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WhatEvil
Jun 6, 2004

Can't get no luck.

Herr Napalm posted:


Blumenfeld is a lot of fun. His pieces are incredibly virtuosic and are primarily centered around lyrical etudes. He was primarily a teacher, and many of the great pianists coming out of Russia at the turn of the 20th century were trained by him. He was Horowitz's teacher.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0El0scKO44 -- This is a selection of his preludes. Pretty much everyone after Bach writing piano music tries to emulate the Well Tempered Clavier (Chopin actually specifically says this in his introduction to his suite of preludes) and crafts 24 preludes in the various keys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZTm_ZnMM7g -- This is indicative of his etudes. They are really really really hard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxkLthJoGQA&feature=related -- This is for the left hand alone. Live performances of this tend to make me go :aaa: I'll mention Godowsky in a bit, but he also does a bunch of left hand alone stuff which is just mind-bendingly difficult.


Thank you for recommending Blumenfeld. I haven't had time to go through all of the rest of your post yet but I just downloaded Blumenfeld's Preludes for Piano Op. 12 & 17 from iTunes and I really like it so far. I'm just getting into classical music and trying to figure out what I like. If anybody has any recommendations for stuff similar to this then that'd be great. (As I said, haven't been through the rest of the thread yet though!)

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oversteer
Jun 6, 2005

I think it's still restricted US-side but Spotify is drat awesome for classical music.

I have probably 30 playlists of stuff so far. I've been getting whole lists of compositions off Wikipedia and building up playlists for everything from my favourite composers - even down to different performances (listening to Rachmaninoff play his own Piano Concertos is quite amazing)


Sorry this sounds like a shill but it did actually transform my listening of classical music. caveat - I had to buy Premium because the ads were so loving annoying.

oilcheck my ass
Mar 8, 2006

Well, hello ladies.

WhatEvil posted:

Thank you for recommending Blumenfeld. I haven't had time to go through all of the rest of your post yet but I just downloaded Blumenfeld's Preludes for Piano Op. 12 & 17 from iTunes and I really like it so far. I'm just getting into classical music and trying to figure out what I like. If anybody has any recommendations for stuff similar to this then that'd be great. (As I said, haven't been through the rest of the thread yet though!)

Blumenfeld is a member of the Russian romantics, likely the most famous of which is Rachmaninoff. You might also check out the Russian "Big 5", my favorite being Cesar Cui. You might also look into Mendtner and Glazunov, both who don't get much playing the States.

There are also several composers who are influenced by the movement, but go on to making their own. I would take a listen to Scriabin's early stuff, anything before his 5th Sonata is much more in the Romantic style. Afterwords he becomes very much his own composer, and the harmonies he uses are very distinct from the movement. You could also try very early Szymanowski. His opus no. 4 has a very romantic bent. (Late Szymanowski will probably make someone who hasn't done a lot of classical studies go :psyduck: )

As a final selection, try Bortkiewicz. His capriccio (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8lnrNpibMw )is great fun, and actually not a terribly difficult piece of music. It's got its tricky parts, but its more flash than true challenge.

deong
Jun 13, 2001

I'll see you in heck!
Hello thread!

I am by no means a listener classical music.. but lately I've really latched onto Arvo Part - Alina. I really love the simplicity of it, and was hoping to get some recommendations of something similar? I'm having a problem really figuring out what it is that draws me to it sadly.

I went searching and found Arvo Part - In Princilo was another popular cd (album?) but after listening to it.. its not quite what I am after.

Another album I stumbled upon in Grooveshark was Ryuichi Sakamoto - 1996 which I really like. But other pieces from Ryuichi (in Grooveshark that is) do not seem to have the feel of the 1996 album. Similar issue that I have with Arvo.

Other than these 2, I have not found anything within classical music that I can sit and listen too, but I'd like to.

I think that I am looking for something with simple piano and strings backing, with out the brass sections.

Any recommendations?

o.m. 94
Nov 23, 2009

Part's "Fratres" is the best thing he's ever done, you'll probably like that.

Here's some stuff I've been listening to recently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4oh3NhM5R8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoNjqtczzGI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELIA88kHJr4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx0K-rDJxJs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJRrM4TpXSQ

Let me know if you'd like some more info on them

deong
Jun 13, 2001

I'll see you in heck!
Thanks for those.
Fratres seems decent, I'll be giving it a few more listens.

