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  #31  
Old 03-28-2020, 12:58 AM
endpin endpin is offline
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The guitar duo of Ida Presti & Alexandre Lagoya did some of the best interpretations of Albinoni.
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  #32  
Old 03-28-2020, 04:43 AM
Kerbie Kerbie is offline
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All right... got a few more names in there I need to check out. Thanks, guys.

I agree completely about Bach, Vivaldi, Holst, Copeland, Bizet, Williams, etc. I've always enjoyed the piano pieces that Bach and Chopin wrote. Copeland composed some wonderful, modern pieces and Grofé's "Grand Canyon Suite" always elicits spectacular mental images of the canyon.

I didn't realize so many here were such classical fans... that's great. Sometimes listening to a lovely concerto or sonata beats the heck out of turning on the TV.
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  #33  
Old 03-28-2020, 07:20 AM
cmd612 cmd612 is offline
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Originally Posted by ceciltguitar View Post
You can tune the lower 4 strings of the guitar cello tuning, C, G, D, A, and then play the cello suites right off the original manuscript.
Never thought of this. Very cool suggestion; thanks!
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  #34  
Old 03-28-2020, 02:01 PM
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Unless you are Kermit ,skip the "Frog " String Quartet by Hadyn....(yep that piece does exist!)🐸
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  #35  
Old 03-29-2020, 04:11 AM
slide496 slide496 is offline
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I have a 74 item playlist that I have kept going during these trying times most of the time of classical music on my ipod, no particular composer stands out though
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  #36  
Old 03-29-2020, 03:19 PM
icuker icuker is offline
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I tend to like small ensemble stuff, a variety of instruments as well. Dowland is great for lute and guitar but string quartets are always appreciated. No particular eras though, but often I like the earlier stuff.
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  #37  
Old 03-30-2020, 10:42 PM
dirkronk dirkronk is offline
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Since taking up playing the acoustic guitar again back around 2010, after a 30 year hiatus, I have listened more and more to folk, 60s/70s rock, and singer/songwriter tunes...the things I'm most apt to learn and play on the guitar. I showed up here on Acoustic Guitar Forum about 2011. However, while I'm a little rusty on the topic...

For several decades, from my late 20s until 60, at least 90% of my music listening was to classical (the rest, mainly jazz and folk). I collected classical LPs (10,000 at the highest point) and much later CDs, plus the serious hi-fi stuff required to listen to them critically. The LP collection (save 300 choice items) was donated to a university library several years ago, much to my wife's relief. But I was pretty much whole hog into the classical realm. When the internet came along, I posted prolifically on specialist international forums, mainly naming and evaluating specific recorded performances (ranging over time from the 1920s through the early 2000s). I'll try not to pontificate here, but let me make a handful of comments/suggestions assuming you want to enjoy classical but not make a college course out of it.

1. Don't be intimidated. Most classical music is just pop music from a long time ago. And the same rules apply. It needs one (or many) catchy tunes, with lots of repeated phrases but also a few hooks or sidebars to keep it interesting. Yeah, sometimes it gets so loud and grandiose and the instrumental group itself gets so enormous that it takes on a life of its own (thinking Beethoven's 9th symphony, Mahler's 2nd symphony, Holst The Planets, some of Bach's huge choral works...and grand opera as an entire genre) but the tune still needs to be there.

2. If you love a tune, track down and listen to the whole original piece it came from. It'll be worth it. I got into classical because (1) as a kid I watched so many Bugs Bunny and similar cartoons that used classical themes as soundtracks and (2) there was a scene in the movie Soylent Green (the Edward G. Robinson euthanasia scene) that used music that utterly enchanted me and I HAD to learn what it was (turns out, it was snippets from two different bigger pieces - Beethoven's symphony #6 and Dvorak's New World Symphony). While I was doing my detective work, I fell in love with this music. Luckily, I had help, so I also suggest...

