Classical/Traditional Music

[Onder]

His tone poems are epic, but his symphonies are SUPREME, but you literally can't find them anywhere, at least not for free. Same with Danielpour, but those are some examples of composers I'd shell money for. I got a 50 dollar thing to amazon and i'm going to find a full cycle of the Bax symphonies

I have found plenty of Bax to download tbh. But no Danielpour at all. I'm pretty sure we don't have any at home. My mother used to collect classical music cds but she's not into modern stuff much.

 

[The Emptier]

Really? Hmm, I know his tone poems are easy to find, but i hate downloading things in parts so i haven't done it. Danielpour would not be found in most peoples homes, he's sadly unknown, but fantastic at what he does.

 

[Addo_Of_Nex]

Can anyone help a brother out and recommend an organ work as devastatingly apocalyptic as Reubke's Organ Sonata for Psalm 94? The third movement is one of the most incredible things I've ever heard.

 

[The Emptier]

Guilmant, Elgar, Mendelssohn, Bruckner, Widor, Franck and Liszt all have worthy organ pieces. I know that's a vague start....but yeah Reubke's is fucking ridiculous



This is somethin' else!!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaSpAgXKwFc&feature=related[/ame]

 

[Addo_Of_Nex]

Many thanks, failures; I only just saw your post. Thankfully I'm not familiar with the organ works of any of them, but I'm an avid fan of the symphonic work of Bruckner and Lizst; and the chamber music I've heard from Mendelssohn is brilliant.

Edit: What sources do you guys utilize to seek out the best performance/s of particular pieces? I've been a pedestrian classical fan for a few years now, but I'm getting more serious and have been concerning myself with finding the best performances of pieces I find to be truly exemplary. I usually just start out with a box set to introduce myself to a composer, listen intently until I find my favorites, then immerse myself in the standouts. However, I'm sure there's some better way to go about this.

 

[viewerfromnihil]

Familiarize yourself with performers and performance groups. I did this by just reading the notes on who was playing and listened to the same pieces by different performers. Judge for yourself from there. Even the best performers do the same pieces a little different.

 

[Thoth-Amon]

I've been recently diving into some contemporary stuff like Arvo Part and Gorecki. I already knew and loved Penderecki out of the Polish scene. His Polish Requiem rocks.

EDIT: np: John Tavener - Protecting Veil

Huge Arvo Part fan. I have somewhere around 20 cds worth of his music. Gorecki has some great works as well.
Tavener is hit or miss. I feel he excells in smaller choral works like 'Funeral Ikos' but the large scale works tend to come off and pretentious and fake. The opening movement of the Protecting Veil is great but the rest of the work is superfluous.

 

[The Emptier]

Many thanks, failures; I only just saw your post. Thankfully I'm not familiar with the organ works of any of them, but I'm an avid fan of the symphonic work of Bruckner and Lizst; and the chamber music I've heard from Mendelssohn is brilliant.

Edit: What sources do you guys utilize to seek out the best performance/s of particular pieces? I've been a pedestrian classical fan for a few years now, but I'm getting more serious and have been concerning myself with finding the best performances of pieces I find to be truly exemplary. I usually just start out with a box set to introduce myself to a composer, listen intently until I find my favorites, then immerse myself in the standouts. However, I'm sure there's some better way to go about this.

Yeah, Bruckner is my absolute favorite symphonist He was primarily an organist as his profession, he only started composing in his late 30's or so.

Hmm, best performances...well I usually look at who's conducting, there are certain composers who interpret composers differently/better, and yes, no one performance is similar. I actually get put off by hearing multiple versions of (usually large scale) works because I get attached to one and am thinking "oh this should not be the tempo! I liked the other better" etc. But yeah, watch for the composer, karajan, bernstein, boulez, dudamel, previn, solti, barenboim etc. are all solid. I also stay away from true "live" performances, because incessant coughing, odd ambience and overall lack of recording quality put me off, but this is not always true.

