Best Ever Albums

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 20:36:49 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/26/2019 01:36

dihansse wrote:

I think I've heard a lot of classical music in my time and while I appreciate many of the big works (Mozart, Bach, Händel, Mahler, etc) mainly on an intellectual level there's only one piece that I appreciate as much as my favorite rock music and that is that one obvious choice: Beethoven's Ninth.
I've heard many versions and although it's difficult to decide which one's best but I think I prefer the Stokowski version with the London Symphony Orchestra of 1968.
I think there's no doubt that the Ninth is one of the classical pieces of music with one of the highest cultural and historic impacts but what finally counts for me how much of an impact a certain piece on my personal emotional level and as I said there's no other competition here in classical music. I think I can dream every small movement in this piece and the way how it builds up to that grande finale is just majestic. When music gives you the shivers you know it must be of great quality especially taking into account that it's very long and is able to hold my attention even in the slower movements.
If you own an ipad and want a tip, just try out the Beethoven's 9th Symphony app. For just a few euro's/dollars you have 4 different Deutsche Grammophon's recordings (of which those by Bernstein and Von Karajan) at your fingertips and gives a really in-depth overview of the symphony and gives you the possibility to explore the full score in different ways. If ever there's value for money and a way to really get immersed into one of the greatest cultural achievements this is it.

That app sounds great. I'll have to check it out. And yes, Beethoven's 9th is great on many levels, which I think not only allows a lot of people to like it/attach to it in a deep manner, but also speaks to it's value as a work.

Thanks for sharing!

Also I'm pretty sure I haven't heard Stokowski's version, so I'll have to check that out!

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

dihansse — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 15:15:22 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 02/25/2019 20:15

I think I've heard a lot of classical music in my time and while I appreciate many of the big works (Mozart, Bach, Händel, Mahler, etc) mainly on an intellectual level there's only one piece that I appreciate as much as my favorite rock music and that is that one obvious choice: Beethoven's Ninth.
I've heard many versions and although it's difficult to decide which one's best but I think I prefer the Stokowski version with the London Symphony Orchestra of 1968.
I think there's no doubt that the Ninth is one of the classical pieces of music with one of the highest cultural and historic impacts but what finally counts for me how much of an impact a certain piece on my personal emotional level and as I said there's no other competition here in classical music. I think I can dream every small movement in this piece and the way how it builds up to that grande finale is just majestic. When music gives you the shivers you know it must be of great quality especially taking into account that it's very long and is able to hold my attention even in the slower movements.
If you own an ipad and want a tip, just try out the Beethoven's 9th Symphony app. For just a few euro's/dollars you have 4 different Deutsche Grammophon's recordings (of which those by Bernstein and Von Karajan) at your fingertips and gives a really in-depth overview of the symphony and gives you the possibility to explore the full score in different ways. If ever there's value for money and a way to really get immersed into one of the greatest cultural achievements this is it.

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 17:42:38 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/24/2019 22:42

Tha1ChiefRocka wrote:

Husa is a new name to me. I love the Czechs, glad to see Martinu getting some love, so I'll have to "Czech" out Husa. 😎

🤣

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 17:39:55 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/24/2019 22:39

Tha1ChiefRocka wrote:

i'll have something for you eventually. I'm going to re listen to some stuff and not really think about what the greatest is, but what I like right now.

Although, I probably do have a number 1, so I'll drop it here.

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 In C Minor "... Orchestra

I think the best quality of Classical music is its timelessness. Rock and pop trends can come and go and sound dated after a couple of decades, but a monstrous emotional rollercoaster like this piece of music will stand the test of time. And it probably would be something I'd like to listen to if my time was running out. Whether it's a nuclear holocaust or a terminal disease, I hope some part of my brain will be playing this in the background as I pass on; the hope that the ending of my corporeal existence will be met with a spiritual resurrection.

Mahler's 1st is probably my favorite of his... I'll have to revisit his 2nd. His 6th is pretty fantastic as well.

Isn't this the one with a giant sledgehammer pounding the stage?

VPO and Mehta... likely a fantastic recording.

Look forward to your list!

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 17:34:42 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/24/2019 22:34

Fischman wrote:

3. Beethoven - Piano Sonata #17 in D Minor, Op. 31 No. 2, "The Tempest"

Agree that Alfred Brendel is fantastic for Beethoven. Interesting choice for his best work. I haven't spent that much time with it. Can't wait to listen to either this CD or one just like it featuring Brendal here in the next 3 months or so once I'm surveying the classical period.

