Where to start with classical music???

[ViolentPanda]

try listening to the brandenberg concerto while smoking a huge spliff

Which one?

 

[sam/phallocrat]

Olivier Messiaen's organ works, or his Turangalila Symphony.
Pierre Boulez
William Mathias
Morten Lauridsen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Arnold Schoenberg

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Yeah, they're good ones to start off on, particularly Stockhausen

 

[lights.out.london]

Thomas Tallis is my fave english composer - a visionary, way ahead of his time.

 

[DrRingDing]

You need high grade cannabis smoked late at night to the sounds of radio3.

 

[sam/phallocrat]

Yeah, they're good ones to start off on, particularly Stockhausen

That's what I was thinking

 

[Eva Luna]

I think the following -

Classical music to me is in part about the development of the instruments.

Early classical music has lots of fast notes, all running up and down the scales, because the instruments could not hold their notes very long.

Later stuff is full and swelling and romantic, and all was then good.

Haydn, Mozart (early stuff), Bach etc - early stuff - not my bag really.

Beethoven (just when things were on the turn for the better), Rachmaninov (superb) - that sort of thing.

Depends on what your style is.

I like heavy music that is lush and intense and demands a full ear and if anyone interrupts the climax they get shouted at.

Stravinsky makes me want to slap people and go 'What the FUCK!!!!! are you on????' cos it's so weak.

I think if you know your style preclassical music, it will be easier to work out what sort of thing you'll like, classics wise.

I would also give opera a serious go - cos it started around the time things were becoming fuller, and the tunes had more of a go in the music as a whole, hence we have Wagner etc. Lovely.

 

[Cloo]

I'd recommend Shostakovich's symphonies. I think they're very powerful and immediate and just damn interesting.

Saint-Saen's Organ Symphony is also a great piece that is either being beautiful, exciting or both at the same time! Although ideally best heard at the Royal Albert Hall so the organ bass notes can vibrate your internal organs.

 

[Calva dosser]

try listening to the brandenberg concerto while smoking a huge spliff

Do you only get one, Stateside?

 

[sam/phallocrat]

Saint-Saen's Organ Symphony is also a great piece that is either being beautiful, exciting or both at the same time! Although ideally best heard at the Royal Albert Hall so the organ bass notes can vibrate your internal organs.

mmmm . . . 64 foot acoustic bass . . . gahgahgah

 

[hitechlolife]

http://www.discogs.com/release/267256

 

[twistedAM]

I'd recommend Shostakovich's symphonies. I think they're very powerful and immediate and just damn interesting.

Saint-Saen's Organ Symphony is also a great piece that is either being beautiful, exciting or both at the same time! Although ideally best heard at the Royal Albert Hall so the organ bass notes can vibrate your internal organs.

YES!!! Shostakovich is metal!
Sibleius could make some noise as well when he put his mind to it. I think he invented post-rock

 

[The Groke]

Cheers folks.

I am downloading some sort of "Best of classical music" package that someone is torrenting:

has a lot of Beethoven and Shostakovitch, Greig, Dvorak etc etc etc.

Should give me a good sampler and a much better idea of what I like/Don't like.

 

[The Groke]

Karlheinz Stockhausen

Stockhausen has had flying dreams throughout his life, and these dreams are reflected in the Helikopter-Streichquartett (the third scene of Mittwoch aus Licht), completed in 1993. In it, the four members of a string quartet perform in four helicopters flying independent flight-paths over the countryside near the concert hall. The sounds they play are mixed together with the sounds of the helicopters and played through speakers to the audience in the hall. Videos of the performers are also transmitted back to the concert hall. The performers are synchronized with the aid of a click-track. Despite its extremely unusual nature, the piece has been given several performances, including one on 22 August 2003 as part of the Salzburg Festival to open the Hangar-7 venue, and the German première on 17 June 2007 in Braunschweig as part of the Stadt der Wissenschaft 2007 Festival. The work has also been recorded by the Arditti Quartet.

 

[Eva Luna]

Have a listen to Barber's Adagio for strings - everyone loves that - it was is Platoon. (I played it for A level performance as first violin - bad enough having fingers under chin during rehearsals in an accoustically empty and glorious school hall - not so good when packed full and dead!!)

 

[bouncer_the_dog]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classicalcollection/

Can I suggests radio 3's classic collection, a program designed to get people into classical music. Also Jamie Noughties' 'The History of Music' on Radio4 at the moment is really good with follow up concerts on radio 3. All on 'listen again..

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