 

[Mort Divine]

 

[Onder]

Hmm, best performances...well I usually look at who's conducting, there are certain composers who interpret composers differently/better, and yes, no one performance is similar. I actually get put off by hearing multiple versions of (usually large scale) works because I get attached to one and am thinking "oh this should not be the tempo! I liked the other better" etc. But yeah, watch for the composer, karajan, bernstein, boulez, dudamel, previn, solti, barenboim etc. are all solid. I also stay away from true "live" performances, because incessant coughing, odd ambience and overall lack of recording quality put me off, but this is not always true.

Coughing on records makes me turn it off with anger.

 

[The Emptier]

Eh, you have to deal with it. In person it's even worse, fucking old people and their dying.

 

[skeptik]

Karajan is the shit.

 

[Onder]

Eh, you have to deal with it. In person it's even worse, fucking old people and their dying.

No I don‘t have to deal with it. And also, it hasn‘t happened to me in real life yet. A little cough here and then, yes, but not a fucking sanctuary.

 

[The Emptier]

Ah.

I just ordered a bunch of stuff from Amazon, Bax's 1st symphony and tone poems, schubert 8/9th symphonies, all of sibelius' symphonies, and three scriabin symphonies

 

[Onder]

Ah.

I just ordered a bunch of stuff from Amazon, Bax's 1st symphony and tone poems, schubert 8/9th symphonies, all of sibelius' symphonies, and three scriabin symphonies

I‘ve been listening to Schubert‘s 8th a lot lately, as Thoth recommended. It‘s really good and some melodies from it get stuck in my head. Sibelius is awesome, although I am not familiar with his symphonies, I love the violin concerto and tone poems.. Finlandia, Andante Festivo etc. Amazing composer.

EDIT: Actually the Sibelius concerto might be my favourite violin concerto ever.

 

[Onder]

Tommorow I‘m going to a concert with my girl to see Stravinsky‘s Mass and Symphony of the psalms in church. That will fucking rule tbh.

 

[Der Morgenstern]

Someone recommend me some good choral music.

 

[The Emptier]

Grandparents gave me a shit ton of classical cds to listen to, and my Sibelius and Schubert symphonies came from Amazon, so far Sibelius is a god.

Morg: First of all, what kind of choral music are you interested in? Verdi's requiem mass, orff's carmina burana, stravinskys symphony of psalms, bruckners te deum, pendereckis st. luke passion, bach's mass in b minor is one of the most famous

 

[Onder]

Grandparents gave me a shit ton of classical cds to listen to, and my Sibelius and Schubert symphonies came from Amazon, so far Sibelius is a god.

Morg: First of all, what kind of choral music are you interested in? Verdi's requiem mass, orff's carmina burana, stravinskys symphony of psalms, bruckners te deum, pendereckis st. luke passion, bach's mass in b minor is one of the most famous

I saw Stravinsky‘s Symphony of Psalms live yesterday! Along with his Mass. Yay. About Penderecki, I like Polish Requiem more than St. Luke, get that imo. I would definitely add Brahms‘ German Requiem as I have advertised it many times before

 

[Flan is the Custard]

Has anyone here ever read this:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Rest-Noise-Listening-Twentieth-Century/dp/0312427719/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308415523&sr=8-1[/ame] ?

I've read maybe 1/3rd of it for my love for minimalist and atonal composers (Put it down because of school, but am meaning to pick it up again), and it's a really great book. It has a great sense of historical context for why a lot of composers moved away from tonality in their works, including the sort of incestuous mixing of Jazz and Classical compositions, historical and cultural frameworks, etc. It's extremely well-written and easy to read, lots of good history on specific composers, regions, time periods, etc. and I highly recommend it to anyone who's interested in more contemporary(ish) and "out there" classical, as well as some interesting biographical information on composers you don't always get to hear about. It really appeals to the historian, musician, and casual reader in me.