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Classical Music!


Jarlaxle 56

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Strider, I am deeply impressed with your knowledge of Sibelius. I love his works too and have both been singing and playing his compositions for years. You should definitely check out Einojuhani Rautavaara, my favorite Finnish composer. Listen to Angel of Light for example. I usually don't listen to music while I am writing but his works have been a great inspiration to me.

I like the melancholy of Russian composers, Tschaikovsky is adorable and indeed had a tragic life. His compositions for ballet are beautiful.

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I'll admit to being a novice when it comes to knowing details about classic music and composers. Most of what I know is from searching for pieces to skate to, or from watching skating and dance performances. Also a lot of "period" films have classical music in their soundtracks. I own a few CDs.

However, this summer I purchased a new home stereo system and have started to build a new vinyl collection. A lovely friend sent me some fine classical music records. I love being able to read and have music playing simultaneously. My current favories are Pachelbel's Canon and Albinoni's Adagio. So beautiful.

Hopefully there will be more contributions to this thread, I'd like to learn about the more obscure (to me) composers, e.g. the Finish.

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  • 1 year later...

Love it. One interesting aspect is that, like theatre, there's a tradition of interpretation of works by composers (and playwrights) whereas in other genres, playing others' songs is likened on the positive end as a respectful tribute, on the negative as a pejorative copy, a thinly veiled cover band (think 'Kingdom Clone'). Sometimes this revives interest in a forgotten artist which is great, other times there's controversy about ripping someone else off. The focus is on ownership as proprietary whereas in classical music, the tradition is on interpretation, with a respectful nod to the composer.

One of my all time favourite interpreters is Vladimir Horowitz, and Sony is releasing a gargantuan 50 CD compilation - FIFTY! - of unreleased live recordings and accompanying book later this month:

Sony Classical Releases Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966-1983                                         Collector's Edition Featuring 50 CDs with Hardcover Book Available October 23, 2015

NEW YORKOct. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- After the overwhelming success of Vladimir Horowitz Live at Carnegie Hall, Sony Classical presents Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966–1983. Available October 23, this 50-CD edition takes you on tour with the legendary pianist from his home town of New York to the great halls of the USA, from New Haven to ChicagoWashington D.C.PhiladelphiaBoston and beyond. This special collector's set features 13 programs recorded at 25 solo recitals in 14 different concert halls. It comprises the complete live recordings made by Columbia Masterworks between 1966 and 1968, as well as the live recordings made by RCA Red Seal between 1975 and 1983. While a few extracts from these live recordings were selected for release as award-winning albums, the vast majority rested untouched in secure storage and has remained unreleased for more than 30 years – until today. This new edition presents Vladimir Horowitz's musical artistry, live and unedited in state-of-the-art mastering.

The set contains an essay by Horowitz collector and scholar Bernard Horowitz (Horowitz: The Penultimate Chapter) and an interview with Horowitz's longtime producer Thomas Frost (both also in German and French translations), a selection of original program notes, reproductions of rare documents (for example, the standard checklist issued to promoters of a Horowitz recital), and complete recording data.

The repertoire also includes works new to Horowitz's discography by composers for whom he had a strong affinity and understanding: Schumann's Carnaval op. 9, Chopin's Étude op. 25 no. 10 ("Octave") and Scriabin's Prélude for the Left Hand Alone op. 9 no. 1.

2015 marks a half-century since Vladimir Horowitz's return to the concert stage on May 9, 1965 after a twelve-year absence, reaffirming his status as an iconic pianist who mesmerized audiences and fellow musicians alike throughout his long and turbulent career.

Every time Horowitz walked on stage, a palpable sense of anticipation and excitement filled the air. His singular virtuosity, bottomless palette of colors and nuances, and ability to gauge the acoustics of a hall for maximum impact created a communicative bond between himself and his public that made every performance unique from moment to moment, and he never played a piece the same way twice. Whenever possible, Columbia and RCA taped Horowitz in concert. The recordings provided the basis for commercial releases approved by the pianist during his lifetime. These recitals have now been painstakingly restored to their complete, unedited state from the best possible source material. Most of the original tapes were stored, untouched in Sony's Iron Mountain archives, and sound as vibrant and lifelike as they did to those lucky audience members fortunate enough to be present.

The collection commences with nine 1966–1968 recitals recorded by Columbia in PhiladelphiaBostonChicagoWashington D.C.and on the Yale UniversityQueens College and Brooklyn College campuses.

Horowitz returned to RCA in 1975, and began his most extensive touring since the early 1950s. Between 1975 and 1983 RCA's recording team followed the pianist across the United States and to the UK.

For the price of a highly coveted Horowitz recital ticket, one can travel back in time to follow the pianist on tour through some of the best concert venues in the United States and experience his constantly evolving interpretations in spontaneous flight, without a safety net, and always played from the heart.

Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, OKeh, Portrait, Masterworks Broadway and Flying Buddha imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com

The Columbia Live Recordings 1966–1968    

CDs 1/2      

Woolsey Hall, Yale University, School of Music, New Haven, November 13, 1966

CDs 3/4        

Colden Auditorium, Queens College, New York City, October 22, 1967

CDs 5/6        

Walt Whitman Auditorium, Brooklyn College, New York City, November 12, 1967

CDs 7/8       

Constitution Hall, Washington D.C., December 10, 1967

CDs 9/10

Symphony Hall, Boston, April 7, 1968

CDs 11/12     

Orchestra Hall, Chicago, May 12, 1968

CDs 13/14     

Woolsey Hall, Yale University, School of Music, New Haven, November 3, 1968

CDs 15/16     

Constitution Hall, Washington D.C., November 17, 1968

CDs 17/18     

Academy of Music, Philadelphia, December 1, 1968

  

The RCA Live Recordings 1975–1983    

CDs 19/20     

Orchestra Hall, Chicago, November 2, 1975

CDs 21/22     

Paramount Theatre, Oakland, February 15, 1976

CDs 23/24     

Ambassador Auditorium, Pasadena, February 22, 1976

CDs 25/26     

Ambassador Auditorium, Pasadena, February 29, 1976

CDs 27/28     

Powell Hall, St. Louis, November 21, 1976

CD 29            

The White House, Washington D.C., February 26, 1978

CDs 30/31      

Orchestra Hall, Chicago, April 8, 1979

CDs 32/33     

Orchestra Hall, Chicago, April 15, 1979

CDs 34/35     

Constitution Hall, Washington D.C., April 22, 1979

CDs 36/37       

Symphony Hall, Boston, April 13, 1980

CDs 38/39     

Avery Fisher Hall, New York City, May 4, 1980

CDs 40/41      

Avery Fisher Hall, New York City, May 11, 1980

CDs 42/43     

Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, November 1, 1981

CDs 44/45       

Royal Festival Hall, London, May 22, 1982

CDs 46/47       

Symphony Hall, Boston, April 24, 1983

CDs 48/49      

Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, May 15, 1983

CD 50           

Avery Fisher Hall, New York City, September 24, 1978

 

Media Contacts:
Angela Barkan / Larissa Slezak – Sony Music Masterworks          
Angela.Barkan@sonymusic.com Larissa.Slezak@sonymusic.com 212-833-8575 / 6075

Christina Jensen, Christina Jensen PR
P: 646.536.7864 x1 | christina@christinajensenpr.com

SOURCE Sony Classical

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-classical-releases-vladimir-horowitz-the-unreleased-live-recordings-19661983-300160544.html

 

 

Edited by Patrycja
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Franz Liszt is my personal favorite. I've always enjoyed sonatas a great deal more than a full on orchestra and no one does them better than Liszt. A piano, when played right, doesn't need any accompanying sounds.

 

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 ^ Beautiful, DAS. Agreed about single instruments not needing accompaniment, although not every piece works as well when played on another instrument. To that end...

One of my favorites. 

 

... this is so haunting, Sath, I love it, although it's one of the few compositions that I actually prefer on classical guitar. Bach's Chaconne on classical guitar, as a comparison, sounds timid and flat and does not come near the fiery soul of a violin, but this Satie piece always brings to mind a Gypsy caravan once again methodically packing up and leaving a misty forest in the dusk, an image first set during a Youtube video of a young guy playing this on his guitar in a stairwell of all places, a space that created such depth the imagination could not help but run off.

It's all a moot point at the moment since I can't seem to find said video, but speaking of spaces creating depth, the first ever album has been recorded in the Sistine Chapel, "Cantate Domino", new choral music by the Sistine Chapel Choir. Regardless of people's opinions about religion - this may range from resonating as ambient on the secular side to soul touching if one's feeling a bit more spiritually inclined - listeners can't help but be stilled by its contemplative beauty:

 

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4795300#product_video

http://www.amazon.com/Cantate-Domino-Cappella-Sistina-musica/dp/B014DI9EH4

 

 

Edited by Patrycja
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 ^ Beautiful, DAS. Agreed about single instruments not needing accompaniment, although not every piece works as well when played on another instrument. To that end...

... this is so haunting, Sath, I love it, although it's one of the few compositions that I actually prefer on classical guitar. Bach's Chaconne on classical guitar, as a comparison, sounds timid and flat and does not come near the fiery soul of a violin, but this Satie piece always brings to mind a Gypsy caravan once again methodically packing up and leaving a misty forest in the dusk, an image first set during a Youtube video of a young guy playing this on his guitar in a stairwell of all places, a space that created such depth the imagination could not help but run off.