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 17:24:45 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/24/2019 22:24

Fischman wrote:

2. Bach: Concerto in D Minor for Two Violins and Orchestra, BWV 1043

This was indeed a fantastic concerto. Really cool to have two soloists, and better yet Perlman and Stern. I didn't consider it my favorite baroque piece so far, but I did enjoy it. Perhaps I'll have to give this another shot considering how high you esteem it.

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Sat, 23 Feb 2019 16:55:47 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/23/2019 21:55

Fischman wrote:

Okay, so here goes. This is gonna' get real long so I'm going to break up each entry into an individual post for ease of readership.

1. Brahms: Symphony #3 in F Major

Discussion:
1, 2 & 4: This may be a shortsighted choice as #1 as this was one of the first great masterworks I heard and fell in love with when I began exploring classical music in my late 20s. The luster has never worn off for me though, and it remains not only a favorite, but also my real number one. I know it's musical/historical significance lags that of his massive 1st and capstone 4th, both of which I also hold in very high esteem. But this one while somewhat less grand in scope seems to say more in less, which is kind of the opposite of my usual preference which is usually for the longer, grander, more complex pieces. But this one is so concise, and still no lightweight at over 36 minutes. What's more, it also benefits from the magnificent 3rd movement, poco allegretto, which now well over two decades after my first exposure, may still be the single most sublime bit of music I've ever laid ears on.

As for a question, I've oft wondered if this one is less revered by the professionals than the 1st and 4th simply because of it's more concise scope.

3. This is one piece, loving it so much as I do, which I have sought out a variety of recordings and poured over them with great focus. The choice pictured is my fave, as it brings the power when the power is appropriate while still being delicate at other points for maximum overall effect. Bruno Walter's recording with the Columbia symphony is a very close second, and while it's never listed among the greats, I also love Gunther Wand's recording with the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra on RCA Victor.

5. Nothing really interesting about Brahms that hasn't already been said a thousand times. Personally, I love the fact that he is considered something of a throwback for his time. Not that I'm against progress, but there's something to be said about perfecting existing forms at a level not previously achieved. Brahms was a master of this. He made much sublime beauty and didn't have to break any glass to do so.

6. I also love Brahms' chamber music. I recall being seated within 10 ft of a string quartet performing his second string quartet and being moved to the point that I could scarcely contain myself. At one point, I was gripping the sides of my chair with intensity. I left the hall feeling like I had had a full on religious epiphany.

Nice write up!

I've only heard the 4th symphony. Look forward to checking out this.

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 18:53:47 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/22/2019 23:53

Fischman and Chief - I got some replies coming, but I lost my brain power to say anything constructive after a 55 hour work week. More to come when fried brains aren't a thing. And possibly more on the choices I made.

I did spend some time doing so for one of them to be found here:

https://www.besteveralbums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15803

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 18:50:38 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/22/2019 23:50

gussteivi wrote:

Yes don't get me wrong, there's plenty of more recent stuff worth listening to, especially for pre romantic music. The Historically Informed Perfomance movement have really done a great job at restoring some long lost values to classical music in terms not only of instrumentation, but of articulation, phrasing and improvisation etc.

Quote:

Thank you for taking the time to listen to what I posted and I'm glad you enjoyed them 😄

Quote:

Would you like to participate in the competition and list these out as weighted votes (#1 getting a higher weight).

I'm not sure I'd be able to do such a thing as making a top 10 of my favourite classical music albums.. Would it be acceptable to list my top ten favourite piano pieces and their corresponding favourite performance? If not I might do it anyway haha

It can be either 1) list of works you love or 2) list of performances you love (which obviously would include the work)

The recording will really only become important to the competition if there are enough votes. Otherwise it's just a good suggestion for people if they are looking for a good recording.

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

gussteivi — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 07:31:19 GMT

Author: gussteivi

Posted: 02/19/2019 12:31

sethmadsen wrote:

there are masterful new performances that also take advantage of better recording technology, and if you can get the best of both worlds, it seems to make a difference - at least to me.

Quote:

Thank you for taking the time to listen to what I posted and I'm glad you enjoyed them 😄

Quote:

Would you like to participate in the competition and list these out as weighted votes (#1 getting a higher weight).

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 23:40:53 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/19/2019 04:40

gussteivi wrote:

Link

Albert Coates was famous for his brisk tempi and I think it works very well here

Link

There are recordings of not one but two pianists who actually studied the Greig piano concerto with the composer himself. They are Percy Grainger (more famous as a composer but an outstanding pianist in his prime) and Arthur de Greef (who also studied with Liszt and Saint-Saens).