The other pieces seemed a bit too busy.. Although Per Nørgård - Iris is quite nice. Quick question, the photo used in the video, is that just art work or does it represent something? It looks like the sheet music spiraled, but the colored lines throw me off.

Thanks for the links. After reading this thread, and starting to listen to some of the music... it seems that a lot of the enjoyment (bad word, best I can think of) of classical pieces (at least, the nuances of this interpretation vs that) comes from playing a particular interment.. being part of an orchestra at some point. Does this seem accurate at all, or maybe its just a trend here?



My normal style of listening is more in the Vein of Industrial/Electronic Music. Today, I was listening to Nine Inch Nails - The Persistence Of Loss. And I realized that I am looking for things similar to this. How would the thread judge something like this? I don't know if I would be able to tell that it was not a classical piece before NIN got a hold of it.. Am I just that uneducated in classical sty lings?

deong fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Mar 8, 2011

Bobfromsales
Apr 2, 2010

Oromo posted:

I really like contemporary atonal classical music, though finding good pieces requires digging through a pile of poo poo. So I really hope someone here can share his findings.
Here are some I've found that really achieve being perfectly original, something you've never heard before, and genius, but are also touching, something you can connect to and understand emotionally (an aspect most music of this type lacks).

Grisey - Partiels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX77MC5oXDY
Berio - Sequenza nr. 7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf90X0CNxcI
Gubaidulina - Seven words: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g33S4XQ7qWs
The 60s and 70s were a weird time. Most composers have moved away from this kind of experimentation. It's not really something I like to listen to casually, but I think it's really a great thing to experience live. If there's a university near you I'd check out what kind of recitals are being put on, as that's probably the best place to hear avant-garde music live, for cheap(or free).

o.m. 94
Nov 23, 2009

deong posted:

The other pieces seemed a bit too busy.. Although Per Nørgård - Iris is quite nice. Quick question, the photo used in the video, is that just art work or does it represent something? It looks like the sheet music spiraled, but the colored lines throw me off.

Most of the peices are wildly different. You have the Ligeti etudes, (of which I reccomend #2 and #5 highly) which are as you might expect, studies. Originally, they were usually demanding, technical solo piano peices (see Chopin's etudes of which #15 is my favorite, for a stereotypical example). Ligeti's etudes are considered some of the finest of the 20th Century.

The Sorajbi etudes (second video) are totally insane, I don't really know much about the guy apart from that he wrote lots of lengthy, demanding stuff.

Per Norgard is a prolific Danish composer who makes a wide variety of stuff -- the one I linked to is one of his more intricate orchestral peices that uses mathematical constructions and takes a lot from the school of composition known as spectralism (see Grisey, Murail), and in particular reminiscent of Scelsi's epic "Aion"; if it's too dense and unapproachable for you, try his CD "Works for Harp and Ensemble", with Gennem Torne being a beautiful and delicate work. As for the artwork, I think it's just an interesting, artistic representation of the "infinity series" Norgard likes to work with. However, non-standard musical notation is a very interesting subject and is used to describe scores for a lot of electro-acoustic, musique concrete and other unconventional styles developed from the classical tradition.

Glenn Branca is an interesting abberation and was considered a rock musician for many years before being accepted as a composer; he has done a lot of compositions for large guitar orchestras and traditional rock instrumentation (heavily influenced by Steve Reich)- but he's done symphonies using traditional instrumentation, usually involving mathematical themes.

Xenakis is a controversial and influential greek composer, the particular peice is a complex electro-acoustic composition realized using a self-designed compositional system for hundreds of speakers. High level poo poo, the stereo recording can hardly do it justice. Probably worth reading up on if you want to know more about it.

quote:

My normal style of listening is more in the Vein of Industrial/Electronic Music. Today, I was listening to Nine Inch Nails - The Persistence Of Loss. And I realized that I am looking for things similar to this. How would the thread judge something like this? I don't know if I would be able to tell that it was not a classical piece before NIN got a hold of it.. Am I just that uneducated in classical sty lings?

