Intro to Classical Music*

This is interesting, thank you.

My taste? Beatles/McCartney, Crowded House, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel.

 

Schibert's Quintet in C is my favorite piece of music, period. However, I nominated the Trout Quintet as an introductory piece. Someone else proposed the trio, and I went with that.

(I am also fond of the Brahms double.)

 

Try the Brandenburg Concertos.

Extrapolating is risky, so if my suggestion doesn't appeal, try something else.

 

It's a good suggestion IMO.

It is well known that Macca ripped o..uh no, he was inspired by the trumpet solo of the concerto no.2.

 

Well, the Brandenburg Concertos are an excellent suggestion (my favourite is no.5) and as I consider the Beatles and especially McCartney to be the Schubert of pop, any of the Schubert would be an excellent place to start - probably best to go for the Unfinished Symphony first, then the Piano Sonata in G if you dig what you hear and then the Piano Trio (chamber music, especially with strings, can be a bit of an acquired taste).

I don't know any Crowded House so someone else will have to suggest something, but as you like Kate Bush, something weird yet accessible would be good, so I'd go for Janacek's Sinfonietta. For something experimental, sensuous with exotic influences (like with Peter Gabriel), Debussy's Preludes and the 2nd suite from Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe would be good.

And then assuming you haven't given up on classical music by then, you could venture further into deeper waters by trying something really challenging, like Ives' Holidays Symphony and Messiaen's Turangalia Symphony.

HTH!

 

Interesting that you consider chamber music with strings to be an acquired taste as I've been wondering whether that might be a fruitful avenue to explore.

My experience of what I'd loosely call "big, brash" classical is mostly negative. I like a melody, rather than examples of technically impressive writing and I tend to connect with the more, um "restrained" forms of classical. Also, I utterly cannot abide vocal classical. The only two pieces I've ever heard that I find bearable are Jerusalem and (ahem) McCartney's Gratia (from Ecce Cor Meum) simply because the melodies are so utterly utterly beautiful.

Regardless, I'm compiling a list of all the recommendations made (not just in this thread but also on previous occasions when I've dipped my keyboard into the classical thread) and I plan to have a listen to as much as I can.

What I am conscious of though, is giving pieces a chance (as Lennon might have said). In other words, I'd gladly sit down with a new "pop" album and play it several times until the songs become more familiar.

I'm aware that just listening to a piece of classical once and making a snap judgement isn't fair and isn't likely to give me a chance of actually discovering anything. Very little good music is so instantly rewarding, regardless of genre.

 

I love chamber music. Some of the most beautiful pieces (IMHO):

Schubert - String Quintet in C
Schubert - Trout Quintet (for piano and strings - this piece is especially joyful)
Mendelssohn - Octet (also joyful - written when he was 16)
Mozart - Clarinet Quintet
Barber - Adagio (used in "Platoon" - originally from a string quartet, but the version for string orchestra is heard more often these days)
Brahms - Clarinet Quintet
Bach - Suites for Solo Cello

Not chamber music, but with haunting melodies:

Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Chopin - Nocturnes (for piano)

Of course there are many more, but these come to mind.

 

Well, I can understand most vocal music not being your thing, as warbly melodramatic sopranos can be off-putting to many (I'm not a great opera fan for that reason) but I always love music with choirs and orchestra - this isn't on John's list, but seeing as you like Jerusalem, see what you make of this (it helps if you just think of the choir as just another musical instrument):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv5gW_E47BI

The music plus a lot more can be found here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vaughan-Williams-Fantasia-Magnificat-Composers/dp/B00005Q2X8

 

I'll clarify: by "vocal" classical I meant featuring soloists. So, opera, for example. As you say: "warbly melodramatic soloists".

I'm more accomodating towards choral and gregorian chants (for example).

If it helps, some words I'd use to describe pieces I know I like [these may not be words you'd use, however]...

tranquil, contemplative, melancholic, graceful, stately...

I'd don't much like brash, overblown, grandiose material.

By the way, sorry I seem to be hijacking this thread. And thank you for all the suggestions, I truly will find the time to check them out.

 

Like this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU8RwT8ODHA

Or this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLZD0XplYrI

 

Well, the ones I described as joyful don't qualify as melancholic.
But the others fit the bill pretty well. Mind you, longer works such as the Schubert string quintet have various moods.

 

Gents, firstly: again, thank you for your time and responses.

Secondly, I'd like to ask for your further thoughts...

I've spent some time listening to a random selection of material on the OP list via Spotify. The thing that first struck me is how difficult it actually is to pin down the material referred to in that list.

Take a simple example: E. Power Biggs' Tocatta and Fugue in D minor. I notice that Spotify lists EIGHT different entries for this broken down as follows:

two versions of the Tocatta,
two versions of the Fugue,
one that omits to mention which part of the piece.

All of the above identify the piece as BWV 565.

However, we also have Tocatta and Fugue in D minor BWV 538 "Dorian".

Now, I happen to know that the familiar piece is 565, so I assume that this is the one you are aiming novices at. However, if I didn't, how would I know which piece was being referenced?

