131 replies to this topic

[Maurizio]

A tad OT, but this is an amusing read:

http://www.bloomberg...ler-romney.html

[Michael]

The circus... of hell!



Love that ending.

[The Psycho Pianist]

This one:



Had no idea there were so many

All of Mozart's Horn Concerto's are brilliant to listen to - very similar in their material but always different enough to offer another catchy motif. To think he wrote them all for a friend who played the French Horn - imagine what he could have done if he'd lived another 20 years?!

I listen to a lot of 'classical' (hate generalising) and I have to say that one of my all time favourite composers is Johann Strauss II. Die Fledermaus, The Blue Danube, Artists Life, Tale from the Vienna Woods - all absolute classics that everyone's heard and that are brilliant.

[MSM]

Another I just discovered recently...



Gives Wagner's Ring Cycle a run for its money!

Thank you...the discovery of the month!
I just read about this composer and am very interested.
This music is faultless!! Better than anything Rimsky Korsakov, Mussorgsky or Glazunov have ever composed, and better than a lot Tschaikovsky wrote. The orchestration is perfect. Rimsky Korsakov is considerably poor in comparison. I can totally understand Teneyev's criticism towards his contemporaries of the Mighty Five, given his his own vast talent.

[Maglorfin]

Some of my all-time favourites:

- Strauss, Eine Alpensinfonie
- Beethoven, Symphony No. 7
- Schubert, Symphony No. 3
- Holst, The Planets
- Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade
- Mozart, Concerto for flute, harp and orchestra
- Mozart, Missa longa
- Lauridsen, Lux aeterna
- Respighi, Pines of Rome
- Vaughan Williams, Symphony No. 7 'Sinfonia antartica'
- de Meij, Symphony No. 1 'The Lord of the Rings'
- Picqueur, Symphony No. 0 'Phoenix ex cinere suo renascitur'
- Maslanka, Symphony No. 5 and Give Us This Day
- Bryant, Alchemy in Silent Spaces
- Josia, The River of the Last Valley
- Ellerby, Paris Sketches
- McBeth, Of Sailors and Whales
- Rutter, Mass of the Children
- Holbech - Missa rotna
- Sibelius, Finlandia and Spring Song
- Jenkins, Adiemus I-IV
- Daugherty, Metropolis Symphony and Raise the Roof (timpani concerto)

That'll do for starters!

[Marian Schedenig]

Raise the Roof, great pick!

[Maglorfin]

[MSM]

[Joe Brausam]

One of my absolute favorite composers is Paul Hindemith. His music is so distinct, you really can't mistake him for someone else. That quartal writing in particular gives his melodies a very unique sound. His chamber works - the sonatas and quintets are excellent. And of course his horn quartet...brilliant work.

[Maurizio]

Here's the whole inaugural concert conducted by Gustavo Dudamel when he was appointed Music Director of the LAPhil a couple of years ago.

Programme:

John Adams: City Noir
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.1

At the beginning of the video, there's a short introductory montage where various people (including several celebrities) give their welcome to Dudamel. At 4:05 you can spot a certain familiar face

It's a wonderful concert, with two great symphonic works brilliantly performed. Check it out if you wanna spend a couple of hours with really good music

[Wojo]

I just love YouTube videos that push two hours in length.

[Joe Brausam]

I'll be hearing the Philly Orchestra perform Dvorak 9 and Scheherezade tomorrow night as part of their Stokowski Celebration, two of my favorite works. It'll be awesome. Of course, the REAL treat is Saturday night...

Bach: Toccata and Fugue D minor
Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite (Performed to Fantasia film clip)
Dukas: The Sorceror's Apprentice (Performed to Fantasia clip)
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Stravinsky: Firebird Suite
Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries

That will be a knock out show!

[Alexcremers]

[MSM]

I'll be hearing the Philly Orchestra perform Dvorak 9 and Scheherezade tomorrow night as part of their Stokowski Celebration, two of my favorite works. It'll be awesome. Of course, the REAL treat is Saturday night...