Link

I saw that you menitoned Winterreise as a contender and I would actually probably put it as no 1 if I would ever attempt a list of favourite compositions. Which is why I was very excited to find the first recording ever made of the entire cycle. Well, I have to say that the singer here is by any standards sub par, such a disappointment. However, it's saving grace is the pianist, the mysterious Mme Orthmann, who blows any other pianist out of the water on these particular pieces that I've heard at least. What phrasings, what rythmic vitality!

Now I'd like to add a few recordings I enjoy, again just from the top of my head

Link

Link

(Yes, THE Richard Strauss)

Link

I am a piano geek, so when it comes to solo piano pieces there's TONS of stuff I could post here. but I don't wish to clutter up your thread any more than I already have.

These are fantastic recordings actually. I was talking more about some muffled ones that I don't care for because they lose some fidelity of the music itself. But these seem to actually be just as good as conveying the music (if not better for reasons we discussed) than any modern recording that do at times indeed seem to suffer from stagnation of energy.

Would you like to participate in the competition and list these out as weighted votes (#1 getting a higher weight).

Also please share as much as you'd like - this is for any and all to share what they love about classical music.

RE: Winterreise, actually, I like that the singer is sub-par in that recording... it brings it to life somehow. More believable if that makes any sense. But yes, the flow of the pianist is so smooth and delightful.

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 23:36:19 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/19/2019 04:36

gussteivi wrote:

I'm not really an album guy when it comes to classical music and I tend to lean towards "the older the better". In both cases I think it has partly to do towards recording techniques of modern day. Giving a classical musician complete control over the outcome of a performance, through the ability to pretty much edit every single note to his liking in hindsight, often leads to a sterilization of the music. There are of course exceptions, but on the whole that is my impression.
Whereas in older days, let's say pre WW2 they did one take, or maybe a few, picked the best one and that was it. Basically a recorded live performance, with all it's little imperfections. What older recordings lack in sound quality they more than make up in creative expression. The notion of perfection which has become an obsession above all in much of today's classical music world is an unfortunate one in my view.

This is actually spot on. I know a music teacher that reminds his students of this... often what you hear on the recording is not reality... that perfect intonation, etc. is only possible through perfected recordings. Now having said this, that's probably more true now than it was in even the 80s. Now there are multi-channel decoders that can truly chase down the frequency and edit a live recording (I just made up the terminology there, but the concept is true... I met a dude that did his doctorate on it at the Frauenhofer Instititue). Anyway, it's true in rock music too. You can always tell the "real" musicians record in a way that allows the imperfections to breath and don't use replacement stuffs.

Having said all this and agreeing with you, there are masterful new performances that also take advantage of better recording technology, and if you can get the best of both worlds, it seems to make a difference - at least to me.

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 01:33:40 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/18/2019 06:33

Thanks mate - look forward to those.

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

Fischman — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 00:24:52 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 02/18/2019 05:24

sethmadsen wrote:

Fischman wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

Which American's do you reach for first? I hear Appalachian Spring and I hear and see parts of turn of the century America. It's amazing and beautiful. It somehow perfectly captures the serenity of open quiet America with a loud/robust America.

In addition to WaltervPiston, who appeared in my top 10 works here, I also really love Howard Hanson and William Grant Still (coincidentally like Piston, for both of them I think their best work is their respective Symphony #2s).

I'm also quick to lean on Alan Hovhaness (whose Mt St Helen's symphony is as magnificently powerful as the title suggests), Roy Harris, and William Shuman (not to be confused with the more famous Robert Schumann).

Since you appreciate Copland's pastoral music, are you familiar with Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite?

I've heard of it, but haven't heard more than 30 seconds of it to be added to my list. Also thanks for the insight - haven't heard of any of those. That's more or less the whole purpose of this and all the genre threads.

I think for me I'm only really familiar with these American composers (and some more than others):
Ives
Copland
Bernstein
Bloch
Gershwin
Barber
Cage
Adams
Glass
Williams

Ives can be very challenging. I do like Bloch; like a lot of American composers, he was foreign born (Swiss). Both the minimalists and avant gardists are very hit or miss with me.

Williams is of course famous as the most successful movie composer of all time, but he has supposedly written some excellent music for the concert hall as well. Of particular interest to me is a reportedly superb flute concerto, but I've been unable to find a recording (only one was made and it quickly went out of print).

