Welcome to a journal about almost every great "classical" work from antiquity until today. See Second Post for "Index" to discover for yourself/listening lists/playlists, etc.
100 (no particular order for now)
1. Scheherazade, Op. 35 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1888)
2. Symphony #9 E Min, Op.95 "New World" by Antonín Dvořák (1893)
3. Symphony 1 D "Titan" by Gustav Mahler (1889)
4. Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky (1886)
5. 1812 Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1880)
6. Capriccio Italien, Op.45 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1880)
7. Romeo and Juliet, fantasy-overture for orchestra in B minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1880)
8. Peer Gynt 1, Op.46 by Edvard Grieg (1876)
9. Marche Slave by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1876)
95 (no particular order for now)
10. Cello Concerto #1 B minor, Op. 104 by Antonín Dvořák (1895)
11. Symphony 2 C Min "Resurrection" by Gustav Mahler (1895)
12. Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner (1876)
13. Ein deutsches Requiem, Op.45 by Johannes Brahms (1869)
14. Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major by Franz Liszt (1849
90 (no particular order for now)
15. Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tárrega
16. Peer Gynt 2, Op.55 by Edvard Grieg
17. Quartet 12 F, Op.96 American by Antonín Dvořák
18. The Nutcracker Suite, Op.71a by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
19. Russian Easter Festival Overture, for orchestra, Op. 36 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
20. Double Concerto for Violin and Cello in A Minor by Johannes Brahms
21. Vier Ernste Gesange, Op. 121 by Johannes Brahms
22. Suite Espanola 5 "Asturias" by Isaac Albéniz
23. Capriccio Espagnol, Op.34 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1887)
24. Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major by César Franck (1886)
25. Piano Quartet #1 in C minor, op. 15 Gabriel Fauré 1883
26. Lakme: Flower Duet Leo Delibes 1883
27. Symphony No. 4 in E flat major "Romantic" Anton Bruckner 1880
28. Kol Nidrei, Op.47 Max Bruch 1880
29. Violin Concerto in D, Op. 35 (2) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1878
30. Piano Concerto 1 B-Flat Min, Op.23 (1) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1875
31. Requiem Mass Giuseppe Verdi 1874
32. Vienna Blood Waltz, Op.354 Johann Strauss 1873
33. Hungarian Dances Johannes Brahms 1869
34. Night on the Bare Mountain Modest Mussorgsky 1867
35. Blue Danube Waltz, Op.314 (C97) Johann Strauss 1866
36. Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major Franz Liszt 1857
37. Nocturnes (Artur Rubinstein) Frederic Chopin 1846
38. Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 Felix Mendelssohn 1844
Top Works of the 20th Century: Post-Romantic/Neoclassical/Modernist/Postmodernist/Contemporary:
100 (in composers alphabetical order for now)
Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland (1944)
Rodeo By Aaron Copland (1942)
Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland (1942)
Billy the Kid Suite by Aaron Copland (1940)
Carmina Burana by Carl Orff (1937)
Suite Bergamasque by Claude Debussy (1905)
Gnossiennes by Erik Satie (1893)
Gymnopedies by Erik Satie (1888)
Symphony No. 8 in E flat major "Symphony Of A Thousand" by Gustav Mahler (1910)
Symphony No. 6 in A minor "Tragic" by Gustav Mahler (1906)
Symphony 5 C-Sharp Min by Gustav Mahler (1904)
Symphony 4 in G major by Gustav Mahler (1901)
Symphony No. 9 in D major by Gustav Mahler (1912)
Das Lied von der Erde Gustav Mahler 1911
Le Sacre du printemps/Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky (1913)
Die Dreigroschenoper by Kurt Weill / Berthold Brecht (1928)
Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber (1936)
91+ (in composers alphabetical order for now)
El Salón México by Aaron Copland (1933)
Violin Concerto No. 2 by Béla Bartók (1938)
String Quartet No. 13 in B flat minor by Dmitri Shostakovich (1970)
Finlandia, Op.26 / Symphony No. 5 In E Flat Major. Op. 82. by Jean Sibelius (1900)
The Chairman Dances by John Adams (1985)
Nixon in China by John Adams (1985)