The detuned/prepared piano sound that Reznor likes to use is probably influenced from John Cage, who did a lot of peices of prepared piano. What betrays the track for me is probably the downtuned guitars and very simple harmonic, melodic and rhythmic structure. As for the rest of it, if you hid the artist's name, you could probably convince a lot of people it was "classical". It's heavily indebted to the minimalism of Reich, which is a typical entry point of people wanting to know more about the classical tradition (especially coming from an electronic music background.)

o.m. 94
Nov 23, 2009

Oromo posted:

I really like contemporary atonal classical music, though finding good pieces requires digging through a pile of poo poo. So I really hope someone here can share his findings.
Here are some I've found that really achieve being perfectly original, something you've never heard before, and genius, but are also touching, something you can connect to and understand emotionally (an aspect most music of this type lacks).

Grisey - Partiels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX77MC5oXDY
Berio - Sequenza nr. 7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf90X0CNxcI
Gubaidulina - Seven words: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g33S4XQ7qWs


I can't think of anything right now, but check this guy's channel, he's uploaded tons and tons of stuff to explore.

Actually, you might like Silvestrov (a bit quiet, needs volume), although it's hardly atonal... I dunno. What about Radulescu?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Wf6hACX6c

funkcroquet
Nov 29, 2004

deong posted:

Thanks for the links. After reading this thread, and starting to listen to some of the music... it seems that a lot of the enjoyment (bad word, best I can think of) of classical pieces (at least, the nuances of this interpretation vs that) comes from playing a particular interment.. being part of an orchestra at some point. Does this seem accurate at all, or maybe its just a trend here?

The factor you mention may heighten the listening experience and modify tastes but it does not fundamentally determine whether you do or don't listen to classical in general. Case in point: I don't play any instruments competently and my knowledge of theory is quite spotty but I listen to classical most days of the week. Many pieces' interpretations differ in really obvious ways (in addition to the nuances of phrasing &c.), so, for example, I know what Eotvos's Berio sounds like, as opposed to Boulez's or Chailly's Berio. To some extent this depends on the composer; for example, Mahler interpretations range more broadly in terms of stylistic choices than Messiaen interpretations, though I still have multiple Messiaen interpretations for reasons of box-set economics and wanting variety.

Bondage
Jun 9, 2008

by Ralp
I'm really digging Baroque. Currently my favorites are Johann S Bach, Locatelli and Corelli. Also have listened to Telemann and Purcell. Can anyone recommend some decent Baroque?

regulargonzalez
Aug 18, 2006
UNGH LET ME LICK THOSE BOOTS DADDY HULU ;-* ;-* ;-* YES YES GIVE ME ALL THE CORPORATE CUMMIES :shepspends: :shepspends: :shepspends: ADBLOCK USERS DESERVE THE DEATH PENALTY, DON'T THEY DADDY?
WHEN THE RICH GET RICHER I GET HORNIER :a2m::a2m::a2m::a2m:

Bondage posted:

I'm really digging Baroque. Currently my favorites are Johann S Bach, Locatelli and Corelli. Also have listened to Telemann and Purcell. Can anyone recommend some decent Baroque?

I love Rameau, but he's mostly an opera composer. Still, his stuff is great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51ymGNQNTd8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WV3RlaITKU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFeZt0iADZ8

oilcheck my ass
Mar 8, 2006

Well, hello ladies.

Bondage posted:

I'm really digging Baroque. Currently my favorites are Johann S Bach, Locatelli and Corelli. Also have listened to Telemann and Purcell. Can anyone recommend some decent Baroque?

It depends on what kind of music you're really wanting to listen to, I think. If you want to try some of the post-Renaissance choir/vocal stuff, it's really really hard to wrong with anything that Padilla wrote.

I'm not as familiar with a lot of the chamber music of the time period, I must admit.

I also recently purchased a series of recordings of Scriabin by Gordon Fergus-Thompson. His interpretation is superb. For reference, I think most of the Scriabin heard played now-a-days is heavily influenced, if not outright dictated, by Horowitz and Sofronitsky. Fergus-Thompson's interpretation of the 3rd is definitely his own, and probably the best I've heard, but it's very polarizing.