Bach: Toccata and Fugue D minor
Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite (Performed to Fantasia film clip)
Dukas: The Sorceror's Apprentice (Performed to Fantasia clip)
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Stravinsky: Firebird Suite
Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries

That will be a knock out show!

Never got this enthusiasm for Scheherazade. IMO it is one of the most boring and overrated pieces in the history of music.
Your other picks are great!

[Marian Schedenig]

Scheherazade is fun. I like it, but I also don't quite understand the exaggerated praise it often gets.

For Wagner, I just think that the orchestral version of Valkyries pales in comparison to the full opera cue. And it's not even the highlight of the opera, either.

[MSM]

Scheherazade is fun. I like it, but I also don't quite understand the exaggerated praise it often gets.

For Wagner, I just think that the orchestral version of Valkyries pales in comparison to the full opera cue. And it's not even the highlight of the opera, either.

This is my fav moment

Note the Walkuere and the Feuerzauber themes juxtaposed.
Play it loud with the windows open!

[Marian Schedenig]

The horn statement at 0:29. is perhaps my favourite rendition of the the valkyrie theme. Compare the fire music to the alternate funeral pyre cue from ROTJ.

But importantly, the wonderful salvation motif at 0:39. Though my favourite versions of it are its first appearance near the end of Die Walküre and obvously the orchestral finale of Götterdämmerung, in counterpoint with the beautiful rhinemaiden motif (just a few minutes after this clip). Another fantastic moment is when, during Walküre's glorious climax, Wotan first sings the Siegfried motif (without mentioning him by name or himself knowing that he is in fact referring to him).

[Romão]

Those are great mentions, Marian. And the sung statement of Siegfried's theme at the end of Wlakure is simply spine tingling. I've always loved the fate theme in that scene as well.

BUt my favorite leitmotif from the Ring Cycle is probably the Walsung theme

[Wojo]

If ever there was a reason to learn German, it would be to sit through fourteen hours of Wagner's Ring Cycle. As it stands, I simply cannot because the singing is just gibberish and loses all coherent meaning.

[Romão]

If you become familiar enough with the meaning of the various leitmotifs and familiarize yourself with the general plot, it's really not that hard to follow

[Cantus Venti]

!!

Quite possibly my favorite classical piece.

That's my favorite piece from the suite; the entire thing marvels such bright expansive epicness.

For spirit:
This 2 minute sequence at the beginning is pure spirit. One of the best melodies I've heard.


For emotion:
As far as classical style perfection goes, 9:03 - 9:43. The whole piece is an overlooked token of passion.


John Williams is my favorite composer and source of music.
Other than that my top are:
1) Tchaikovsky
2) Borodin
3) Kondo
4) Rachmaninov
5) Holst
6) Beethoven

[Marian Schedenig]

If you become familiar enough with the meaning of the various leitmotifs and familiarize yourself with the general plot, it's really not that hard to follow

Well, there are some instance where Wagner's brilliance lies in coupling lyrics with different leitmotifs to emphasize something that's not in the text. Not knowing the lyrics definitely means the cycle loses a whole dimension. I'd recommend subtitles - either on DVD/Blu, or in a live performance. I know the language and I needed a few live viewings of the operas to really get into them anyway.

[Richard Penna]

To clarify my evident complete lack of understanding of how classical music is named... some of my favourites are (coming up):

(made harder by some of my mp3s apparently being misnamed...)

[Datameister]

I know they've already been mentioned, but one can never mention The Planets, The Firebird, and The Rite of Spring too many times. I can't imagine anyone who enjoys Williams NOT enjoying those.

[Marian Schedenig]

Nobody has posted this yet?

[Romão]

Great choice, Marian, it should've been mentioned earlier

[Cantus Venti]

I never was too intrigued by popular Beethoven pieces. I think 6-2 has the best ring by far, or 6 in general.

