Classical music

[tanuki]

Hello.

Who likes classical music here? Since when do you? What are your favourite works/composers?

I'm using 'classical music' in the usual meaning of 'Western art music', from music composed in Medieval times to music being composed as I'm writing this post. I know it is an ambiguous (and arguably wrong) term, but please don't turn this thread into a "what's the correct term for this music" discussion. Thanks.

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I first started listening to classical music last year, so I haven't had the chance to explore much of the genre yet. The first pieces I listened to were the usual works newbies like, I guess. Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Dvořák's 9th Symphony, Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Rossini's Overtures, etc.

My favorite periods, as of now, are Late Romanticism and 20th Century. I'm intrigued to know more of the works of Richard Strauss and Ravel. I'm also getting to know Mahler's and Shostakovich's symphonies, and they've definitely caught my interest. Schoenberg has also made an impression on me so far.

So, how about you?

[lonelytraveler8]

I gained an appreciation for classical music during my "Intro to Music" class during my freshman year in college. I like a lot of what you mentioned, although I've listened more to Beethoven's earlier works than his later (in fact, I'm not sure I've listened to his 9th symphony at all, except maybe a snippet).

I'm not exactly knowledgeable on the matter (anymore). I can recognize names and such, but can't really recall them directly from memory without a cue.

There is one musician that I have a lot of respect for. I'm quite good at a game called Stepmania and have played piano a little bit and am still impressed by the sheer skill it takes to play some of his works. Revolutionary Etude comes to mind.

I'm quite surprised you didn't mention Mozart at all. I really did enjoy a lot of his music. For some reason, none of it made much of an impression on me, but I can listen to it and thoroughly enjoy it nonetheless.

[tanuki]

There is one musician that I have a lot of respect for. I'm quite good at a game called Stepmania and have played piano a little bit and am still impressed by the sheer skill it takes to play some of his works. Revolutionary Etude comes to mind.

Chopin. He's one of my favourite composers. I like his Piano Concertos very much, as well as his Ballades, Polonaises and Nocturnes.

]I'm quite surprised you didn't mention Mozart at all. I really did enjoy a lot of his music. For some reason, none of it made much of an impression on me, but I can listen to it and thoroughly enjoy it nonetheless.

That's the same reaction I've gotten from practically every work I've listened from the Baroque and Classical eras. Very easily listenable and likeable, but don't leave the impression that Romantic and later works leave on me.

[clay]

I love Bach (Papa Bach, that is).

Anyone a P.D.Q. Bach fan? Professor Schickele is still finding new pieces by this fascinating--but little known--son of J.S. Bach.

I recently found a site that has hundreds of MP3s recorded by its members: Piano Society

It has a nice selection and you really can't beat the price.

[AJBryant]

I love classical music.

And, yes, I'm a great fan of Prof. Schikele and his work on making accessible the many and varied works of PDQ Bach. Loved Oedipus Tex and Iphigenia in Brooklyn especially.

[clay]

Chopin. He's one of my favourite composers. I like his Piano Concertos very much, as well as his Ballades, Polonaises and Nocturnes.

Last year I bought an Xbox game called Eternal Sonata [and Wikipedia's entry] because it had Japanese voice (even with the US version). If you have an Xbox, you may enjoy it. The main character is Chopin himself.

[gabi in japan]

I like an artist called Vivaldi, you may of heard of him. I like the four seasons DVD. It has nice music, and each seoson is played in a different country. But different kinds of music make me feel quite happy!

[two_heads_talking]

I love classical music.

And, yes, I'm a great fan of Prof. Schikele and his work on making accessible the many and varied works of PDQ Bach. Loved Oedipus Tex and Iphigenia in Brooklyn especially.

J.S. Bach, Chopin, Motzart, etc, I love them all in different ways. My father had an old reel to reel recorder that had 18 hours of music on it.. all 18 hours was classical, he had 5 or 6 reels, and we'd listen to it on Sundays ..

[tōkai devotee]

I like an artist called Vivaldi, you may of heard of him. I like the four seasons DVD. It has nice music, and each seoson is played in a different country. But different kinds of music make me feel quite happy!

It's great to see someone so young into Classical music! Four Seasons is a good choice!
DO you mean the DVD where some of it is in Japan? It's so nice to watch and listen to. Very relaxing!

[chikara]

I like an artist called Vivaldi, you may of heard of him. ......

I have heard of Vivaldi but that is the first time I've heard of him referred to as an artist

As tokai devotee-san said, it is refreshing to see someone of your age recognise the brilliance of Vivaldi.