Finally, I see a lot of people in this thread who are just starting to branch into listening to classical music. I have only one suggestion: Go to the symphony, the opera, or sit in on competitions if they're in your area. (I recently had the opportunity to go to the latest Van Cliburn competition.. it was pretty rad.) If you live around a college, go to the college symphony/performances. Even if you're in a smaller city (like I am) the symphonies still put on a pretty good show. The conducting and professional world is so cut throat anymore that anyone who's drawing a salary of any amount is going to be extraordinarily talented. As such, even the 3rd tier semi-pro symphonies will draw in very respectable guest musicians.

It's just like any other sort of music, its much much better live. :) Also, you'll be subjected to things that you wouldn't run into otherwise. Though the things played in symphony and competition tend to be pretty regressive (with some exceptions, but in general, no one is going to play Samuel Barber's sonata in competition despite it's enormous importance), it's an excellent way to start broadening your horizons. There's 300+ years of the stuff to be exposed to.

DrSunshine
Mar 23, 2009

Did I just say that out loud~~?!!!
Ahh! Hurrah! A Classical thread - just up my alley. While I like all sorts of music from here and there, the bulk of my collection consists of film soundtracks and classical music.

And pretty much foremost on my list of faves, among Vivaldi and Bach, is Philip Glass. I love the "pure" structure of Glass's music, the rhythmic arpeggios and the way that a song can stretch out for hours and slowly change without your even realizing it. That after a while, hearing similar notes over and over, the ear starts to hear it differently, I feel, like saying the same word over and over again. It's a spooky effect. And the way one takes a very small set of sounds and permutes them to produce variations - this sort of "mathematical" structure is something I really enjoy about minimalistic music. It's crystal clear-- like glass.

Anyhow, I've really enjoyed his recent take on the Four Seasons. I think it's a worthy successor to Vivaldi's classic.

"The American Four Seasons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtvQm10qHO4&playnext=1&list=PL702ECF92440A4F47
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGHSBqVKPtE

And here's a fave of mine:

"Metamorphosis 2"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwwKFBeZr5Q

This song has such deep, introspective, quiet majesty about it. There's a refined dignity to the progression of the piece. I love it!

On the wider modern classical scene, sometime in January, I think it was, I went to see the Kronos Quartet play various modern pieces, and I was very impressed. I haven't seen much live music, much less the modern classical stuff that I like to listen to, so this was a great experience for me. Anyway, they performed a piece by Bryce Dessner titled "Aheym", that just blew me away.

http://vimeo.com/5641499

The last part of it, from 07:00 in the video onwards is just amazing. Does anyone know of any other music that sounds quite like this?

EDIT: GAH! I linked the wrong videos for The American Four Seasons. That's what I get for posting late at night!

DrSunshine fucked around with this message at 15:11 on Mar 20, 2011

Bondage
Jun 9, 2008

by Ralp

Herr Napalm posted:

It depends on what kind of music you're really wanting to listen to, I think. If you want to try some of the post-Renaissance choir/vocal stuff, it's really really hard to wrong with anything that Padilla wrote.

I'm not as familiar with a lot of the chamber music of the time period, I must admit.

I also recently purchased a series of recordings of Scriabin by Gordon Fergus-Thompson. His interpretation is superb. For reference, I think most of the Scriabin heard played now-a-days is heavily influenced, if not outright dictated, by Horowitz and Sofronitsky. Fergus-Thompson's interpretation of the 3rd is definitely his own, and probably the best I've heard, but it's very polarizing.

Finally, I see a lot of people in this thread who are just starting to branch into listening to classical music. I have only one suggestion: Go to the symphony, the opera, or sit in on competitions if they're in your area. (I recently had the opportunity to go to the latest Van Cliburn competition.. it was pretty rad.) If you live around a college, go to the college symphony/performances. Even if you're in a smaller city (like I am) the symphonies still put on a pretty good show. The conducting and professional world is so cut throat anymore that anyone who's drawing a salary of any amount is going to be extraordinarily talented. As such, even the 3rd tier semi-pro symphonies will draw in very respectable guest musicians.

It's just like any other sort of music, its much much better live. :) Also, you'll be subjected to things that you wouldn't run into otherwise. Though the things played in symphony and competition tend to be pretty regressive (with some exceptions, but in general, no one is going to play Samuel Barber's sonata in competition despite it's enormous importance), it's an excellent way to start broadening your horizons. There's 300+ years of the stuff to be exposed to.

Thanks. This is a lot to digest.