3. Get recommendations from friends. If you know someone with a big CD/LP collection, hang out with him/her (yes, once we get past "social distancing") and listen to music. Sure, YouTube is a great source if you have to do your seeking solo on the web, but sometimes it builds your enthusiasm to have someone else poke you in the ribs and say, "Now listen to THIS part." Ask questions, but mostly just let them be DJ and enjoy. Me, I found a clerk at the local Sound Warehouse (about 1977) who ran their classical & jazz departments...a fount of knowledge and eventually a really good friend. He introduced me to Sviatoslav Richter and Yevgeny Mravinsky as well as Art Tatum and Thelonious Monk...artists with few if any peers, and whom I never would have known without my bud.

4. Interpretation matters. I could just tell you to go listen to all of Rossini's overtures (and I highly suggest that you do), because it's all really fun music. But I'd be doing you a disservice if I also didn't mention that the most exciting versions of the William Tell Overture (aka, the Lone Ranger theme!) are by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Orchestra and (especially if quality sound is important to you) Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony. Sure, other groups do a decent job, but those two recordings will make you want to jump out of your seat, put on a mask, cowboy hat, powder blue jumpsuit and cap pistols, and go lead the fight for law and order in the early west. Just crank the volume. You'll see what I mean. For every major piece of music, there's going to be some particular recording that speaks to you more than any other version. Hope you find yours. (BTW, Toscanini and Reiner are both great in ALL the Rossini overtures they recorded, so don't just stop with Tell!)

5. Virtuosity matters. If an instrumentalist isn't good, he or she usually doesn't wind up on a record, but some just rise way above even excellence to sheer artistry. Just as Guy Clark notes in "Dublin Blues": "I have seen the David, seen the Mona Lisa too, And I have heard Doc Watson play Columbus Stockade Blues." The kind of veneration that Doc (or name your favorite guitar player in any genre) commands is conveyed upon a handful of players in each area of classical, as well. If you know their names and look them up on YouTube, you're likely to hear great performances, whatever they may be playing...and that process could help you expand your knowledge of classical and of what you like. To get you started, try these names:
Piano: Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Ivan Moravec, Clara Haskil, Lili Kraus, Solomon (British, went by only one name), Annie Fischer.
Violin: Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh, Nathan Milstein, Arthur Grumiaux, Josef Suk, Johanna Martzy.
Cello: Janos Starker, Jacqueline DuPre, YoYo Ma, Rostropovich.

6. Listen for fun and start with the big hits. Before you dive into any composer (and there are lots of great names that have already been listed above), try to find out what works are most approachable for listeners new to classical. I mean, you wouldn't introduce an absolute newbie to Bob Dylan with Desolation Row, would you? Nah...you'd probably go with Don't Think Twice or Blowin' In the Wind. Same thing with classical...the "big hits" got big for a reason: they're fun or easy or amazing to listen to. Like the suggestion to try out Mahler symphonies if you like Beethoven: I agree, but try Mahler's Symphony 1 and 4 first...they're shorter, enjoyable and easier to get into than #2 and #8, for instance. Down the road, you may like 2 and 8 better, of course--but not if you feel compelled to consume too big a piece, too soon, and stop listening as a result.

Here's a handful of actual suggestions of classical pieces, plus the ensemble or artists I think do the piece to a T. If you like 'em, I'll suggest more:
- Mendelssohn: Symphony 4 ("Italian")--Szell/Cleveland Orchestra (or if you can find Van Beinum and the Concertgebouw, the sound is older but the performance is killer).
- Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade--if you like bold/fast/exciting, go for Fritz Reiner/Chicago Sym; if you want big/lush/dramatic and with a violin that's too utterly gorgeous for words, try Kondrashin/Amsterdam Concertgebouw.
- Mozart: Violin Sonatas (any and all)--Grumiaux (violin) & Haskil (piano), or Francescatti (violin) and Casadesus (piano).
- Beethoven: Piano Sonata #23 ("Appassionata")--Richter (live at Carnegie Hall 1960) will drop your jaw in the last minutes; or try Ivan Moravec to start...this is a piece worth hearing again and again.
- Beethoven: Symphony 6 ("Pastoral")--Bruno Walter/Columbia Sym Orch...accept no substitutes for your first time out...this is transcendent.

