Hi everyone,

I was just wondering if there was any interest in putting together a classical music discussion thread or set of threads devoted to a piece (not necessarily recording) of classical music. For example, pick a piece every two weeks and have a discussion on it. Since Naxos has an extensive catalogue at budget price, I'd suggest that being the reference work, with additional recordings added by discussion participants. Anyone interested?

I'm for it.. I don't get most of my classical through.. regular channels, but I grew up on classical, skipped a few years, and am recently starting to build up a collection. At the moment I have an obsession with Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, but Mozart and Rachmaninoff have a special place in my playlists. My vote for the first piece would be the Rach 3

I tend to get most of mine through Rhapsody - and of course all the CD's I've accumulated. I've not heard heard the Rach 3 but would definitely be interested in exploring it. Any more takers?

Rach's 3rd is an incredible piece. If you are any sort of musician it is humbling to say the least.

I remember hearing this about Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto but it applies here - that it's a great piece to hear live because it's like taming lions - and the tamer doesn't always win.

I love Tchaikovsky's 1st, but somehow I can almost never get past the first movement, whereas the Rach 3 is like one long continuous piece for me, and the segue from movement 2 to 3 is amazing, plus the finale always leaves me pumped.. it's like I was telling my friend, this is what real heavy music should be like, not just power chords here and there, but music that moves you inside out.

Actually, the Rachmaninov work I'm most familiar with is his Vespers - a work that sounds ancient, powerful and moving. I have the Telarc recording which I think is quite good, you might want to check the piece out.

If you've seen Shine, you've heard (parts of) the Rach 3.

Shine was the first time i heard it, and when i finally got a copy of the whole thing, it disappointed me to see that the movie had completely tore the piece apart, so I didn't really get into it again until about a year later.. silly me, I get offended easily I guess

I'd love to see something like this, would help expose us to pieces and composers we may not have heard of. As my SN suggests, my favorite piece is Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. No I didn't pick it based on a movie or the book, but the music

By the by... if you've seen The Smurfs you've likely heard a bit of it before. Usually when Gargamel hits the scene or some catastrophic event is befalling the little blue guys.

~Scheherazade

Tox - yeah I know what you mean - have heard classical music in movies and thought, "wow there's so much more to this than what's in the film"

Scheherazade - Yes, that's the plan - to start with the familiar warhorses and then branch out into uncharted waters. I'm hoping that the threads will become educational for people who are interested in but haven't quite gotten into classical music as well.

However, since it seems like there's at least two maybe three people interested we could get something started... What about an oldie but a goodie - Vivaldi's Four Seasons? I would suggest picking up the Naxos recording (Catalogue No. 8.550056):

Takako Nishizaki, violin
Capella Istropolitana
Stephen Gunzenhauser, conductor

In upcoming weeks we can rotate the choices, or have a poll or some other more democratic means - but I figure the important thing is to get a start. Should be fun - hope y'all are with me.

Maybe start with baroque and work up chronologically?

A few weeks with Handel, Vivaldi and Bach never hurt anyone.

We could do that - Baroque works (with the obvious exception of the oratorios etc) tend to be shorter, so can be listened to more readily than a Classical or Romantic symphony. I would also like to explore lesser known composers as well - to hear what else was being heard/played at the time. Obviously there's MUCH MUCH more to each one of these composers (and of Baroque in general), but here's some pieces I'd like to see make the list.

Bach
Brandenburg Cti 1-6
Goldberg Variations
Mass in B Minor

Handel
Music for the Royal Fireworks
Water Music
Messiah

Vivaldi
Four Seasons (and The Contest of Harmony and Invention from which it's drawn)
Concerto Alla Rustica
Gloria

Count me in! :-)

Handel's Water Music is another one of my top favorites Want a really creepy one? Check out Penderecki's Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima. I swear he makes those violins scream in an eerily human way, it's really a bit unnerving but beautiful at the same time.

~Scheherazade

Fair enough - will look for it - see if you can grab a copy of Rachmaninov's Vespers - it's a great work

Were you in my music appreciation class? That was definitely one of the strangest pieces of music i've ever heard.

As a side note, that's why I love Bartok's work - he makes dissonance appealing/humanizing...

I wish I had taken Music Appreciation instead of that yawn of an Art History class But who says your education has to stop at a degree, I may take one just for fun one of these days. I'm actually so into Rimsky-Korsakov and Scheherazade because my mother had to study the work in her music appreciation class when I was very young. So we spent a lot of time listening to it and I just became enthralled with the story the music tells (whether ole Rimsky admits it's there or not). Penderecki I just stumbled upon one year when looking for creepy songs for a Halloween party.

~Scheherazade

Looks like we have some support for this little adventure - how shall we organize it - there's a few ideas in the thread already, but would like to hear others so everyone gets a chance to be heard.

well, I say start a thread bi-weekly (we don't have too many people yet) and either devote it to a composer's works, or to a particular work if the composer has too many well-known works, and you can do composers chronologically or alphabetically, or by styles, periods, etc.. Since I just got done taking a music appreciation class and listening to the audiobooks from the teaching co.'s "How to Listen and Understand Great Music" (which is basically the same thing as the course, but for some reason i liked it a lot more), I would suggest chronologically, by period (middle ages, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, modern). and alpha by composer.

Or maybe take a poll right now from 10 or so composers and go for one a week

That would be a war though

Excellent suggestions all - if noone objects I'll put up a poll today to get things rolling.

I was in the music store today and picked up a Copland CD (Symphony No. 3/Billy the Kid Suite) and a Penderecki CD (Symphony No. 3/Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima for 52 stringed instruments/Fluoresences for orchestra/De natura sonoris II for orchestra). Both titles are on Naxos - the Copland CD sounds great so far....

Holy Thread Ressurrection Batman!

I had to revive this thread, because I wanted to start one like it...

So I listen to a pretty good mix of classical, mostly Rachmaninoff, Mozart, Saint-Saens, Grieg, Barber,and a few others...

So what is good that's out there now (as in new, current composers) that a fan of darker romantic era (read: RACHMANINOFF) music would enjoy?

Not familiar with Rachmaninoff...but Paul Hindemith has some pretty sweet stuff...try Symphony in b-flat or Symphonic Metamorphosis

Christopher Rouse could probably catch you off guard with his loud (Gorgon -esp Medusa) symphonic work and complex tribal percussion ensembles (Ogoun Badagris, Ku-Ka-Ilimoku, & Bonham)

also check out Resphigi and Stravinsky

and finally Dvorak's New World Symphony