Alabaster Disaster
Feb 9, 2008
Forget about it

DrSunshine posted:

Anyhow, I've really enjoyed his recent take on the Four Seasons. I think it's a worthy successor to Vivaldi's classic.

"The American Four Seasons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8hj36ysKbE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFf6p6actPo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJZM-iBbNOI&feature=related

Not to bust your balls but that's Violin Concerto No. 1. The American Four Seasons is Glass's Second Violin Concerto.

regulargonzalez
Aug 18, 2006
UNGH LET ME LICK THOSE BOOTS DADDY HULU ;-* ;-* ;-* YES YES GIVE ME ALL THE CORPORATE CUMMIES :shepspends: :shepspends: :shepspends: ADBLOCK USERS DESERVE THE DEATH PENALTY, DON'T THEY DADDY?
WHEN THE RICH GET RICHER I GET HORNIER :a2m::a2m::a2m::a2m:

Can anyone recommend pieces along the lines of the Andante movement of Mozart's Concerto #23? Wistful, plaintive, sad?

Mahler
Oct 30, 2008

regulargonzalez posted:

Can anyone recommend pieces along the lines of the Andante movement of Mozart's Concerto #23? Wistful, plaintive, sad?

Try...


Kalinnikov Symphony no. 1 - II - Andante commodamente (sorry for bad audio quality)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxLV7XyrJ2I&feature=related


Roussel's Symphony no. 3 - II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFPG9WAKDq4&feature=related

Pretty much just trawl second movements from symphonies.

Bonus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ja-Vle7Fko

Oromo
Jul 29, 2009

Bobfromsales posted:

The 60s and 70s were a weird time. Most composers have moved away from this kind of experimentation. It's not really something I like to listen to casually, but I think it's really a great thing to experience live. If there's a university near you I'd check out what kind of recitals are being put on, as that's probably the best place to hear avant-garde music live, for cheap(or free).

To me it seems hard to find a non-commercial composer who hasn't moved away from this kind of experimentation. I've gone to a lot of contemporary concerts, and judging from my experience the 60's and 70's were actually really good times. Because all this "weird" stuff is still going on but it's like most composers (both professional and the stuff the universities are playing) nowadays try really hard to make pieces that sound weird or "modern", but the music itself is empty and (if the performer isn't beyond amazing) boring.
I'm just hoping that with recommendations from people who really love the particular music they're recommending (not just "found it really interesting" or "intellectually engaging") the good pieces will be easier to find.

@oiseaux morts 1994: Thanks for recommending Radulescu! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1K7u8w-m5k this is the greatest thing I've heard in months, this is how you're supposed to play piano!
Frankly I don't care if the piece is strictly atonal or not. I find what I'm looking for in Pärt's music, I just unwittingly said atonal to leave out the minimalism and composers like Whitacre. Silvestrov was ok, too jazzy-romantic for my taste.

regulargonzalez posted:

Can anyone recommend pieces along the lines of the Andante movement of Mozart's Concerto #23? Wistful, plaintive, sad?

Brahms symphony nr.3 3rd movement. It's the exact same feeling. (a good recording, grandmaster Furtwangler & co: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1trE3ms3AGo)
Also, Brahms intermezzo nr. 3 Op.117 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxObXhtQoBY&feature=related

Bondage posted:

I'm really digging Baroque. Currently my favorites are Johann S Bach, Locatelli and Corelli. Also have listened to Telemann and Purcell. Can anyone recommend some decent Baroque?
Listening to and fully appreciating all the good music of Bach is a job for a lifetime. One of his less known masterpiece is the oboe d'amore concerto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TircOpbY2Pg&feature=related, I hope you like it.
If you want to explore other composers I recommend Vivaldi(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCLpqkIDlXs), Albinoni(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjgndGuy77o, Buxtehude(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um7jMJOHLFM) & Couperin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sFyywRq-SE).

Oromo fucked around with this message at 02:31 on Mar 26, 2011

o.m. 94
Nov 23, 2009

Oromo posted:


@oiseaux morts 1994: Thanks for recommending Radulescu! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1K7u8w-m5k this is the greatest thing I've heard in months, this is how you're supposed to play piano!

