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The Classical Music Recommendation Thread


Muad'Dib

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been listening to some Italian opera lately...particularly Puccini's Turandot!

I admire the sofistication and effectiveness of Puccini's writing, and he is one of my favourite composers. His orchestrations are lush, but can also be subtle, poignant, somber, bright, and his counterpoint is masterful. If you go to a Puccini opera, you're in for a treat, and I usually study his scores to improve my own writing.

The version you choose to link here is the one I like the most. Pavarotti (always better on recordings than on the stage) gives us a solid Calaf, and a very welcome surprise is to have Joan Sutherland as Turandot. Montserrat Caballé restrains herself in a dedicated Liú performance, although her diction is never very clear.

Do you like any other of Puccini's operas? :)

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I have only heard an excerpt from La Fanciulla del West, which is on the "The Decca Sounds: Highlights" 5CD set (which is also where I came across Turandot for the first time, in particular Mehta's recording). So far I have only fully explored Turandot but would love to check out La Fanciulla del West sometime as well, as well as La bohème, which I hear is popular.

But yes, Puccinni is definitely one of my favourite classical music discoveries this year! The music in Turandot is so finely tuned, and effective, it's hard not to be gripped by it!

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My favourites are precisely La Fanciulla del West, Tosca and Turandot, although Il Trittico is outstanding too. I highly recommend any Puccini opera, and you can learn so much about music writing and orchestration from his scores! They're all available at IMSLP.

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I hope this hasn't been suggested yet. Here's a link to Mozart's 38th symphony in D, conducted by Neville Marriner and performed by the never-disappointing Academy of St Martin's in the Fields. The first movement of this symphony makes me happy every time I play it. (Things get going at around 3:35).

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One of the best examples of mood/atmospheric music of the 20th century I know of. This movement really sets the mood for the upcoming movements.

Grand Canyon Suite - 1. Sunrise (Grofe)

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Unfortunately, this link (thanks again for introducing me to the piece. For some reason, in Spectre I missed it) is now deceased.

The video above appears to be another victim of the mysterious #hashtag account name domino effect breakdown on YouTube.

(see my thread on it)

Here are two alternatives that are still working (15/12/15)

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  • 2 weeks later...

A classic!

 

 

19 hours ago, Gnome in Plaid said:

Am I the only person who hears some superficial similarities to Rey's Theme in the opening?

 

It is similar...superficially. :D

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On 12/18/2015 at 2:26 PM, Alexander said:

Discovering the work of this recently passed Belgian composer. RIP.

 

He did some really fun pieces inspired by single malt whisky, which I would like to say gives me inspiration as well, but to be honest, just enjoyment.

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5 hours ago, Sharky said:

Can someone recommend some Albert Roussel?

 

I quite like the set of symphonies on Naxos from Stephane Deneve.  The first symphony is quasi-impressionistic with hints of Wagner (by way of Franck).  The rest are more overtly Germanic.  It is conservative music but very beautiful and finely crafted.  He's a solid composer if you like this Cesar Franck, Vincent D'Indy style...something like Bax but not quite as opulent and with more structural integrity.  Deneve is a consistently good conductor who balances precision, clarity and mystery. 

 

The first symphony is somewhat like a tone poem in four movements but evocative with long shadows of impressionism.

 

 

His best works are probably the ballets like "The Spider's Feast" and "Bacchus and Ariane".  Rich and detailed music.

 

 

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3 hours ago, TheGreyPilgrim said:

The symphonies are where to start.  The first is truly gorgeous.  I'll find a bit of chamber music too that's special. 

 

Agreed.  If you're exploring Roussel, go with the symphonies.

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Takemitsu's 'Spirit Garden' sounds a lot like 'misterioso' Williams from about the late 70's ('Dracula', 'The Fury' and 'ESB' in particular, check out at about 02:07 into the piece).  Great stuff.

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