[Michael]

[MSM]

Nobody has posted this yet?

I think I have in my list :-)

The horn statement at 0:29. is perhaps my favourite rendition of the the valkyrie theme. Compare the fire music to the alternate funeral pyre cue from ROTJ.

But importantly, the wonderful salvation motif at 0:39. Though my favourite versions of it are its first appearance near the end of Die Walküre and obvously the orchestral finale of Götterdämmerung, in counterpoint with the beautiful rhinemaiden motif (just a few minutes after this clip). Another fantastic moment is when, during Walküre's glorious climax, Wotan first sings the Siegfried motif (without mentioning him by name or himself knowing that he is in fact referring to him).

Indeed wonderful.

If ever there was a reason to learn German, it would be to sit through fourteen hours of Wagner's Ring Cycle. As it stands, I simply cannot because the singing is just gibberish and loses all coherent meaning.

I think even a native German speaker might have difficulty following the lyrics. The power is in the music in the first place, just get acquainted with the storylines.

I know they've already been mentioned, but one can never mention The Planets, The Firebird, and The Rite of Spring too many times. I can't imagine anyone who enjoys Williams NOT enjoying those.

I had my period where Stravinsky was one my absolute favorites...but he has lost his position ultimately to the much more daring Prokofiev and the more unique Schoenberg.

[Marian Schedenig]

Great choice, Marian, it should've been mentioned earlier

Nos. 7 and 8 are my favourite Beethoven symphonies. I always have a feeling that among the general public, they're sadly neglected wedged in between the popular Nos. 5, 6 and 9.

I think even a native German speaker might have difficulty following the lyrics. The power is in the music in the first place, just get acquainted with the storylines.

With later Wagner, and even more so Strauss and his famous librettists, I think the actual lyrics are much more important than in many earlier operas, where a general understanding of the plot may be sufficient to get the big picture.

[Joe Brausam]

I agree. I never listen to The Ring unless I know I'll have time to sit down and follow with the libretto or the score. I've actually been considering writing in the translations into my scores so I can just use those, but that would be incredibly time consuming...

[Chaac]

I like singing along Beethoven's 9th-4

[Maurizio]

Listened to it today after quite a long time I hadn't. The first movement is spine-tingling:



Avengers fanboys surely will recognize the piece

[Michael]

Guys, I'm looking for something of classical gothic-sounding music, kinda like the main theme from The Fury. Can you recommend anything?

Thanks in advance!

[indy4]

Maybe Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake? The famous bit: Act 2/10: Scene: Moderato, Danses Des Cygnes

[Michael]

Argentinian composers FTW!

[WilliamsStarShip2282]

[Michael]

Guys, I'm looking for a specific kind of recommendation this time: I'm looking for savage classical music, almost primal in it's nature. Of course, Rite of Spring is the first and best example out of this -one of my favorite pieces of all time, I try to listen to it almost daily-, but I imagine there's more. For example, Stravinsky's Les Noces and Ginastera's Popol Vuh and Cantata Para América Mágica also have that primal and prehistoric nature... I would love to hear more in that vein, and any recommendations would be most gladly appreciated

Thanks in advance!

[Score]

Guys, I'm looking for a specific kind of recommendation this time: I'm looking for savage classical music, almost primal in it's nature. Of course, Rite of Spring is the first and best example out of this -one of my favorite pieces of all time, I try to listen to it almost daily-, but I imagine there's more. For example, Stravinsky's Les Noces and Ginastera's Popol Vuh and Cantata Para América Mágica also have that primal and prehistoric nature... I would love to hear more in that vein, and any recommendations would be most gladly appreciated

Thanks in advance!

Definitely check out the Scythian Suite by Prokofiev, if you don't know it already!

[Maglorfin]

Definitely check out the Scythian Suite by Prokofiev, if you don't know it already!

A great recommendation! Also Alexander Nevsky by the same composer!