Clepsydra is loving nuts, for maximum appreciation, lie down in the dark with a set of good headphones. I wrote about the "sound icon" performance process in an LF thread, won't repeat it here but worth reading up on. Piano Sonata #4 is another favorite (it's on youtube)

Disargeria
May 6, 2010

All Good Things are Wild and Free!
I figure it'd get mentioned somewhere around here but in case anyone hasn't heard it here's Beethoven's 5th with commentary by "P.D.Q. Bach".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0vHpeUO5mw

DrSunshine
Mar 23, 2009

Did I just say that out loud~~?!!!
I've been flailing around kind of aimlessly, trying to investigate into the twelve-tone technique and serialism, but all of the stuff I've come across so far just sounds like so much harsh clanking and honking to me. So I come, asking this thread who the best, most listenable twelve-tone composer is. I'd really like to broaden my horizons in this area.

oilcheck my ass
Mar 8, 2006

Well, hello ladies.

DrSunshine posted:

I've been flailing around kind of aimlessly, trying to investigate into the twelve-tone technique and serialism, but all of the stuff I've come across so far just sounds like so much harsh clanking and honking to me. So I come, asking this thread who the best, most listenable twelve-tone composer is. I'd really like to broaden my horizons in this area.

Alban Berg is probably the best in my opinion. His music is really quite something; his sonata op. 1 was a birthday present to Schoenberg, who was not particularly impressed. It has probably come to become one of the four most important 20th century sonatas (the other being Barber's, Carter's and Vine's no. 2... at least in my eyes, there's probably arguments for some others.)

Give it a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxBGG74ztVo

edit: Grammar. :saddowns:

DrSunshine
Mar 23, 2009

Did I just say that out loud~~?!!!

Herr Napalm posted:

Alban Berg is probably the best in my opinion. His music is really quite something; his sonata op. 1 was a birthday present to Schoenberg, who was not particularly impressed. It has probably come to become one of the four most important 20th century sonatas (the other being Barber's, Carter's and Vine's no. 2... at least in my eyes, there's probably arguments for some others.)

Give it a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxBGG74ztVo

edit: Grammar. :saddowns:

Hey! That was pretty enjoyable to listen to. Sounded kind of jazzy. Thanks!

funkcroquet
Nov 29, 2004

DrSunshine posted:

I've been flailing around kind of aimlessly, trying to investigate into the twelve-tone technique and serialism, but all of the stuff I've come across so far just sounds like so much harsh clanking and honking to me. So I come, asking this thread who the best, most listenable twelve-tone composer is. I'd really like to broaden my horizons in this area.

All roads lead to Webern.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUQT2uKJoTM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V_niGEXisA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIqHUovf6us

Fat Turkey
Aug 1, 2004

Gobble Gobble Gobble!

oversteer posted:

I think it's still restricted US-side but Spotify is drat awesome for classical music.

I have probably 30 playlists of stuff so far. I've been getting whole lists of compositions off Wikipedia and building up playlists for everything from my favourite composers - even down to different performances (listening to Rachmaninoff play his own Piano Concertos is quite amazing)


Sorry this sounds like a shill but it did actually transform my listening of classical music. caveat - I had to buy Premium because the ads were so loving annoying.

If you have playlists set up, isn't it possible to share them? I know that's what some people have done.

I would enjoy listening to pre-arranged and enjoyed playlists to serve as introductions to composers or music in general.

taser rates
Mar 30, 2010

the Bunt posted:

Are there any definitive recordings/performances of Prokofiev's 2nd Piano Concerto? Any good Prokofiev interpretations are welcome.

Valentina Lisitsa performs the absolute best version of that insane cadenza that I've ever heard. Unfortunately, it is only the cadenza + some and not the whole concerto. I would kill to hear her do the whole thing.

Back from page 1, but no one answered! Anyways, my favorite recording of the Prokofiev Piano Concerti has to be Vladimir Krainev's, particularly the 2nd and 3rd.

Bartok is one of my favorite composers on the strength of his string quartets string quartets alone. And hey, Bela Fleck was named after him.

the Bunt
Sep 24, 2007

YOUR GOLDEN MAGNETIC LIGHT

taser rates posted:

Back from page 1, but no one answered! Anyways, my favorite recording of the Prokofiev Piano Concerti has to be Vladimir Krainev's, particularly the 2nd and 3rd.

Bartok is one of my favorite composers on the strength of his string quartets string quartets alone. And hey, Bela Fleck was named after him.

