The Classical Music Recommendation Thread

[KK 3,310]

This is one my personal favourites of Whitacre:

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Very colorful one, that. Great aleatoric textures, and the "storm" is hair-raising live. My favorite I think will always be Sleep, which is the last music I'd ever want to hear if I could control something like that.

[KK 3,310]

I've performed the concert band arrangement of Cloudburst. I'd argue its a superior listen (especially in a live setting) because you have more colours to play with during the aleatoric bits.

Sleep was actually the first Whitacre piece I performed (the concert band version of course). I'm fond of it still, but I think there was a point where I just got sick of it (must have been all those rehearsals)

The choral original of this of course is superior.

My first Whitacre piece was October (the wind arrangement!):

I still cherish this piece dearly. The first time I heard it was from a concert band that had their 2 oboe players MIA, so they had their principal flautist play the oboe solo. But he was a fantastic soloist, and made it all the more beautiful (although perhaps this is my bias as a fellow flautist talking here).

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Unfortunate that my band days were a bit too early for any of his stuff to be on the repertoire. It's funny, we've discussed this before - October is maybe the one piece of his I just can't get fully invested in for whatever reason.

I agree Sleep is better as a choral piece but the "What dreams may come..." part starting at 3:11 through to the climax is wonderful here too.

[KK 3,310]

Yes, I remember this, which I still find surprising. I find it an incredibly beautiful piece.

And yes, my old high school band conductor used to refer to Whitacre to the current Golden Boy of wind repertoire. Every conductor loves him and would do anything to get their hands on his latest. His works are very popular in the concert band world. It maybe why I've gotten a bit tired of his work lately.

Give me good old fashioned Holst any day, and you'll find a big smile on my face.

Or some classic Bernstein!

[Sharkissimo 1,976]

He seems to be the go-to example of a "real" composer for people criticizing other, equally talented contemporaries.

Is that right? I've occasionally seen Adès scoffed at for being too accessible and popular. But I like his peculiar blend of the strange and the familiar.

Same here. That said, unfortunately I'm one of those for whom Eric Whitacre's music does very little. I can appreciate his writing on a technical level, but it doesn't move me. There's no pain or strife in it (and by that I don't mean discord), which is what gives it an air of smugness and self-satisfaction. Like a Jehovah's Witness coming to your door and asking 'Have you heard the good news?' Maybe I'm too cynical and British for his music, I don't know.

My views on him were also negatively shaped by him and Nico Muhly's contributions to the BBC4 Sound and the Fury documentary, railing against the first two thirds of the 20th century.

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See, that's really fascinating to me, because I find his music to be extremely painful at times, to the point where I actually have to be careful about listening to it. What did he and Muhly say? I can imagine....

[Sharkissimo 1,976]

I honestly can't remember -- it's been almost a year since I saw it. All I remember is the urge to punch him in the face.

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Wait, I've just found the series on Youtube. I'll find out for myself.

Ehhh, yeah. Can't say I share his assessment of Schoenberg's fall from high-romanticism as "tragic" but... other than that minor quip I think he's very agreeable in this. Muhly is definitely far less tactful and more smug about it all.

God, now I want to go see Salome hahaha.

[Maurizio 6,357]

Beautiful, if typical Whitacre. His choral works are generally quite suited for strings.

Its funny how much this piece reminds me of Thomas Newman though.

Whitacre is a confessed Tom Newman (and John Williams) fan.

[KK 3,310]

Ahh, I knew he was fond of Williams, but I had no clue about Newman.

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Don't worry comra... I mean, friends. I'm only posting this because it's wonderful music. I am through and through an Amerikan!

[Glóin the Dark 1,644]

#TheRedPilgrim.

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No, I'm a thoroughgoing anarchist, I swear!

[Glóin the Dark 1,644]

I expected nothing less...

[Bespin Copilot 10,076]

Beethoven, The Heroic Period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Bespin Copilot 10,076]

Bach In Excelsis

 

 

 

[KK 3,310]

I'm not sure how many people this will interest. This falls under one of the more stranger things to have been posted here. But recently I discovered Finnish composer Eero Hämeenniemi, who wrote this three part symphony that combines classical Indian music stylings with the Western orchestra, performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra in collobaration with famed Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayshree (she sang Pi's Lullaby in Life of Pi). The result is something I find quite effective and even intoxicating.

The third movement I found particuly alluring with its effective merging of Indian vocal stylings and rhythms:

The other movements:

[nightscape94 967]

Dvořák, The Golden Spinning Wheel

[Bespin Copilot 10,076]

Beethoven - The asserted independence

 

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Esa-Pekka Salonen's breathtaking concerto for violin, with the equally breathtaking Leila as soloist.

[Naïve Old Fart 12,158]

I'm looking for a complete set of Shostakovitch symphonies. Can anyone recommend anything in particular?

[karelm 3,236]

I'm looking for a complete set of Shostakovitch symphonies. Can anyone recommend anything in particular?