It's all a moot point at the moment since I can't seem to find said video, but speaking of spaces creating depth, the first ever album has been recorded in the Sistine Chapel, "Cantate Domino", new choral music by the Sistine Chapel Choir. Regardless of people's opinions about religion - this may range from resonating as ambient on the secular side to soul touching if one's feeling a bit more spiritually inclined - listeners can't help but be stilled by its contemplative beauty:

 

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4795300#product_video

http://www.amazon.com/Cantate-Domino-Cappella-Sistina-musica/dp/B014DI9EH4

 

 

That's the exact word I was thinking, haunting. A little mischievous, too, perhaps? I downloaded a classical compilation a couple years ago, that piece definitely stood out to me. Thanks for the recommendations! :thumbsup:

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  • 4 weeks later...

My brother knows someone in the chorus of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, last night he invited me along to see Verdi: Requiem. Pretty awesome. The female solo singers were amazing, they got a 5 minute standing O. I was proud of myself for actually recognizing one of the sections. B)

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Two of my favourite musicians playing some of my favourite compositions. First, Itzhak Perlman, who this past Tuesday was one of the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and shortly before it, he did an interview with NPR. One of the things he talked about was how to stave off boredom, because at 70 and having recorded pretty much everything there is for a violinist (a recent 77 CD compilation still does not include everything he's done), well, what's next? You can read or better yet listen to the interview which fleshes out more details than the write up has (plus he has a wonderfully rich, deep voice that is very pleasant to hear):

"I think that I was pretty advanced as far as, technically, what makes it work — so I don't think that right now you can say I know much more about the instrument than I did when I was 20," he says. "I think the important thing was knowing how to play the music, how to do the phrasing, how to be a musician. That thing has evolved with me."

http://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2015/11/23/456781573/my-goal-is-to-not-be-bored-by-what-i-do-itzhak-perlman-at-70?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nprmusic&utm_term=music&utm_content=2049

^ To that end, here's a snippet (seriously, it's not even two minutes and he seems like such a sweet man) of Itzhak discussing his approach to the Beethoven violin concerto: "Every time I play it, there's something new to discover in this piece."

So, very finally, here is the 3rd movement of Beethoven's violin concerto. He's got everything on a razor's edge perfection: technical proficiency, searing emotion, power, gentleness. In the flourish towards the end, he moves his hand to his bow nonchalantly like oh excuse me, just a little adjustment and continues the mastery like it's no big deal. This is an older performance, but I've seen him a couple of years ago and his playing is at least as good and even more moving live today.

 

 

Next, here's Vladimir Horowitz playing Chopin's Polonaise op. 44. This is from 1968, and he's around 65 here. He'd returned to public performing in 1965 after a 12 year hiatus (one of several breaks he took in his career). I'm still obsessed with his beautiful hands and how he's able to play with such flat positioning, but more importantly how expressive his playing is:

These came to mind after discussions  in another thread of the age and playing hiatus of a certain Mr. Page.

I used to say that if I was very good, in the next life I'd come back as Jimmy's guitar (well, and Robert's harmonica, but for entirely different reasons :D), but I'd like to add Itzhak's violin and Vladimir's piano to the list.

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Debussy, first, the gorgeous "Reflets Dans L'eau" by Marc-André Hamelin. You can hear the second piece below peaking through. Very unusual composition. It really does sound like water moving around, flowing freely but with a central idea directing its path:

 

Next, Debussy's most famous composition. It's very difficult to find just the right interpretation (many are too slow or self-consciously affected with emotional embellishment), but after hearing several, on balance I like this one:

 

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I'm not totally well-versed in what could be considered "Classical Music", but I have fallen in love with both of these songs, and both of the composers. Some really good stuff. And for both of these, they are one song plucked from an entire suite. They're both my personal favorite pieces from their respective suites. 

 

 Camille Saint-Saëns

 

 Gustav Holst

This is an awesome live version. Better than most of the studio ones on YouTube. Mars!

 

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 months later...

I am not ashamed to admit it. I fell in love with the works of composers such as Franz LisztJacques Offenbach, Gioachino Rossini, Franz von Suppé and Richard Wagner, all thanks to my immense love for vintage Looney Tunes theatrical shorts and even some vintage Popeye cartoons from the 1930's and 1940's! I was aware of all these composers, by the time I was a teenager. 

Now, if only some grown-ups will not be so quick to dismiss / turn their noses up at these theatrical shorts and call them 'silly drivel for pesky children', the world will definitely be a much better place! :rolleyes: 

One can learn so much from these theatrical shorts, you know? And they weren't meant for children, in the first place! B) 

Anyway, without further ado, here are some of my favourite opera overtures and other types of compositions. I love classical music compositions that have their quiet and tender moments, sprinkled with some drama! ;) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Kiwi_Zep_Fan87
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