The Emptier
t3h b3aSt0rZ
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.
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
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.
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.
Eh, you have to deal with it. In person it's even worse, fucking old people and their dying.
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![]()
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