For complete sets, I like Rudolf Barshai, Kiril Kondrashin (not to be confused with Kim Kardashian), and Bernard Haitink. These are very fine interpretations, well played, visceral, and have decent recorded sound (though they are from the 1970's and 1980's mostly). If you want a more recent sounding in a complete series, Dmitri Kitayenko is good and the Petreno/Royal Philharmonic series on Naxos gets very good reviews though I find the sound to be too harsh with close mics. Jarvi/Chandos is pretty good but has an 1980's Chandos sound that might be off putting to some. I love Maxim Shostakovich's London Symphony recordings - stellar playing and recording but since the Collins label went under, these are very hard to find.

I actually prefer splitting the series amongst composers because the Bernstein/Chicago Symphony of No. 7 is the best for that symphony but he only recorded a few of the symphonies so no box set. Deutsche Grammophon has some of the very finest interpretations in their library and are putting together a compilation of the complete symphonies you might want to keep an eye out for.

[Bespin Copilot 10,076]

I'm looking for a complete set of Shostakovitch symphonies. Can anyone recommend anything in particular?

Don't know the works of this composer, but you can browse trought the recommended CDs of arkivmusic.com, it may help to make a choice.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/albumList.jsp?name_id1=11167&name_role1=1&comp_id=2752&bcorder=15H&album_group=5

Karelm mentionned him, one of the Best Choice seems to be Barshai's cycle :

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=132007

[nightscape94 967]

I'm looking for a complete set of Shostakovitch symphonies. Can anyone recommend anything in particular?

If you're just breaking into Shostakovich, and want to get a symphony cycle by one conductor, neatly packaged together, I'd go with Haitink.

http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Complete-Symphonies-Dmitri/dp/B000F3T7RO/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1390245735&sr=1-1&keywords=haitink+shostakovich

[Marian Schedenig 10,855]

I have the Barshai cycle and like it a lot, though I lack comparisons for most of the symphonies. I think it's generally considered to be the best of the not great cycles, which still is high praise considering its price (I bought the whole set for €20).

[nightscape94 967]

The Barshai set is very good, no doubt. Aside from some minor qualms, definitely worth getting.

Stravinsky's 'Pastorale' orchestrated by Stokowski conducted by Nézet-Séguin with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXs3NE6DxyM

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With score, if you like.

http://issuu.com/scoresondemand/docs/common_tones_in_simple_time_23702

[Bespin Copilot 10,076]

Mozart in Vienna (part 2)

 

Normally I would recommend the version by Murray Perahia and Radu Lupu :

 

 

 

[karelm 3,236]

If you like modern composers, I would recommend Jaakko Kuusisto, a young composer whose music reminds me somewhat of John Williams. The BIS CD here http://www.bis.se/index.php?op=album&aID=BIS-2020 has a Violin Concerto which reminds me somewhat of JW's own Violin Concerto with some John Adams mixed in.

Take a listen to 1:55 to 3:55 into this excerpt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vSeqruiQ5Tg#t=118

it really has a JW feel to me.

[Joni Wiljami 1,237]

Well I know him very well and I can tell he is a great JWfan. And probably a member of our community?

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Just love these and András Schiff is my man.

http://youtu.be/V8LyLXbXfVU

http://youtu.be/nqZZVh3Mdzs

http://youtu.be/z-SrQq6edM4

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LOL

http://youtu.be/5piBoZBlIhI

 

[Sharkissimo 1,976]

[nightscape94 967]

The Lauridsen stuff is pretty conservative, but I suppose it serves a purpose for a lot of people.

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Better that than praise bands....

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In a rare opera mood....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgJgYhc6g_E

This performance is incredible.

[KK 3,310]

I'm in a big Tavener mood today. I've been listening to his works and some stuff from Arvo Part.

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Love this one. 1:52 feels so good.

[KK 3,310]

Around the 6 minute mark, just divine!

I don't know what it is but I'm really in the mood for that kind of diatonically tonal, spiritualistic music today.

[Marian Schedenig 10,855]

As far as Korngold opera lieder go, this one is pretty much on the same level as Marietta's Lied:

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Ugh, Renee....

[Marian Schedenig 10,855]

I couldn't stand her when I saw her live in Strauss' Capriccio, but perhaps she had too many problems with the language. Her Korngold seems good.

[Hlao-roo 390]

I have to say that Alan Hovhaness's music is nearly as splendid as his first name. Most of us are at least aware of his second symphony, which was recorded by Williams with the BSO in the mid-nineties, but I'm especially fond of his "Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints." What a thrilling finale.

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He wrote some colorful music, didn't he? I'm very partial to his 22nd symphony.

[Sharkissimo 1,976]

Certain passage remind somewhat of the B Section from THE FURY's Main Title.

Big fan of Poulenc here.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,088]

Of "classical" music, I consider Vivaldi my favorite composer.

And this album contains, in my opinion, the finest recordings of some of his works:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FQITXE/ref=dm_ws_ps_cdp?ie=UTF8&s=music

The "La Follia" recording is sublime.

I'm hesitant to post a shitty-quality YouTube video, but even through that amount of compression, the performance shines through:

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I'm big on Vivaldi too, and Bach. 

[BLUMENKOHL 1,088]

Vivaldi's music in particular has a timeless quality despite its heavy courtly sound that I just can't find in very many Baroque composers.