Thanks! Prokofiev is one of the most interesting composers to me. Such heaviness.

If anyone is interested, Valentina Lisista's interpretation of the cadenza was recorded for this song : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0t4XXQ8KvQ#t=4m55s

I love it. the passion. You can hear her break a piano string at 5:45

Oromo
Jul 29, 2009

I've heard a handful of Prokofiev 2 recordings, which of the only really solid and good one is Ashkenazy (the part with the cadenza for comparison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcEwnimouwc).
That pianist in the Horse song sounds amazing although the song was total rubbish, who listens to this poo poo? :smithfrog:.

Oromo fucked around with this message at 02:30 on Mar 28, 2011

the Bunt
Sep 24, 2007

YOUR GOLDEN MAGNETIC LIGHT

Oromo posted:

I've heard a handful of Prokofiev 2 recordings, which of the only really solid and good one is Ashkenazy (the part with the cadenza for comparison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcEwnimouwc).
That pianist in the Horse song sounds amazing although the song was total rubbish, who listens to this poo poo? :smithfrog:.

:( . Horse is a very good and misunderstood band. Valentina Lisitsa gets it, why can't you?

I can't say I like that cadenza too much. Could be the recording but it sounds pretty flaccid to me.

edit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjJQovEQSxM&feature=related this one is probably the worst interpretation I've yet to hear

the Bunt fucked around with this message at 02:48 on Mar 28, 2011

Oromo
Jul 29, 2009

Flaccid? I think I know what you mean but it's only the sound, not the playing itself, Horse recording has more edge (attack and boosted upper octaves) and volume. Valentina doesn't even get all the notes, probably due to hand-size (compare 5:17 horse with 3:27 Ashkenazy).

oilcheck my ass
Mar 8, 2006

Well, hello ladies.
My copy of Hinson's complete piano repertoire arrived today. :)

I generally dislike musical literature--too much of it is vague artistic meanderings about such weighty concepts as "respecting (and/or feeling) the music" (this is actually quite useful for vocal work, though. I remember an opera singer I knew in college describing her mental preparations before performance. As I recall they were quite lengthy and involved.) or vacuous suggestions on general technique. In general though, Hinson is incredibly useful simply as a reference. It's not so necessary for the publishing notes anymore -- the vast majority of music is public domain and can be downloaded for free at imslp, but his punctual notes on difficulty and general requirements for pieces have often been more useful to me than the aforementioned airy recommendations that most musical literature falls into. (There are significant exceptions, though. I don't really undertake beethoven sonatas anymore without Tobb's guide.)

the Bunt posted:

Thanks! Prokofiev is one of the most interesting composers to me. Such heaviness.

The first really really nasty plateau I hit in my piano training was Prokofiev's toccata in D minor. I can't recall the op. of the top of my head, 10 or 11, I think. It ended up being a pretty nasty battle of wills with my piano teacher at the time and almost ruined piano for me.

I still can't bring myself to work on any of his stuff, I probably should.

CreedyKillZ
Mar 26, 2011

I love those crazy Dutch
^Love Prokofiev's Piano Concerto #1, and particularly the 2nd movement;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggITzFz2d-E

oilcheck my ass
Mar 8, 2006

Well, hello ladies.

CreedyKillZ posted:

^Love Prokofiev's Piano Concerto #1, and particularly the 2nd movement;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggITzFz2d-E

Oh, I love his stuff. I think Prokofiev is absolutely wonderful, but I seem to have a pretty bad mental block in trying to play any of it. I'm sure it's all in my head. :)

oilcheck my ass fucked around with this message at 19:48 on Apr 5, 2011

oilcheck my ass
Mar 8, 2006

Well, hello ladies.
This was something that was brought up in an off topic soccer/football (depending on your location) thread in this very forum.

But, effectively, if you have not heard the following pieces of music, you need too, right now:

Vine's 1st Piano Sonata:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u0ffbvO0rE

Remain with Joyce Yang. Spencer Meyer does an admirable job, but comes off as a bit too academic.