More on Hanson:
His Symphony #2 is nicknamed "Romantic" and that moniker is most apt as it does harken back to the Romantic era, but does so in his own voice. It's truly special. Ditto his first symphony, equally aptly nicknamed "Nordic" as you will hear shades of the great Scandinavian composers in there, but also through Hanson's individual lens. I also love his tuneful Piano Concerto and his very unusual yet accessible 6th symphony.

More on Still:
I highly recommend Still. Not only will you be exposed to a wonderful American composer, you'll also get some Black History Month input (he was African American). His Gegro folk song/spiritual-influenced symphony #2, entitled "Song of a New Race," is more chock full of ravishingly gorgeous melodies than anything this side of Dvorak's 9th.

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 23:48:30 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/18/2019 04:48

Fischman wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

Fischman — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 23:31:52 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 02/18/2019 04:31

sethmadsen wrote:

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

RoundTheBend — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 23:01:30 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 02/18/2019 04:01

Fischman wrote:

So Beethoven's 9th is one of those obvious choices but one that truly is so groundbreaking, timeless, and downright transcendent, that nobody could fault you for going with the obvious choice. I've only heard a few of the many dozens of available recordings, but it'd be hard to top Karajan.

Rite of Spring is another one of those dramatically groundbreaking pieces. Nothing beats it... when I'm in the mood for it. I've never heard Stravinsky conducting his own work. I may have to rectify that.

It's hard to be objective about The Four Seasons as it kind of comes with a sort of classical equivalent to a Free Bird or Stairway to Heaven level of burnout. I do love it after I avoid it for a while. I one read that there were more recorded versions of that than any other piece of music. I can't say as I've developed any preference for a particular version.

I always like Copland. I rarely love Copland. Lots of other American composers I generally reach for first.

Peer Gynt is great fun, as is Carmina Burana and the two famous Mussorgsky pieces.

Interesting choice with the Shaker Loops. Very understated music. More plain than I usually go for, but there are times when it can really hit the spot.

Dvorak's ninth is positively unbeatable and I almost put it in my list. It is so full of accessible melody that the snobs will sometimes discount it, but they can only do so by ignoring the brilliance of those melodies as well as the sheer genius of how they are woven together. This is a true musical apex through and through.

I never did really take to Wagner. I probably should, since his overblown, grandiose, long winded pieces are the classical equivalent of much of the popular music I love, from Jim Steinman to Dream Theater. Maybe someday it'll click.

Awesome - I'll have to find some time to reply to more of these other posts, but for now...

Beethoven's 9th is key to me for a lot of reasons. Philosophically, musically, personal experiences, etc., but yes, it has been pivotal for a lot of people for a lot of reasons.

It's odd... a few years ago I found a recording that was Stravinsky conducts Stravinksy of it and I actually didn't like it... (I think it was an early recording and I want to say it was a different version of the work [it was/is a living work that in his lifetime altered). I'm wondering if there are multiple performances recorded, but the one I recently have liked is this one:
https://open.spotify.com/album/73A8QC2LzRGpXmrVfmdsRg?si=11IaDzxRQKabtZv5Fr52DA

I've heard that a few times about The Four Seasons, and I get it... I mean it's my work's hold music, but perhaps that's what for me is amazing about it... it still is a massively powerful work with amazing dynamic, melody, ingenuity, and most importantly heart (by the way, that's why I chose this recording, the second movement of spring is probably the most heartfelt I've ever heard (Sophie-Mutter is close). The rest are great HIP's with fantastic energy (the one AfterHours recommended recently, as well as Trevor Pinnock and Simon Standage's interpretation), but lack that soft/subtle delivery. To me, it being commercialized or overplayed doesn't devalue the work itself (I kind of hold this ground with any good music actually).

Which American's do you reach for first? I hear Appalachian Spring and I hear and see parts of turn of the century America. It's amazing and beautiful. It somehow perfectly captures the serenity of open quiet America with a loud/robust America.

Peer Gynt is much more than the famous first movement - the whole piece is great and not a single dull moment.

Carmina Burana and Der Ring des Nibelungen have their roots in early German literature, and that's the degree I got. I had a whole semester dedicated to the Der Ring des Nibelungen, so I actually got a chance to understand it more than if I had just listened to it. We watched all 14 hours of the opera. Then about 2 weeks we dedicated to Carmina Burana in another class from it's associations with early German literature/themes of fate, but also of drinking songs/naughty stuff and then some aspects of the cusp of early renaissance Germany.