I guess the "correct" answer would be "it doesn't matter, listen to them all and see if you like any" but this isn't really constructive when the whole point of the list is to narrow the field.

Furthermore, is there any difference between the performances? Presumably, Biggs (and any other performer(s)/conductor) might make more than one recording of a piece during their career) so how do I know which release to aim my attention at?

 

http://sa-cd.net/showtitle/908

 

It a PITA. MOG's search engine is, if anything, worse than Spotify's. But in the case of MOG, I have done the dirty work and actually compiled the playlists. If you want to use Spotify, try typing in the name of the conductor and composer. That's how I got the best results. (The biggest problem with Spotify is the inability to stream complete performances of many works on the London/Decca/DG labels.)

And while I'm sure there are a few instances where there may be multiple recordings by a specific artist, I suspect these will be the exception, not the rule. (There are also instances where a popular recording will appear in multiple incarnations.)

 

These sorts of lists are always a compromise. A compromise in what to include. A compromise in which performance to list. You'd want to list performances that are easy to get and that would be available on services like MOG or Spotify. That limits options. Take the list as more of a suggestion for works and performances rather than specific absolutes.

In the case of the Bach Toccata and Fugue you have to assume it's BWV 565. That's the one everyone considers The Toccata and Fugue. But if you accidentally listen to the Dorian BWV 538 instead, no harm done and I'd say you're better for it. The BWV 565 isn't very Bach-like. Not the most representative piece for Bach organ works. But it's the one everyone wants to hear and what gets considered The Bach Organ Piece. I consider the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor (BWV 582) to be a better representation of Bach's organ style. It has better structure, a better fugue, and is my favorite of all the Bach organ works.

I don't know how many versions of BWV 565 that E. Power Biggs recorded. There's two versions that are in common distribution on CD. It doesn't matter which one you end up listening to. They're both good performances. I prefer the one that's on "Great Organ Favorites", other people will prefer the one that's on "The Four Great Toccatas and Fugues" cause it's bigger (it's recorded in a cathedral with four organs played together). Listen. Enjoy. Neither recording is reference quality. Not what you'd demo speakers or a subwoofer with. But they are great performances and not embellished for theater show or Phantom of the Opera style. They're closer to how they might have sounded and performed back in Bach's day.

 

This one might match the description, Bruckner Mass in E minor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqrQLRmLmw8

 

no Rodrigo?

 

If you can listen to the music on the playlist via MOG check out the Palestrina.

 

Thanks John. I don't use MOG but I'll still follow your suggestion. I've been listening to (and enjoying) a rather low-brow compilation called something like "The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World... Ever!". It features some very mainstream material (Air "On The G String"), Pachelbel's Canon etc etc but I've really enjoyed it.

One thing I noticed is that these performances use an orchestra whereas other recordings of similar material have been performed on piano. I'm intrigued to discover whether the composers originally wrote for the one or the other.

 

Both of the pieces you mentioned were composed for a Baroque orchestra. Many recordings of Pachelbel's Canon turn it into a very romantic work. It was originally somewhat more edgy.

Other works in a similar style (although composed much later) would include the Vaughan Williams and Barber works mentioned above. Also the slow movements from many of Mozart's concertos are breathtakingly beautiful. Try his Piano Concerto No. 21 and the clarinet concerto. There are many good recordings, but as far as performances go, you can't go wrong with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra (although sound quality is surpassed by others). Also try the second movement from the Bruno Walter/Columbia Symphony Orchestra recording of Beethoven's 7th Symphony. That was my moment of epiphany regarding classical music.

 

I'm going to try getting into classical. I've been to see the Pittsburgh Symphony here at Heinz Hall (which I can see out the window at work right across the street!) several times years ago and I've been to a couple dozen operas. With any luck, I'll figure out which styles of classical music interest me the most. There are random pieces that I like when I hear them, but I've never put any time into it.

 

Great to hear it. You can get some fantastic stuff for cheap. It really is great music IMO.

 

If you can afford it, I'd recommend buying the Decca Sound or DG 111 Edition 2 boxes. They both have a pretty good variety of genres of classical music with very few clunkers.

The problem with just going to the symphony is that you won't hear chamber music. Most likely, you'll here romantic, and a few classical, period symphonies and concertos. You're unlikely to hear baroque, early music, or 20th century.

Not that I want to discourage you from going to the symphony, you'll just be missing out on stuff you might really like.

 

I take that back. I just looked at the Pittsburgh Symphony's calendar and it looks great. Slatkin is going to conduct Mahler's orchestration of Schumann's 4th. Quite a bit of 20th century and non top 40 romantic, including a world premiere.

 

From what I gather, "the Pittsburgh" is quite good for a mid-sized US city. I thought its' reputation was even world class several years ago (Jansons left for Europe). Additionally, there is a decent history with Previn and Maazel. I can literally turn around in my chair see the Hall, but I haven't been inside in several years. Ugh.

As for recordings, I'm interested only in the best SACDs for now. I'm working on getting 47 of the 54 RCA Living Stereo and, perhaps with regret, I ordered a bunch of crazy expensive Esoteric titles. Ugh. May leave those sealed until I know if I really want them so badly.