The Thread for Classical Music Listeners

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jh-retired

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It's no secret that, especially here on iPodlounge, classical music fans are certainly not the majority. Our music forums are dominated by discussions about Pop, Rock, Electronica, and Hip-Hop.... which is certainly fine, and to be expected. :D

While I listen to a WIDE variety of music, a *LOT* of my music is classical, and I feel quite "out-of-the-loop" here in the Music forum. As a result, I'm abandoning any slight chance that I had at being 'cool' here, and I'm creating "The Definitive Classical Music Thread."

So... welcome, "eSocial outcasts"! Let's talk classical!

What pieces do you recommend? What period do you prefer (baroque, classical, romantic, modern, etc.)?

(I'm anticipating 0 replies for this thread, but hey... I thought I'd try.) :D :D
 

krzymono

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I love classical music. Don't get me wrong, my favorite band is Radiohead and all, but there are times when I need something to calm myself with. Classical music is also the only thing I can read books with. I think listening to punk, hip hop, etc. really gets me to not focus on a book I'm reading. When I'm doing a math hw, I'll be listening to the punk and hip hop, but for reading, I definitely listen to classic.

Well having said that I'm going to have to just say that Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (I think he only made one violin concerto) is my favorite piece. I recommend this to all. I especially like this because I play the violin and this song is one of the toughest songs to ever play.

I recently tried looking for variations on the Pachelbel Canon because I love all variations on this piece. I just found David Lanz's variation on it and it's the best thing I've heard yet. I definitely recommend this one. If there are other variations on the Pachelbel Canon that are worth mentioning, please tell me some. Thanks! :)
 

jh-retired

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Hey... well whattaya know! :D

The Tchaik. Violin Concerto is good, indeed...

I'll be interjecting my recommendations one at a time here and there... To just make a list would take way too long. :D :D

One of my favorite modern-ish classical pieces is Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings." (It was used in Platoon). This song, and its haunting harmonies, is so incredibly gorgeous, I STILL get goosebumps every single time. I have played it several times, also (on the cello). It's a moving experience.

Get a good recording, though... Many orchestras perform it too quickly. Look for one with a total play time of around 8 to 9 minutes. I have one that is 6.5 minutes, and it's way too fast. :D :D
 

jh-retired

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BTW... regarding the Pachelbel--

There's a group called the Swingle Singers that has always intrigued me and amazed me. They do acapella classical music. :D It's simply wonderful, although my girlfriend thinks it's annoying. ;)

Anyway, their version of the Canon in D is quite nice.
 

krzymono

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Another song that I would recommend too is Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (notice how it's all violin concerto because I play it). It's probably one of the more famous ones. It's definitely a masterpiece I think.
 

deftdrummer1

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I listen to classical as well as nature tracks to fall asleep. Frogs are a personal favorite of mine as well as waterfalls.
 

W9FIF

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Mozart, Brahms, Shastekovich, Mendellsohn, Bach, all great, but IMHO, the most spectacular single piece of music ever written has to be Beethoven's 9th. The performance taped in Berlin, conducted by Berstein (sic?) with the chorals in German is absolutely fantastic. Listen to Beethovens symphonies from his earliest on and you can see/hear his growth as a composer as clearly as if it were presented in video format. And bear in mind, when he wrote his 9th , he had been totally deaf for 12 years! As I said, IMHO! Enjoy!!
 
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Lyda

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I love classical music, too. I had over 16 years of classical piano and I particularly like Rachmaninoff and Chopin. Anybody else?
 

W9FIF

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Chopin's nocturnes and concertos are always in my iPod along with Ludwig's symphonies. Good stuff! Don't get me wrong, I'm an old rocker, and The Beatles, Stones, Zep, will always be in my collection, but........ as the XM announcer says,"The greatest music of the last thousand years" is listened to here on a daily basis.
 

tbourret

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Beethoven's Symphony No 3 on Lp through a pair of AKG headphones driven by a Kenwood tube amp, and a Thorens TT was an epiphanic event for me about 43 years ago. It opened my ears to the world of music (classical and everything else.) Recently I have been revisiting my music library which dates back to that event (about 50gb of LP's and CD's in aac) and transfering it to my iPod. I am throughly enjoying the process and taking delight in how the iPod makes my entire music library accessable anywhere. About 70% of my library is classical but my appreciation for other genres continues to expand. A love of music (and the technology) is perhaps the common thread that ties us all together so there is no reason to feel "out of the loop." Otherwise, being about 40 years older than the average iPod Lounge follower might be a problem.
 

reorx24

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Classical Music essentials, off the top of my head....