Good luck.

Dirk
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Last edited by dirkronk; 03-31-2020 at 11:47 AM.
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  #38  
Old 03-30-2020, 11:31 PM
6 Strings MI 6 Strings MI is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fogducker View Post
When people ask me what type of music do you like, I always answer, "All types--- except RAP"!
When you get down to brass tacks, there are two types of music: good and bad. In my opinion, most rap falls into the "bad" category. It all sounds the same to me. And there is no such thing as good techno/EDM.

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Originally Posted by Kerbie View Post
I've never learned to like country.
After reading that statement, I Googled "Country music for people who hate country music." I gave up after the first page of results, as far too much of that bro-country crap (again, bad music) was mentioned. One even showed a GIF that focused on a doofus who had his SJ-200's strap adjusted way too loosely! Any such list compiled by me would probably be too subjective.

Returning to topic, I do enjoy classical music, but usually when it pops up in some other medium (e.g. a TV commercial). Sooner or later, I will take dirkronk's advice and get a little more into classical music. If only I could remember the title of the piece used in those "Beef: it's what's for dinner" TV commercials...
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  #39  
Old 03-31-2020, 08:11 AM
dirkronk dirkronk is offline
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Originally Posted by 6 Strings MI View Post
If only I could remember the title of the piece used in those "Beef: it's what's for dinner" TV commercials...
IIRC, I believe the early commercials (they made several) used one of the themes from Aaron Copland's Rodeo. Fun stuff from a composer who pretty much defined American classical sound. Real western movie soundtrack music. Lots of groups do it well, but see if you can find Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic doing it.

Other superb Copland pieces to check out:
- Appalachian Spring (my fave is Dorati conducting the London Symphony)
- Billy the Kid
- Fanfare for the Common Man

Happy listening.

Dirk
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  #40  
Old 03-31-2020, 08:42 AM
6 Strings MI 6 Strings MI is offline
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Yes, it was a piece from Rodeo. I'll use that as a jumping-off point. Thanks for the suggestions!
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  #41  
Old 03-31-2020, 10:02 AM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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I have a history with composed music for orchestral instruments (the wide variety of things that get's put in a "classical music" bin label wise).

It goes back to my childhood when there as an AM station in Iowa WOI-AM that broadcast such music for much of the day, so I'd listen to it on my little Airline pocket transistor radio. I listened to WOI-AM before falling into listening to top-40 pop radio, and still listened to it sometimes afterward. This was before FM radio was much of a thing, and nearly a decade before there was anything like FM rock. Back then I liked the longer symphony/full orchestra pieces because they would develop different moods and themes, and they'd often produce some nice crescendos my young ears craved when "Rumble" was as heavy as rock got. I probably liked the 19th century romantics the most, though I don't recall necessarily what pieces I was hearing distinctly.

Later on in the 20th century I started to appreciate the classical period composers, Bach and his near contemporaries. I like grew to appreciate smaller works for quartets, trios or soloists, and of course "classical guitar". My late wife was a classmate of Sharon Isbin, though it was a large high-school and it wasn't like they were sharing a lunch room table or anything.

Around the same time I started to listen to more and more modernist and post-romantic composed music, including the "minimalists." Oddly this is also the time that I became aware of the "early music" movement and ensembles that tried to do "original instruments/interpretation" performances of compositions and styles that predated the usual repertoire.

So before I started my short and unsuccessful performing career in the early 80s, playing acoustic and electric guitar in a punk-folk group I was "experienced" in most of the stuff you'd see in a wide-ranging classical record section, though largely without the music theory knowledge or ability to play any of it.

It's only been in this century when I've finally been able work with reasonable virtual instruments that I've been able to start to use those orchestral instrument timbres and colors that I've listened to all these years. Even when I'm composing something that is no more harmonically complex than a campfire folk song or a Ramones tune, arpeggiating those chords with woodwinds and violas is great fun.

