favorite classical music?

[octothorp]

We've had so many various 'favorite music' threads, I figure this one's fair game to ask. Not my absolute favorite genre of music, but there are some classical music pieces that really move me. I'm curious to hear if other CPers have a few classics in their collection. And I use the term 'classical' broadly, meaning pretty much all types of choral, orchestral, and chamber music. Here are my favorites.

Arvo Part's Fratres
Prokofiev's piano sonatas
Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610
Puccini's Turandot
Tan Dun's Bitter Love
John Dowland songs

[RougeUnderoos]

I know nothing (or at least not much) of classical music, but I am Canadian and I think that the Goldberg Variations by Glenn Gould is pretty great, eh.

[JiriHrdina]

Gustav Holst's The Planets - particularly Jupiter, far and away my favourite piece of classical music.

Anything by Beethoven.

In contrast the composer I just can't stand is Motzart. I really don't get the big deal with him. Blech.

[calf]

Holst's The Planets are amazing! Couldn't agree with you more Jiri. When I was a band geek back in High School, we played Jupiter as well. Awesome stuff.

I really like anything Beethoven, Bach, Mozart's good as well. A personal fave is Beethoven's "Farewell to the Piano"

Who doesn't like Pachelbel's Canon in D Major?

ahhh, so much stuff from my piano playing days, can't remember most of it, but there was some great stuff in there.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally posted by calf@Aug 11 2004, 11:22 PM
Holst's The Planets are amazing! Couldn't agree with you more Jiri. When I was a band geek back in High School, we played Jupiter as well. Awesome stuff.

I really like anything Beethoven, Bach, Mozart's good as well. A personal fave is Beethoven's "Farewell to the Piano"

Who doesn't like Pachelbel's Canon in D Major?

Believe it or not I played Jupiter as part of a 15 piece Accordion orchestra. And it sounded great. Of course we also played Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

Ahhhh...the misunderstood instrument that is the accordion.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Well this is a great thread for people -- like myself -- looking for more classical music to get into. Thanks for the suggestions guys.

[JiriHrdina]

If you are just getting into Classical music you may want to purchase a compilation albumn that has a good sampling of composers and styles - figuire out what you like, and go from there.

Something like this:

Amazon

Not actually the albumn I was going to recommend but I couldn't find that one. Close enough though - something like this though would give you a broad range of styles.

[BlackArcher101]

I prefer Chopin

[Five-hole]

The Liszt B-minor sonata for piano is unmatched.

As far as composers are concerned, Liszt, Brahms, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Ravel...

[Calgary Flames]

So I get made fun of for drinking ONE cooler on a 30+ degree August day because it was the only alchohol in the house, and everyone is gung ho about classical music?? Not to mention the "Do you cry at movies" thread..

Hypocritical bas**rds! :P j/k I like all music and often switch to the classical station when I get sick of all the other sh*t that is played on Calgary radio, but I don't know any of the artist's or anything. If it sounds good, I'll listen to it.

[Anders]

Well a favorite subject!

Some pieces I have just discovered:

Khachtaturian - Masquerade Waltz

Satie - Gymnopédie 3 - well very famous piece, just didn't know the name and composer

[300spartans]

I was introduced to classical music when I moved to Canda and have loved it ever since.

I agree with the choice of Gustav Holst. The Planets is an amazing piece of work, the movements of Mars and Jupiter are DIVINE (no pun intended). I also highly recommend First Suite in E-Flat, I played this in high school and it was very impressive. For the beginners, Holst is considered one of the pioneers in bringing the wind orchestra (no string instruments) into prominence.

Another composer I highly recommend is the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Symphonies 1,2, and 5 are my favourites as well as his most famous piece, Finlandia.

I also recommend anything by George Friedric Handel. You can find really cheap cds which have Music for the Royal Fireworks and Water Music at places like HMV for around $5! The great thing about the older classical composers is that the music is so cheap!

For a more modern classical composer, I recommend Johan de Meij who follows in the lines of Gustav Holst in using wind orchestras. His most famous piece is his Symphony 1 Lord of the Rings which has won some major awards. LOTR nerds have probably heard of him before but everyone should hear the Hobbits movement.

300S

[octothorp]

Some great choices here--Satie is one of my favorites, and Sibelius is great, too.
For those wanting to explore classical music but unsure of where to start, I'd recommend starting by thinking about film scores that you like--most of these have merits as classical composition. Howard Shore's work on Lord of the Rings, for example, is absolutely brilliant. I mentioned in my first post how one of my favorite pieces was Bitter Love by Tan Dun, which is an opera written in english, based on classic chinese poetry, and combining western and chinese opera forms. I first came across Tan Dun because he did the soundtrack for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. If you liked the weird accordian/pizzicato-style music in 12 Monkeys, explore some Astor Piazzolla tangos.

[8 Ball]

Originally posted by JiriHrdina@Aug 11 2004, 11:43 PM
If you are just getting into Classical music you may want to purchase a compilation albumn that has a good sampling of composers and styles - figuire out what you like, and go from there.

Something like this:

Amazon

Not actually the albumn I was going to recommend but I couldn't find that one. Close enough though - something like this though would give you a broad range of styles.

I have always enjoyed Mozart. I actually bought this C.D. quite a while ago and it is very good. Excellent C.D. to hear a wide range of different styles.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Flight of the Valkyries by Wagner.

Something about hearing that piece over and over for 3 hours while blindfolded and quizzed......oh....nevermind

[Wolfwood]

I always liked Raindrops by Chopin.

[Thunderball]

very good selections in here so far...

Some of my favorites:

Beethoven's 7th Symphony, 2nd Movement
Cello Concerto by Sir Edward Elgar
Vallon Sonore by Hector Berlioz
Requiem Dies Irae and Lacrimosa by Mozart
Mozart's Symphony No. 40
Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata

[HelloHockeyFans]

Anything by Chopin!