Dvorak and Mussorgsky... I have mixed feelings about. Sometimes I feel like they should be higher on my list and sometimes I feel they need to be lower. Sometimes they feel like how you probably feel about The Four Seasons (stagnant due to being over played?) and sometimes they feel like the breath of fresh air and artistry they are.

Crap... I'm realizing there's quite a few I'm leaving out. I wrote a few ideas down, process of elmination, but I don't think I wrote down any Mahler (probably his 2nd is my favorite) or Scheherazade... I'll probably remember more.

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

Fischman — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 18:20:27 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 02/17/2019 23:20

[quote="sethmadsen"]I'm still combing through my options (both on the works themselves and on the recordings):

1.
[img]https://albumart.besteveralbums.com/albumart/album_large_95481_56e29f25c03e6.jpg[/img]
[url=https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=95481]Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 by Herbert von Karajan / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra [/url]

2.
[img]https://albumart.besteveralbums.com/albumart/album_large_142627_5bf7cac4b3e1c.jpg[/img]
[url=https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=142627]Stravinsky Conducts Le Sacre Du Printemps by Igor Stravinsky / Columbia Symphony Orchestra [/url] [/url]

3.
[img]https://albumart.besteveralbums.com/albumart/album_large_140723_5bb97ed8c4af9.jpg[/img]
[url=https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=140723]Vivaldi: The Four Seasons by Gil Shaham / Orpheus Chamber Orchestra [/url]

4.
[img]https://albumart.besteveralbums.com/albumart/album_large_100429_5793c22a9516c.jpg[/img]
[url=https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=100429]Aaron Copland: El Salón México; Suites: Rodeo & Billy The Kid; Appalachian Spring by Various Artists [/url]

5.
[img]https://albumart.besteveralbums.com/albumart/album_large_141557_5bd290a9aa527.jpg[/img]
[url=https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=141557]Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites; Holberg Suites; Piano Concerto by Sir Colin Davis / Herbert Von Karajan / Berliner Philharmoniker / Emil Gilels [/url]

6.
[img]https://albumart.besteveralbums.com/albumart/album_large_15198_5a5db915c4bc4.jpg[/img]
[url=https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=15198]Carl Orff: Carmina Burana by Eugen Jochum / Orchester Der Deutschen Oper Berlin / Chor Und Orchester Der Deutschen Oper Berlin / Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau / Gerhard Stolze [/url]

7.
[img]https://albumart.besteveralbums.com/albumart/album_large_134591_5ae1730169c2e.jpg[/img]
[url=https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=134591]Shaker Loops / Light Over Water by John Adams [/url]

8.
[img]https://albumart.besteveralbums.com/albumart/album_large_37481_512dd00439b3f.jpg[/img]
[url=https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=37481]Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition; Night On Bald Mountain by Leonard Bernstein / New York Philharmonic [/url]

9.
[img]https://albumart.besteveralbums.com/albumart/album_large_36400_571b956d849d9.jpg[/img]
[url=https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=36400]New World Symphony by Fritz Reiner / Chicago Symphony Orchestra [/url]

10.
[img]https://albumart.besteveralbums.com/albumart/album_large_139908_5b9d8c8e98c8f.jpg[/img]
[url=https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?a=139908]Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen by Karl Böhm / Bayreuth Festival Orchestra & Chorus [/url]

Runners up:
Requiem Mass
The Nutcracker
German Requiem
Winterreise[/quote]

So Beethoven's 9th is one of those obvious choices but one that truly is so groundbreaking, timeless, and downright transcendent, that nobody could fault you for going with the obvious choice. I've only heard a few of the many dozens of available recordings, but it'd be hard to top Karajan.

Rite of Spring is another one of those dramatically groundbreaking pieces. Nothing beats it... when I'm in the mood for it. I've never heard Stravinsky conducting his own work. I may have to rectify that.

It's hard to be objective about The Four Seasons as it kind of comes with a sort of classical equivalent to a Free Bird or Stairway to Heaven level of burnout. I do love it after I avoid it for a while. I one read that there were more recorded versions of that than any other piece of music. I can't say as I've developed any preference for a particular version.

I always like Copland. I rarely love Copland. Lots of other American composers I generally reach for first.

Peer Gynt is great fun, as is Carmina Burana and the two famous Mussorgsky pieces.