I like the person above who started their list of appreciation hints by saying its just "popular music of another time" or something to that effect. That's not entirely true in every sense (particularly with all of the modernists, some of whom wanted to shock the audience and didn't much care if the non-knowledgeable liked their music). But it is "Just Music." Even that stuff that sounds out-there or abstract can be absorbed, even if it's not all comfort food for the ears.
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  #42  
Old 03-31-2020, 03:27 PM
dirkronk dirkronk is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by endpin View Post
The guitar duo of Ida Presti & Alexandre Lagoya did some of the best interpretations of Albinoni.
Not just Albinoni. Their two earliest stereo RCA albums (varied repertoire) were astoundingly good for precision and expressive playing. And the sonics were knockout (less so in the few other non-RCA albums I've heard). Presti, alas, died within just a few years after they came out.

Dirk
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  #43  
Old 03-31-2020, 03:40 PM
HodgdonExtreme HodgdonExtreme is offline
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Originally Posted by guitargabor View Post
Franz Liszt!

He has to be the most underrated composer of all time.

To me Ludwig Van B remains the ultimate classical rock star!
Totally agree. I've been on a big Liszt bender lately.

One thing that's really neat about classical music that was created before recordings is there is no "correct" or "original" to compare to. Thus you can listen to different pianists/performers playing the tune, and have totally different experiences from them - and none of them are more "correct" than the other.
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  #44  
Old 04-01-2020, 03:10 AM
Kerbie Kerbie is offline
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Thank you guys for such a terrific thread. I'm having a lot of fun reading all these ideas. And I apologize if I didn't make myself clear, but I'm not asking out of complete ignorance. I've been a classical music fan all my life. I've listened, played it, read about it, etc. I was just curious about any lesser-known composers or pieces. And I've gotten some wonderful suggestions to explore.

This question came out of a conversation with some buddies about classical composers and how well known some are... or aren't. One thing that has always fascinated me about classical is just the sheer volume. When we're talking hundreds of years, that's a lot of music! It'll take me a while to listen to everything I want to hear. Kinda like all the books I want to read when I retire.

What a fabulous post, Dirk! I'll have a lot of fun going through all of that. I'm particularly interested in your list of virtuosos. I know most of them, but not all and those are certainly three of my most favorite orchestral instruments. I even had the pleasure of briefly meeting Yo Yo Ma years ago on a airplane. He was seated in 1B... and his cello was strapped into 1A.

Dirk, I'm also intrigued by your list of particular versions of compositions. I know every one of those pieces, but I'll enjoy going back to check the actual versions that I have.

One of my former neighbors was a fabulous guy who was an audiophile with a sound system more expensive than most cars. As he began to get rid of his album collection, I acquired it. His tastes in classical were exquisite and he had pristine, audiophile-quality LPs. So, going through that has been a joy and one that will continue for the rest of my life.

6 Strings... I don't hate country music at all. I just never flipped over it. It holds less musical interest for me than jazz or classical, but I don't hate it.

Interesting post, Frank. I've also gone through times when I was more interested in a particular period of classical music. I still fall back on the Classical period, but the Romantic composers and 20th century folks still easily hold my attention. And like Hodgdon said, I can also go on a bender listening to one particular composer for a while. That's a lot of fun. I've done that with Liszt too, Hodgdon... it's easily done!

Thank you so much, guys!
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  #45  
Old 04-01-2020, 04:06 AM
Kerbie Kerbie is offline
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Default "The Coronavirus Hasn't Slowed Classical Music"

On a slightly different note, there is an interesting article in the NY Times about how much access their music critic still has to great performances of classical music... live streams, archived films, online operas, a website of archived performances by NY Philharmonic, etc. Pretty amazing. It may take log-in to view, although I believe many of the Times articles are freely available in small numbers.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/a...gtype=Homepage
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