Air in G by Bach
The Bach Cello Suites as performed by Yoyo Ma
Mahler's Symphonies number 3, 5 and 6
Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven
Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner
The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev
1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky
Pastoral Symphony by Beethoven
Carmen by Bizet
Rites of Spring by Stravinsky
Bolero by Ravel
5th Symphony by Beethoven
Requiem by Mozart
In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg
Brandenburg Concertos by Bach
Tocotta and Fugue by Bach

Favorite composer, definitely J.S. Bach. Naturally, favorite period is the Baroque period

Hey krzymono, I know what you mean, i myself am nuts about different renditions/variations of Bach's Air in G. The most notable variation of Canon in D i can recommend is the piano version by George Winston. I loved it, and try it if you havent heard it yet.
 

W9FIF

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reorx24,
My goodness, with Beethoven's 9th and a bit of Chopin & Mozart thrown in, that's my list. Great stuff!

thouret,
The polls say those of us over 50 comprise less than 1% of iPod owners. Hmmm... me thinks some of our contemporaries have missed out!
ENJOY!!
 

krzymono

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reorx24 said:
The most notable variation of Canon in D i can recommend is the piano version by George Winston. I loved it, and try it if you havent heard it yet.
Haha. Thanks. Sounds pretty good. I like the singing one too, by swingle singers.
 

jh-retired

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One of my recent favorites is The Moldau by Bedrich Smetana. It's wonderful. :D
 

iskitoofast4u

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Stereotypes abound these days. 50 year old's on iPodlounge, 22 year old's listening to classical music. Thanks to iPod for blowing through those walls! AFTER I loaded as much parental rage inducing Eminem, Marylin Manson, JANET Jackson, etc. onto my iPod, I found I had (GASP!) nearly 10 gb left to fill...enter the classical genre. The only thing I've found difficult is, with no musical background other than being a listener, I've had trouble picking through the foreign languages of song titles in the classical genre. Fortunately, I found a few "starter" albums to allow me to pick what I truly enjoy. Thanks guys!
 

jh-retired

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That's the beauty of classical music... That it really doesn't matter what the title is, or what language it's in. What does Die Meistersinger Von Nurnburg mean? Who cares? It's a great piece! :D :D

Classical music is universal. :D :D

Enjoy.
 

jh-retired

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Ahh... How do you like the Rach 2 ? :D Definitely in my "Top 5" collection. :D

The Album "Rachmaninoff plays Rachmaninoff" -- the recording is obviously an older one, so the quality isn't the greatest, but it's quite fun to hear all 3 symphonies from the composer himself.
 

stark23x

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It is...but, and I know this is wierd, since he wrote them, but the way he plays is so...hard. Ham-fisted...heavy and Russian! :)

Martha plays hard but has a soft touch when called for...and I do love the Rach 2. Wonderful at the end of a long, crazy day!
 

Charlie_B

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I rarely listen to classical ,but it is great to relax to :)
IMO no thread on classical music can be complete without mentioning
Intermezzo from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. People might recognise it as the tune from the begining of Raging Bull, and the very end of Godfather III. It's suberb.
edit: I also think it's helpful for people who arent that into classical music [like me] to associate pieces with anything they've been popularly linked with [most people may like a piece ofmusic but not know its name] so:
Air On A G String - Hamlet Adverts
Hall Of The Mountain King - Alton Towers [UK]

These are the only two i know off the top of my head, but if other people can add to the list i'm sure it'd be helpful for others :)

p.s. - Fur Elise by Beethoven, while possibly 'too popular' is also very nice when played properly :)
 
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