Interesting choice with the Shaker Loops. Very understated music. More plain than I usually go for, but there are times when it can really hit the spot.

Dvorak's ninth is positively unbeatable and I almost put it in my list. It is so full of accessible melody that the snobs will sometimes discount it, but they can only do so by ignoring the brilliance of those melodies as well as the sheer genius of how they are woven together. This is a true musical apex through and through.

I never did really take to Wagner. I probably should, since his overblown, grandiose, long winded pieces are the classical equivalent of much of the popular music I love, from Jim Steinman to Dream Theater. Maybe someday it'll click.

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

Fischman — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 15:58:18 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 02/17/2019 20:58

sethmadsen wrote:

This is great! Look forward to seeing more. There's a part of me that wants to respond to each... would that get too noisy? Would you guys appreciate the conversation?

A few of you know I'm in the middle of discovering western classical music on my own. It's quite the ride into the history of music in general. At times I don't have the time to make more than a decision of I like it or not and other times I'm learning a lot. Thanks to the internet and streaming music, I've discovered a lot I'd never had listened to.

I dig these early music recordings for various reasons you can probably find out more by reading my diary if interested, but if anyone is interested in getting into early music, the quality of music here imo is pretty solid. There's stuff missing here that'd be important to still go listen to if you are more on a music history journey.

First I'd like to do a shout out to Jordi Savall, Philip Picket, and Sequentia for being solid early music performers of HIP recordings. I grew to be very impressed by their work. I want to dig more in that direction, but am happy with my initial findings below:

Early Music Period Top Albums (Antiquity to 1600):
1. Susato: Dansereye 1551 by Philip Pickett / New London Consort
2.Choral Settings Of Kassiani by Patricia...der Lingas
3.The Pilgrimage To Santiago by Philip Pickett / New London Consort
4.Brumel: Missa "Et Ecce Terrae Motu...s Ensemble
5. Hildegard Von Bingen: Ordo Virtutum by Sequentia
6. Tudor Dance by Trouvère Medieval Minstrels
7.The Anatomy Of Melancholy by Ensemble Daedalus / Roberto Festa
8.Gibbons: Consort And Keyboard Music / S...hy Roberts
9. Praetorius: Dances From Terpsichore; Motets by David Munrow / Early Music Consort Of London
10. Magna Melodia - Medieval Music From The Time Of The Magna Carta by Trouvère Medieval Minstrels
11. Byrd: Consort Songs by Fretwork
12. Hildegard Von Bingen: Canticles Of Ecstasy by Sequentia
13. D'amor Cantando: Ballate E Madrigali Di Trecento by Ensemble Micrologus / Patrizia Bovi
14.Music For A Medieval Prince by Trouvère Medieval Minstrels
15. Music From Ancient Rome: Volume 1 - Wind Instruments by Synaulia / Walter Maioli
16. Walther Von Der Vogelweide: Lieder Von Macht & Liebe by Per-Sonat
17. Tallis: Spem In Alium; The Lamentations... Cambridge
18. Music Of The Gothic Era by The Early Music Consort Of London
19. Alfonso X El Sabio: Cantigas De Santa M...pèrion XX
20. Fortune My Foe by Goliard
21. The Unknown Lover: Songs By Solage And Machaut by Gothic Voices
22. Machaut: Ballades by Lucien Kandel / Ensemble Musica Nova

Speaking for myself, I'd love to see what you make of others' choices. At the onset, you were concerned that this thread might not grow wings... you're feedback will definitely help.

With regard to Savall, I do have one of his discs, a delightful covering of the music of Johann Hermann Schein (1586 - 1630)

Re: Classical Music: Discussion & Competition

Fischman — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 15:50:15 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 02/17/2019 20:50

Tha1ChiefRocka wrote:

#3

Krzysztof Penderecki: St Luke Passion b...nic Chorus

So, one of my all-time favorite video game series is DOOM. This would be a great soundtrack for the levels that are in hell. There are even a couple of moments that make you're jump while your listening to it. There is definitely a lot of monotony that can lull the listener into a fall sense of security, but then, WHAM! it hits you with another vocal freakout. While the avant-garde stylings themselves are subversive, the content, selections from the book of Luke about Christ's death along with other biblical selections, was also subversive in Penderecki's native Poland when it premiered in 1966. Christianity wasn't too big in the Soviet Union I hear.

I'd never listened to that one. Thanks to this, no I have. And I'm glad I did.

But I don't see myself making a habit of it... and certainly not when I'm playing something to doze off with the earbuds in!