--------------------

Fratres:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FukUz9z9HkY

This feels like it's dubbed. It's not. Jesus Christ. You can see his hands shaking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zOcXPeSufA

------------

Choral Music is important; and Eric Whitacre, regardless of what you think of his religious beliefs, is THE choral composer right now. When David Heard is a brilliant combination of Arvo Part and something else. Heart-breaking, stunning, world changing. This is that one piece of music that changes everything.

Listen to it. All of it; there are two parts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zOcXPeSufA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZeU7okc6HQ&feature=related

I will not spare the religious impacts simply because the piece relates to David-- a biblical figure. He is not lamenting the loyal son. He is lamenting the prodigal son; the child who has treated him, effectively, like poo poo. This is the mourning of a father who has lost everything. And goddamn.


----------------------------

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV0JFg0xlF0

Contemporary classical is not just dissonant and atonal and angry. Just listen a bit more.

Hawkperson
Jun 20, 2003

Sorry - what about Eric Whitacre's religious beliefs? I wasn't aware that that was a controversy. I googled it and I still have no idea why someone would be turned off his music because of his religion.

oilcheck my ass
Mar 8, 2006

Well, hello ladies.

Hawkgirl posted:

Sorry - what about Eric Whitacre's religious beliefs? I wasn't aware that that was a controversy. I googled it and I still have no idea why someone would be turned off his music because of his religion.

Nothing at all, it turns out. :v: I was under the impression he was at the faculty at BYU, but it looks like he just works closely with their choir director alot.

e: that said, there are a ton of postmodernist critiques of religion/politics/institutions of power coming from younger musicologists floating around right now, but I think that's more pertinent in academic circles than in popular perceptions of music. Taruskin [who admittedly seems only to be concerned with politics, but has gone so far to call Charles Rosen's entire literary output a "response to the cold war"] and Rosen have been publicly feuding for awhile now.

oilcheck my ass fucked around with this message at 17:48 on Apr 13, 2011

Meganium Sulphide
May 11, 2009
Great to see there's a topic about this! Especially glad to see mentions being given to Sorabji, the guy has a really sensuous take on harmony; he really deserves more love than simply "the guy who writes four hour-long piano music".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94z8hRrBAVg (one of his shorter and more accessible pieces, you'll recognise the tune it's borrowing)

Dr. Witherbone
Nov 1, 2010

CHEESE LOOKS ON IN
DESPAIR BUT ALSO WITH
AN ERECTION
:siren:WARNING:WHITE-KNIGHTING FOR A LONG SINCE DEAD PERSON AHEAD:siren:

So I was pretty irritated after watching the movie Amadeus. I had listened to some of his stuff before the film, and never really viewed him as a mediocre or under-appreciated composer until then. So, to compensate for this new perceived view and to preach to a crowd that I'm sure already agrees with me, here are some of his best works (at least in my opinion).

Les Danaides - Overture
Menuetto
Overture to 'Cublai, gran kan de' Tartari' This piece was never played during his lifetime due to political reasons I don't fully understand.
Sinfonia Veneziana

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darkwolf
Aug 5, 2007
Here is some more baroque stuff.

To begin with, this performance (http://www.vimeo.com/14826871?ab) perfectly sums up everything I love about baroque style.

Buxtehude:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HI2rt8-XSU&feature=player_embedded#at=72

Bonporti:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp6L38OXql4&feature=player_embedded#at=29

Weichlein:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVz00NYwJtQ&feature=player_embedded

Biber:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQGVZtuh-50&feature=player_embedded

Stradella:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSrIWlMgezk&feature=player_embedded#at=102

Cazzati:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeuELIxcNQs

Vierdanck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ2yumycK_Q

Bertali:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyNXCDGo4L0

Schmelzer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_YUhob6aGg

Muffat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWYWuvSHj9A&feature=player_embedded

Marais:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDN6yyflWZI&feature=player_embedded

Ford:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veY6yY5doRU&feature=player_embedded#at=18

Couperin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xVFAjdYdHk&feature=channel_video_title

Reinken:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YlOs7Ccvrg

Hume:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I30A0XkIMtY

Farina:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHMkTIAy5NM

Boismortier:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az4u3HBi9u0

Fedeli:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOmAiycQcxQ&feature=player_embedded

Nicholai:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmssriO061U&feature=player_embedded#at=15

Marini:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBLLVjPZkKA&feature=player_embedded#at=69



darkwolf fucked around with this message at 02:02 on May 2, 2011

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