical music" is that, with a library spanning hundreds of years and a dizzying variety of styles, there's something out there for just about any mood. I'm quite fond of Beethoven's Symphony No.6... well, to tell the truth I prefer the 7th overall, but that final movement of the Pastorale is one of the most beautiful things that is a thing.
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For those looking for a slightly more modern take on Classical, have a listen to Two Steps From Hell. Some of their stuff is fantastically exciting - Black Blade, Tristram, To Glory!
Mussorgsky - It's a track I've heard in the past but never knew the name of. The Strauss piece I've always known as the theme from 2001 - it's good to know it's proper title at last. ^-^
@My favourite budgie - I look forward to your fingerwork, my avian friend. Please come to England soon. I really enjoyed the Concerto you liked.
EDIT: I owe Vivaldi an apology. I've just gone through one of my classical anthology albums and it's NOT the Four Seasons that traumatised me so. The blame lies instead with this piece:
"Serenade No. 13 In G Major, K. 525 "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik": I. Allegro"
Fortunately, I was able to listen to "Winter" to calm down afterwards.
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Last edited by The Succubus : 07-26-2012 at 06:06 PM.
I grew up on the stuff, practically literally, being mostly disconnected from mainstream pop culture.
That being said, I don't really know much about it from a historical perspective, but it's still something nice to listen to.
Some of my favourites inlcude the New World Symphony, the Planets, Fur Elise, Slavonic Dances, and Canon in D.
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I would recommend Stravinsky; his Rite of Spring is an absolute masterpiece.
Very yes.
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Originally Posted by Iruka
And of course Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, orchestrated by Maurice Ravel.
Also very very very yes.
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Originally Posted by Nameless
Bach and Beethoven especially. Vivaldi's Seasons are quite awesome as well.
Yup.
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Originally Posted by Wyntonian
I've caught myself listening to more and more Gustav Mahler lately. The Second symphony, in particular.
Also yes.
Also Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, and Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, both featured in brilliant Disney features, Fantasia for Night on Bald Mountain, and Fantasia 2000 for Firebird Suite.
Edit: the Night on Bald Mountain clip ends at the 9 minute mark. I've never ever listened to the Ave Maria, not in the more-than-a-decade of watching this movie.
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Last edited by Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll : 07-26-2012 at 10:44 PM.
Personally, Night on Bald Mountain is my favorite piece of music ever written. And I am a huge classical fan. My only problem is the radio over here has only one classical station, and it sucks. So my list of classical music I actually listen to is in total about 7 cds I happened to pick up.
Already some very good recommendations in this thread. Yay classical music! Also, apologies for no links, I'm at work, so YouTube is not happening. Just google the names though.
On a completely selfish note (I play the French Horn), I would recommend the Strauss Horn Concerto (in E flat if memory serves, but he only wrote one). All of Mozart's horn concertos are also excellent.
Okay, more generally, I would suggest Verdi and Puccini for opera. Madame Butterfly is a classic, although I think Nessun Dorma from Turandot is the most beautiful of arias. For Verdi, look up the La Traviata Drinking Song. It's good and it's slightly ribald.
In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt by Grieg is a classic. You'll recognize it, they used it in Looney Tunes.
If you want something a bit more, well hardcore is the wrong word for classical music, but let's say really in depth. Try any of Mahler's symphonies. I rather like Mahler 7.
I have the Rite of Spring and the Firebird Suite and Pictures of an Exhibition and every single Beethoven symphony on vinyl now, thanks to my grandparents having extras!
Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B Minor
Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor
Brahms Cello Sonata in E Minor
Debussy's Cello Sonata
The first three are pretty standard, but they're standards for a reason. Debussy's sonata is an almost frenetic, mind-bending exercise in emotional whiplash done as only Debussy can, and it's absurdly great in my opinion.
In case you were wondering, why yes, I do play it! (Not nearly well enough to do Dvorak, or Elgar, or Debussy, or most of the good stuff, mind.) Those are probably my favorites of the repertoire, barring late-Romantic Russian pieces that flit in out of my top spots and one or another of the Bach Suites for cello and all the rest of that good stuff. Those four are just consistently in my top spots, but if you like cello, there are a LOT more tasty tasty pieces.
In case you are wondering about good recordings to check out: Rostropovich is essentially always excellent, a very good bet. Jacqueline du Pre's Elgar is considered THE performance of Elgar, but the rest of her recordings aren't half bad either. Janos Starker is nice too. If you want those Bach suites, or any other baroque recordings, done in baroque style, instead try Jaap ter Linden - or, well, there;s a lot of names that fit that criterion, but I like ter Linden a lot personally.
And if you want things that aren't just cello: Allow me to second:
Pretty much all of Beethoven (but especially the later stuff)
Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, The Rite of Spring and The Firebird
Also, if your tastes include the less orchestral, Arensky's Piano Trio No. 1, Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio in A minor, and especially, especially, especially, my if-you-listen-to-no-other-thing-in-this-post-listen-to-this piece, Mendelssohn's Piano Trio Op. 49 in D minor.
My mum is a music teacher, so I was inundated by classical music pretty much since before I can remember. Mostly the Romantics; Strauss, Chopin, Liszt, Mendellsohn, so on.
Paganini is great. As is Barber. Probably my favourite piece of classical music is his Adagio for Strings (the choral version is called Agnus Dei apparently). Everyone who's ever played Homeworld would agree.
I own Symphonies No. 5, 6 and 9 from Beethoven, all performed by the Prague Philharmonic, Pastoral being my overall favourite. His Moonlight Sonata as well, especially the third movement.
Strauss' waltzes are great too. Tchaikovsky's work as well. His ballets (the music is wonderfully moving) and I've got his Piano Concerto No.1 lying around here somewhere. I love those opening piano chords.
Other than that I just have a huge bunch of piano pieces I'd never be able to name. Thanks mum. Heh.
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Personally, Night on Bald Mountain is my favorite piece of music ever written. And I am a huge classical fan. My only problem is the radio over here has only one classical station, and it sucks. So my list of classical music I actually listen to is in total about 7 cds I happened to pick up.
I love Night on Bald Mountain! I listen to it more than all other classical music combined >_>
In general I wouldn't say I am too into classical music, mostly because I haven't taken the time to understand it.
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I love Beethoven's stuff. Mozart's pretty good too, but man, every time I listen to Beethoven I can't help but think Dang... that guy knew what he was doing. It makes me understand the time when people went to Orchestra concerts for the same reason we go to see films: to hear a story in the music, and to be emotionally affected by it.
His seventh symphony is severely underrated, and I can't remember the name of that piano piece in which he just starts rocking out, but it's one of my favorites.
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Stoats legit King Arthur by The Succubus.
I presume he's referred to as classical, so go and check out my uncle!. (Composer/violinist in the middle of that rabble)
My taste in Classical Music is very limited, because I only really enjoy military marches (and those for equal parts theme, mood and historical resonance).
For an example I offer Klar Zum Gefecht!, the march traditionally played when a German battleship is cleared for action.
My taste in Classical Music is very limited, because I only really enjoy military marches (and those for equal parts theme, mood and historical resonance).
For an example I offer Klar Zum Gefecht!, the march traditionally played when a German battleship is cleared for action.
This means you probably know Strauss and Suppe piece. There is also a very good march by Berlioz and Tchaikovsky. Granted, those aren't strictly military marches, so if the militaristic feel is more important, then you could check those pieces by KrzesimirDębski (music made for a historical movie) or RussianArmyChoir (if it counts as classical music).
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Does anyone here like Classical Music?
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