がんばって

Personally I like the music of most of the more famous Baroque and Classical composers.

[gabi in japan]

I like an artist called Vivaldi, you may of heard of him. I like the four seasons DVD. It has nice music, and each seoson is played in a different country. But different kinds of music make me feel quite happy!

It's great to see someone so young into Classical music! Four Seasons is a good choice!
DO you mean the DVD where some of it is in Japan? It's so nice to watch and listen to. Very relaxing!

Yes, I mean that one, it's very good. I even watch it in the night to relax me before bed! Oh and, summer is in australia on the DVD! I maybe young, but I have an atraction to classical music. See ya!

[NocturnalOcean]

I love classical music, and I have gone through the normal phases.
it starts off with Bach, then Mozart, Beethoven, then Chopin, then Liszt, then Rachmaninov, Debussy and so on.
Classical music is interesting in the way how you often tend to like more complicated music the more you have played it or listened to it.
I play the piano, and I remember one time 10 years ago I was at a concert, and for the first time I heard the 10th Sonata by Scriabin. At that time I had never heard about him, and when I heard the piece, I just thought it was the worst music I had ever listened to, it was pling,plang music to me then, I just couldn't understand a bit of it.
However today my top two favourite, along with Rachmaninov is in fact Scriabin. The music I once despised, I now love.
It is very fun development I think.

As a pianist I tend to listen mostly to piano repoirtoire, so following that, my music taste reflects that.
I really like the russian music from the 20th century, composers like Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Shostakovich, Prokofiev,
and also non russians, but composers from same time, such as Ravel and Debussy.

If I have to choose some favourite pieces, I would go with two piano concertos.
One is Scriabin's Piano Concerto. Surprisingly it is not a very known work, but then again, Scriabin was hardly played at all until recently. I really really recommend that work from the bottom of my heart. It is truely some of the most beatiful music you will ever hear.
Secondly, Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto. It may be a cliche, but, it truely is a magnificent piece of work.

[becki_kanou]

What's that saying? " I don't know art, but I know what I like." That's how I feel about classical music. I'm not very knowledgeable about it, but I definitely enjoy it and have a collection of favorites, although they're all very mainstream well-known pieces.

Like many people who are casual fans I love Mozart and I also love anything big and dramatic like Beethoven's 9th, Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and Orff's Carmina Burana. My high school French teacher adored Carmen and had us listen to it in class a few times, so I developed a liking for it, especially L'amour est un oiseau rebelle.

I also love Strauss's Radetzky March because it's so cheerful; in fact I'm listening to it right now!

[tanuki]

I love classical music, and I have gone through the normal phases.
it starts off with Bach, then Mozart, Beethoven, then Chopin, then Liszt, then Rachmaninov, Debussy and so on.
Classical music is interesting in the way how you often tend to like more complicated music the more you have played it or listened to it.
I play the piano, and I remember one time 10 years ago I was at a concert, and for the first time I heard the 10th Sonata by Scriabin. At that time I had never heard about him, and when I heard the piece, I just thought it was the worst music I had ever listened to, it was pling,plang music to me then, I just couldn't understand a bit of it.
However today my top two favourite, along with Rachmaninov is in fact Scriabin. The music I once despised, I now love.
It is very fun development I think.

Yes! For some reason that has happened to me with both of Ravel's Piano Concertos.

The first time I listened to the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand it seemed to me like it was just a bunch of noise, terrible. I didn't even want to finish it. A few weeks later I listened to it again and loved it!

The first time I listened to his Piano Concerto in G, I couldn't stand the jazzy melodies. I listened to it a few more times, but I could hardly bear to finish listening, I practically hated it. A few weeks later I gave it another try and, surprise, the jazzy melodies had suddenly turned extremely compelling! Now it's one of my favorite concertos.

Strangely, I liked Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Schoenberg's Violin Concerto from the first listen and I guess those are very 'noisey'. I don't understand how my musical taste works, heh.

If I have to choose some favourite pieces, I would go with two piano concertos.
One is Scriabin's Piano Concerto. Surprisingly it is not a very known work, but then again, Scriabin was hardly played at all until recently. I really really recommend that work from the bottom of my heart. It is truely some of the most beatiful music you will ever hear.
Secondly, Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto. It may be a cliche, but, it truely is a magnificent piece of work.

Thanks for the Scriabin recommendation. I am a big fan of concertos, so I'll definitely check it out.

[john2]

I love ClAsIcAl MuSiC![Don't like all caps so I used a variation on it for the shout.]