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The Classical Music Recommendation Thread


Muad'Dib

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For fans of vintage sci-fi music (think 1950's), you might enjoy this gem from the English composer, Arnold Bax called "On the Sea Shore".

 

To me, this sounds very much like vintage sci-fi music.  Like the sort of stuff on this CD http://www.mmmrecordings.com/more_monstrous/more_monstrous.html.  Remember, the ocean was seen as the final frontier for centuries full of mystery, adventure, grandeur, strange creatures, and infinite peril so I think it isn't too strange that ocean faring music sounds so much like sci-fi music. 

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1 minute ago, Bespin said:

You talk about sea and mystery... and I instantly recall the Hebrides overture by Mendelssohn

 

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Wow, that cave is straight out of Lord of the Rings!

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3 minutes ago, karelm said:

 

Wow, that cave is straight out of Lord of the Rings!

 

Actually it's straight from National Geographic!

 

Fingal's Cave in the Hebrides Islands of Scotland.

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17 hours ago, karelm said:

For fans of vintage sci-fi music (think 1950's), you might enjoy this gem from the English composer, Arnold Bax called "On the Sea Shore".

 

 

Very good, but I prefer his earlier work "She Sells Sea Shells".

 

17 hours ago, Bespin said:

You talk about sea and mystery... and I instantly recall the Hebrides overture by Mendelssohn.

 

 

 

Love that piece. Here's a scherzo which always reminds me of the opening, by the incredibly talented Russian composer Mily Balakirev

 

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For any fellow Wagner fans out there, or fellow Stephen Fry fans, while looking for stuff to watch while I'm stuck home sick I came across this wonderful video about Fry (who's Jewish) and his love for Wagner. Can't believe I missed this one, given that I live in the UK. Incredibly informative & entertaining. And really inspiring to see Fry talk with such passion about Wagner and his music.

 

 

@Jay if you don't feel this comment belongs in this thread, feel free to move it wherever.

 

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Glass usually works best in smaller ensembles, but this massive Barry-esque movement must be some of his most moving work. Undoubtedly familiar, as with all Glass, but harmonically refreshing. 13:18 onwards is just sublime:

 

 

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I adore Goldenthal so love this as well and recommend those of you with extended patience to listen to this long work of his.  Many very interesting and lovely moments.  I attended this premiere and wrote what I think was the first review of it for film music magazine back in the mid 1990's so it holds a special place in my heart. 

I was also at the rehearsal of his opera, Grendel which I think will eventually get released (so he says). That work was sort of a hybrid music theater/classical opera work and had many stage problems.  Like the stage literally broke down multiple times.

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19 hours ago, Loert said:

I didn't know that Wagner wrote cartoon music!

 

 

 

Hey man, have some respect.  The man could write great music and pretty much changed the face of western music and that isn't an easy thing to do. 

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I have been introduced to this young composer today and think he's fabulous.  The Latvian composer, Eriks Esenvalds (b. 1977) and his "Visions of Arctic Night":

Vigorous, imaginative, immediacy...I want to hear more from him!  I have a hunch he is a John Williams fan.

 

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Well, it's not very classical, that's an old rare Paul Mauriat LP that we had on 8-track tape when I was a child.

 

I found it on CD some years ago. I always loved russian folk music, and this is the best versions I've heard of those songs.

 

R-3203417-1358527782-2383.jpeg.jpg

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Forgive the "repost" but as I've been listening to portions of this on repeat...I am struggling to think of a more satisfying piece of music than the Prelude to Act 1. Followed by that beautiful choral segment...pure bliss! (The beginning of Act 2 (1:26:52) is great too.)

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On 07/01/2018 at 7:41 AM, publicist said:

 

Wonderful stuff! Vernon Handley is very much missed.

If you haven't heard it, TINTAGEL is great.

 

 

 

 

On 03/12/2017 at 12:53 AM, Bespin said:

Fingal's Cave in the Hebrides Islands of Scotland.

 

Inner, or Outer, Bes?

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12 minutes ago, Richard said:

Thanks.

 

Can anyone recommend me a really great THE PLANETS (I'm not interested in PLUTO)?

I have the Dutroit from...'86, is it...and the Previn/LSO from '74.

A lot of people harp on about the Levine from circa '91, but I'm not convinced.

 

You look for a version conducted by someone who was not accused of sexual harrassment?

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4 minutes ago, Richard said:

Can anyone recommend me a really great THE PLANETS (I'm not interested in PLUTO)?

I have the Dutoit from...'86, is it...and the Previn/LSO from '74.

A lot of people harp on about the Levine from circa '91, but I'm not convinced.

 

I have several (including the Dutoit), and I couldn't pick one of them as "the best". But perhaps the one I return to most is actually the Karajan recording from the 80s (skip the Vienna Philharmonic from the 60s, judging from the dirty way they play it they must have hated playing "modern English music"). According to the liner notes, Karajan was actually an important factor in making the work known in continental Europe.

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8 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

It makes me wonder how a Karajan SW suite would have sounded like, actually.

 

He would not have difficulties with all the changes of tempi in JW's works. He was a master of that, linking together all the different parts of a work so it feels "right".

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8 hours ago, Richard said:

Thanks.

 

Can anyone recommend me a really great THE PLANETS (I'm not interested in PLUTO)?

I have the Dutoit from...'86, is it...and the Previn/LSO from '74.

A lot of people harp on about the Levine from circa '91, but I'm not convinced.

 

I have heard around 75 recordings of this work and Dutoit is probably the strongest overall if you want a single recording and Previn/LSO is a very fine alternative.  What is the reason you don't like these?  What are they not doing for you? 

 

Also listen to this survey of various recordings:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p027rvhn

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I'm not saying that I don't like them, far from it, as I love both. The Previn/LSO is my favourite ever, and the basses at the end of SATURN, on the Dutoit, are bone-shaking!

I was just wondering what more "up-to-date" recordings are worth investing in?

Thanks for the link.

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A long time ago when I was a poor student I had a nameless recording of The Planets on MP3. I came to love it, especially the interpretation of the slow part of Mars. Years later I found out it was in fact JW's recording!

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Now, there's an irony.

 

 

 

15 hours ago, TheGreyPilgrim said:

At the end of Saturn?  Probably the organ.  The basses wish!

 

Check out Rattle with Berlin, and Groves with the RPO. 

 

I'm sure its at the very end of SATURN. It could be an organ, though. I'm aware that there's an organ near the climax of NEPTUNE, and maybe about half way along URANUS (no laughing, please!).

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The chords at 8:10 right?  Those are the ones that always rattle my walls.  The organ pedal is doubling the low strings there.  Good systems and good recordings always milk that moment to great effect.

 

 

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20 hours ago, karelm said:

I just adore this lyrical and evocative work and in particular, this performance:

 

Wow! Some of those stormy moments (like around 11:16) sound very Williams-y. Great post!

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1 minute ago, Richard said:

Nice, Bes, but...er...isn't all Mozart historical? :lol:

 

Well the interpretaion is a kind of historical.

 

It's just another way of saying the sound is crap and it's of course in mono.

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