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Umrswimr
02-13-2004, 12:24 PM
I'm not a huge piano fan, so that's out... I only recently started sampling classical stuff, so my collection consists of three CD's now (all Telarc): Carmina Burana, a Mozart sampler, and the 1812 Ovtr..

So anybody have an recommendations for a classical newb? TIA...

nobody
02-13-2004, 12:42 PM
I won't give you a ton of recommendations because I'm not really a great classical guy myself, and I also don't think huge overwhelming lists are usualy too helpful.

Personally, I'd be lost without a copy of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. I'm also real found of Brahms Violin Concertos, smaller scale stuff. There's 2 recommendations, one of a big symphany and one of a more intimate nature.

Really, that brings up some questions that may help others make better suggestions. Do you think you would prefer large scale orchestra stuff, symphonies and the like? Or, would you be more interested in small scalle stuff, solo instruments or chamber groups? If you like solo instruments, any particular instruments that you like? Do you like vocal stuff? Do you tend to like dynamic, fast paced classical stuff, or something more moody and relaxed?

OK...I'm getting pretty demanding here. I just know that whenever I've asked for general Classical recommendations, I get such a wide variety of responses and the area is so vast, that they can be useless. Some stuff that is supposed to be "perfect" for beginners has done nothing for me. If you know what you're after, there is likely somebody around that can point you in the right direction.

BarryL
02-13-2004, 01:32 PM
I'm not a huge piano fan, so that's out... I only recently started sampling classical stuff, so my collection consists of three CD's now (all Telarc): Carmina Burana, a Mozart sampler, and the 1812 Ovtr..

So anybody have an recommendations for a classical newb? TIA...

Here are a few of my favs that I think you can't go wrong with, and you can buy them inexpensively.

1. Dvorak, Symphony #9, From The New World. Possibly all time favorite.

2. Brahms, Symphony #4

3. Mozart, Symphonies # 40 and #41. I have these two on the same CD.

4. Beethoven, 5th Piano Concerto

5. Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto's #2 and #3

You can find multi-disk samplers very cheap, and they usually contain the most popular pieces. These are great starting points for identifying a lot of music you probably already know.

Bert
02-13-2004, 06:16 PM
BarryL is on the money. Samplers from a number of labels are inexpensive and always worthwhile. The radio (FM or online) is always a good way to sample the numerous classical styles. After a while you will have determined your initial preferance for small ensembles (e.g. 5 or less musicians) or orchestral or vocal styles. Cross reference this with about 4-5 major historical eras (e.g. baroque, classical, romantic, modern, etc) and you will surely find music that resonates in your heart.

Also, a more classical + jazz forum has a truly excellent posting on a beginners discography at http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/music/messages/14542.html

Most importantly, enjoy,
Bert

Pat D
02-13-2004, 09:17 PM
You don't have to like piano if you don't want to. You have some good suggestions from Nobody and Barry L.. We are traveling, so I don't have the resources I have at home, but perhaps that's just as well.

Mussorgsky (arranged by Ravel), Pictures at an Exhibition is practically a must have. Maazel's recording for Telarc is really very fine, and the sound is spectacular. I heard it again a few days ago and it really is a fine performance. The usual recommendations include Karajan and Reiner, and the performances are excellent and the sound quite good. My personal favorite is Ansermet and the Suisse Romande Orchestra on London Weekend Classics with very spacious sound but not so much bass impact, as I think it is better characterized than any others I have heard. The new Naxos recording is supposed to be excellent, but I've not heard it.

Stravinsky's Firebird Suite is another must have. Shaw on Telarc is excellent. On LP, I always liked the old Stokowski London Phase 4 recording, although the sound is not as good.

I am not a great fan of Holst's The Planets, but many people like it. Many like Mehta and Dutoit has excellent sound. I do have a Karajan recording on LP I like fairly well.

I would think beginners might like overtures, mostly opera overtures. There is a great CD reissue of Mercury recordingds of Von Suppe and Auber Overtures, conducted by Paul Paray as I recall. Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Berlioz, and Wagner all wrote great overtures. Though I am something of a Naxos label fan, I would generally avoid the Naxos recordings here as most are pre 1993, but the Berlioz Overttures with Yoel Talmi is very well recorded. There are also many recordings of miscellaneous overtures to choose from.

There are a number of good recordings of Beethoven's 9th Symphony: Karajan, Schmidt-Isserstedt, Stokowski, Leibowitz, and so on. I like Suitner on Denon. There are a number of good recordings of the Beethoven Symphonies. On the whole, I think the Chesky reissues with Rene Leibowitz and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are as good as any I've heard. Some like Carlos Kleiber's recordings of the 5th and 7th symphonies, and the performances are good, but I think Leibowitz is just as good, personally, and the sound is a lot better. Leibowtiz's 9th is excellent, too, and his no. 3, the Eroica, is excellent, as well. Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 are probably the most popular but all are great works.

The 4 Brahms syjphonies are all wonderful. The First is quite and experience. Bruno Walter's old CBS recordings, now sonically refurbished on Sony, are as good as it gets for nos. 1, 2, and 3, though for the 4th I prefer Fritz Reiner on Chesky. Nothing the matter with Karajan, however..

Walter did a wonderful recording of Dvorak's 9th Symphony, too.

Mozart's last 6 symphonies 35-36, 38-41 are masterpieces (no. 37 isn't by Mozart!). The original instruments versions by Pinnock are very fine (the complete set is cheap. Hogwood, which sounds more astringent in the strings, is also good, what I've heared of it. Big orchestra performances can also be fine, and I like Colin Davis. One of my favorite discs is on Chesky with Symphonies nos. 35 and 41 conducted by Krips and Leibowitz, respectively, coupled with Haydn Symphony no. 104 with Krips.

Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos are very difficult works, with 2 and 3 being the most popular of the 4. I like the old Horowitz recording of no. 3 with Reiner (1951) for sheer virtuosity but its somewhat limited mono sound. Earl Wild on Chesky is very good, and I always liked Ashkenazy with Ormandy conducting.

DarrenH
02-13-2004, 11:42 PM
I was gonna say that myself. :D

Darren

PS. Nice job Pat.

Pat D
02-14-2004, 12:12 PM
I was gonna say that myself. :D

Darren

PS. Nice job Pat.
you can't listen to everything. Neither is it written in stone what sort of musical taste you have to have.

Thanks. I just throw out what I think many people might like.

paper warrior
02-15-2004, 12:07 PM
I like the more florid and passionate performances. When I want to crank my 10 year old Minimus -7 speakers I put on "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" by Bach performed by Philadelphia Orch on the Sony Essential Classics series.

My fave composer is Wagner especially the Pilgrim's Chorus from Tanhauser performed by Hamburg Symphony.a selection on the "the Wagner Collection" album from CBS Special Products. I think this was the "beer hall" type song in the submarine movie Das Boot- music so powerful and stirring it inspired thousands to goosestep to their doom.

Dusty Chalk
02-15-2004, 02:23 PM
Sorry, I love piano, so I'm going to disqualify myself. Not because I can't think of any that don't contain piano (how about some violin concertos? Perhaps the Bruch or the Mendelssohn, or perhaps the Bruch and the Mendelssohn, since they're often paired together...or perhaps some Hilary Hahn something or other...), but because my tastes are sufficiently different from yours that you may not like what I like. For example, the first thing that came to mind was some chamber music, but my favourite chamber music is a piano trio (Schubert's Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat), so that's out...and even the above mentioned Mussorgsky was originally a piano piece, so who knows how much you'll like it? PS Not to dissuade you from the Mussorgsky, that's become my top most favourite classical piece of all time. At least make sure you have one of the orchestrated versions...

Umrswimr
02-16-2004, 06:27 AM
Thanks Fellas... Looks like I've got some shopping to do! :D

bmw-k
02-17-2004, 02:31 PM
1. Vivaldi's Four Seasons: Fantastic strings and harpsichord
2. Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie
3. Haydn: Symphony 101 "The Clock"
4. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra (trust me, you know this one...)
5. Wagner: The Ring Cycle: For when you are feeling truly masochistic...the full set is some 7 CD's and 14 hours of music.

Pat D
02-17-2004, 07:08 PM
1. Vivaldi's Four Seasons: Fantastic strings and harpsichord
2. Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie
3. Haydn: Symphony 101 "The Clock"
4. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra (trust me, you know this one...)
5. Wagner: The Ring Cycle: For when you are feeling truly masochistic...the full set is some 7 CD's and 14 hours of music.
I didn't know you could get the whole Ring Cycle on 7 CDs. I think mine has 14 CDs (Solti). ;)

Good suggestions, though. The Alpensinfonie and the Clock Symphony are a bit unusual, but they are both interesting works and there is every reason a beginner to suppose a beginner might like them.

bmw-k
02-18-2004, 01:22 PM
The Ring, LMAO! I could be wrong on the number of CD's. I forced myself to listen to the whole, grinding, ahhh, production long ago. That was a full week's worth of listening. I am still in therapy from that listening!

The Alpensinfonie is a wonderful work, eliciting all forms of emotion. What I liked about it and Haydn's Clock are that they (more or less) tell a story. In the Clock, I really felt as if I had actually become the clock, ticking away like a metronome. Very interesting, very musical, and nicely challenging listens.

hifitommy
02-21-2004, 07:33 PM
on smoe of his recommendations. pictures with maazel/cleveland/telarc is one of my faves, and the yoeol levy/atalnta/telarc is good as well. both are powerful and well performed.

any stravinsky performed by pierre boulez should be satisfying, especially petrouchka. he is a stravinsky specialist.

the planets by mehta/LA phil is definitve of that work.

for something off the beaten track, try tomitas performances of classical works like pix, planets, debussys snowflakes are dancing, bolero, and others. they are more available on vinyl used than new on cd.

if you go to allmusic.com (a great resource for ALL music),type in tomita and you will see that pix, kosmos (a great one), snowflakes, and bermuda triangle (which i have on coral colored vinyl) are all available on cd from barnes and noble right on line.

http://www.circuitcity.com/frame1.jsp?c=1&b=g&upper=head.jsp&inleftcat=Classical&lower=clickthrough.jsp&redirectTo=http%3a%2f%2fccity.thestore24.com%2fCla ssical%2fSearchResults.aspx%3fSEARCH%3dPIERRE%2bBO ULEZ%26sec%3dAll+Classical%26si%3dccity-prod

thats the cd of rite,petrouchka, and firebird on sony for $9.99! if i didnt have that stuff already, i would buy it now.

and heres mehta's planets PLUS:

http://www.circuitcity.com/frame1.jsp?c=1&b=g&upper=head.jsp&inleftcat=Classical&lower=clickthrough.jsp&redirectTo=http%3a%2f%2fccity.thestore24.com%2fCla ssical%2fSearchResults.aspx%3fSEARCH%3dZUBIN%2bMEH TA%26sec%3dConductor%26si%3dccity-prod

could i make it any easier for you?

have fun!

hifitommy
02-21-2004, 07:36 PM
on the stravinsky, you have to pick the one that says rite, petrouchka, firebird. on the planets, go to page 5, look up THE planets and pick the mehta. the links didnt come all the way that i clicked on them.

anyway, there is LOTS of good listening right there.