Classical music/composers?

[gabaghoul]

Looking for recs for classical composers that some of you, as metal fans, enjoy.

Similarity to metal isn't necessary but there are bound to be some tangents to draw, i.e. Emperor --> Wagner.

Anything you've found similar to Opeth's quieter moods? Or how about something like the piano parts on Muse:Absolution (particularly in songs like Butterflies and Hurricanes, if you know that one)?

Predominantly looking for piano but symphony okay too. I played piano for almost 15 years but that was a very long time ago... so far I'm starting with Chopin but I am open to anything.

also looking for recs for particular interpreters or recordings.

thanks in advance
-gg

 

[metal_wrath]

I can't give much recs 'cause I am a new classical enthusiast but I will say you should check out some collections which have more than one composer to see what style you like. There are some which cover different periods such as "Gaudeamus - Early Music Sampler" which is an amazing collection of Early Music. I have found some good recs by using amazon.com lists, and they have some very good deals on their too.

Also you should definitely check out this recording: Pachelbel - Canon and Gigue in D & Fasch - Sinfonia - (Jean-François Paillard)

of course you have heard the Pachelbel's Canon before. This recording is some of the best music I have ever heard in my life. Also it has the Pachelbel's Suites for keyboard which are amazing. This also includes Fasch - Concerto & Sinfonia which are very different from the Pachelbel works but are outstanding as well...

 

[gabaghoul]

yeah I will probably pick up some comps. I know a lot of names from back in the day but I can't articulate the difference between Schubert, Chopin, Haydn or Rachmaninoff the same way I can easily tell the difference between Burzum, Enslaved, Opeth or At the Gates.

I know the Pachelbel well enough; walked down the aisle to it last year
I'll check out that recording, though - that's the only work of his that I (or most people, thanks to those Sally Struthers feed the children ads in the 80s) know.

-gg
np: Summoning - Stronghold

 

[Vulcano]

Tchaikovsky is my favourite classical composser, if you're looking for piano pieces try with "Piano concerto Nº 1 in B Flat Minor" for example.
Other Tchaikovsky masterpieces are "1812 Overture", or "Marche Slave" and almost anything he composed.
Wagner's tetralogy of the Ring is also great, "Das Rheingold", "Die Walküre", "Siegfried" and "Götterdämmerung".
And of couse don't forget Bach....

 

[Talking Meat]

Shostakovich is awesome with the moody and complex stuff, I think he's big with Opeth-type fans.

 

[AshDLS]

Rock me Amadeus ro-ro-rock me Amadeus.

 

[derbeder]

I had posted this earlier in a thread asking for classical music for someone new into this stuff.

it may be a good idea to start out with some well-known works which you might have heard parts of at some time or another. for instance,

vivaldi - the four seasons
corelli - concerti grossi op.6 (especially no.8)
albinoni - adagio in g minor
pachelbel - canon
j s bach - toccata and fugue in d minor for organ, goldberg variations, brandenburg concertos, italian concerto in f major
mozart - eine kleine nachtmusik, symphony no.40, requiem
beethoven - symphonies nos.5 & 9
schubert - symphony no.8 "unfinished", ave maria
berlioz - symphonie fantastique, requiem
chopin - nocturnes
paganini - 24 caprices for solo violin
grieg - peer gynt suites, holberg suite
tchaikovsky - swan lake (suite), piano concerto no.1, symphony no.6 "pathetique"
mussorgsky - night on the bare mountain
rimsky-korsakov - sheherazade
holst - the planets ("mars")
mahler - symphony no.1, symphony no.5: 4th movement (adagio)
sibelius - finlandia, symphony no.2
prokofiev - classical symphony, montagues and capulets (from romeo and juliet)
rachmaninov - vocalise, prelude in c sharp minor op.2

there are hundreds of different recordings of some of these works. try to pick one that does not look cheap. a quality recording of a good performance makes a huge difference. you might want to buy your first cds from a top all-around label like deutsche grammaphon.

 

[metal_wrath]

that post reminds me, there is a basketball commercial on tv, which uses the "Lacrimosa" from Mozart's Requiem as background music

I though that was pretty tasteless, and it wasn't even a well-made commercial! uke:

 

[Scourge of God]

It cannot be emphasized enough, when purchasing classical recordings, the conductor is EVERYTHING! Don't let your wallet, your ears and your mind get raped by, say, the schmaltzy schtick of Georg Solti when recordings by Karajan or Furtwängler are readily available for the great works of Beethoven et al.

Solti exception: Wagner's Ring Cycle, which he conducted based entirely on Wagner's own performance notes.

 

[gabaghoul]

thanks for replies so far, especially that long post by derbeder. also looking to check out some Shostakovich.

dug out some Tchaikovsky and Wagner discs I hadn't listened to in ages, also a comp w/ excerpts from Carmen, Finlandia, Peer Gynt, etc. Also picked up some Schubert, Chopin and Rachmaninoff. so I'll be plenty busy for awhile.

Chopin's Nocturne No 1 op9 is my favorite piece so far this week.

-gg
np: Arsis - United in Regret

 

[derbeder]

symphonies nos.5 & 9, string quartet no.8 and violin concerto no.1 are probably among the best pieces to listen to first from shostakovich.

specific recordings -

 

[soundave]

It cannot be emphasized enough, when purchasing classical recordings, the conductor is EVERYTHING! Don't let your wallet, your ears and your mind get raped by, say, the schmaltzy schtick of Georg Solti when recordings by Karajan or Furtwängler are readily available for the great works of Beethoven et al.

Solti exception: Wagner's Ring Cycle, which he conducted based entirely on Wagner's own performance notes.

Another Solti exception: Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, since it was written for him. It's pretty much the definitive performance, imo.

 

[Abhorsen]

some I dig:

Bruckner - Symphonies 5, 6, 8, 9
Mahler - Symphonies 3, 7, 9
Sibelius - Symphony 7
Messiaen - Quartet for the End of Time
Ligeti - String Quartets
Vaughan Williams - A Sea Symphony
Benjamin Britten - Peter Grimes
Wagner - Lohengrin
Beethoven - all of it
Schubert - Die Winterreise
Shostakovich - Symphony 8