Elektronische Musik (Etude; Studie I; Studie II; Gesang Der Jünglinge; Kontakte) by Karlheinz Stockhausen
Symphony No. 7 "Seven Gates of Jerusalem" by Krzysztof Penderecki (1996)
The Tale of Tsar Saltan Suite/Flight Of The Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1900)
Klezmer Clarinet and String Quartet "The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac The Blind" by Osvaldo Golijov (1994)
Powaqqatsi by Philip Glass (1988)
Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30 by Richard Strauss (1896)
Vocalise, Op.34 by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1915)
Symphony No. 2 in G minor ("Song of A New Race") by William Grant Still (1937)
Symphony No. 1 ("Afro-American") William Grant Still 1930
Symphony 3 D Min Gustav Mahler (1902)
The Fire Bird Suite by Igor Stravinsky (1910)
Symphony No. 10 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1953)
90 (in composers alphabetical order for now)
Symphony No.50 ("Mount St. Helens"), Op. 360 by Alan Hovhaness (1982)
Symphony No. 1 by Alfred Schnittke (1974)
A Survivor From Warsaw by Arnold Schoenberg (1948)
Ode to Napoleon, Op. 41 by Arnold Schoenberg (1942)
Tabula Rasa by Arvo Pärt (1984)
Fratres (for Violin and Piano) by Arvo Pärt (1977)
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta by Béla Bartók (1936)
The Miraculous Mandarin, Sz. 73 by Béla Bartók (1924)
War Requiem by Benjamin Britten (1962)
Nocturnes by Claude Debussy (1899)
Arabesques for piano, L. 74 by Claude Debussy (1890)
Symphony No. 15 in A Major by Dmitri Shostakovich (1971)
Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Major, Op. 134 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1968)
String Quartet No. 12 in D flat major by Dmitri Shostakovich (1968)
Violin Concerto No. 2 in C-sharp Minor by Dmitri Shostakovich (1967)
Cello Concerto No. 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1966)
String Quartet No. 11 in F minor by Dmitri Shostakovich (1966)
String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor by Dmitri Shostakovich (1960)
Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major by Dmitri Shostakovich (1959)
Symphony No. 11 ('Year 1905') by Dmitri Shostakovich (1958)
Symphony No. 10 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1953)
24 Preludes and Fugues, op. 87 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1950)
Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovich (1937)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor for Piano, Trumpet, and String Orchestra by Dmitri Shostakovich (1933)
Rhapsody In Blue / An American In Paris by George Gershwin (1924)
Porgy & Bess by George Gershwin (1935)
The Planets, Op. 32 by Gustav Holst (1918)
Symphony No. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" by Henryk Gorecki (1976)
Violin Concerto in D minor by Jean Sibelius (1905)
Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes? by John Adams (2020)
Doctor Atomic Symphony by John Adams (2007)
Doctor Atomic Opera by John Adams (2005)
Lollapalooza by John Adams (1995)
Fearful Symmetries by John Adams (1988)
Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams (1986)
Harmonielehre by John Adams (1984)
Light Over Water by John Adams (1983)
Grand Pianola Music by John Adams (1982)
Shaker Loops by John Adams (1978)
Christian Zeal and Activity by John Adams (1973)
4'33'' by John Cage (1952)
Sonatas and Interludes, for prepared piano by John Cage (1948)
In a Landscape, for piano or harp by John Cage (1948)
Polish Requiem by Krzysztof Penderecki
Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" by Leonard Bernstein (1949)
Piano Concerto in G major by Maurice Ravel (1931)
Piano Concerto by Michael Nyman (1993)
Turangalila Symphony by Olivier Messiaen (1948)
Cello Concerto "Azul" by Osvaldo Golijov (2005)
Naqoyqatsi by Philip Glass (2002)
Koyaanisqatsi by Philip Glass (1983)
Glassworks by Philip Glass (1982)
Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass (1975)
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1910)
Eine Alpensinfonie op. 64 by Richard Strauss (1915)
Death and Transfiguration by Richard Strauss (1889)
Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev (1938)
Piano Concerto 2 C Min, Op.18 by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1901)
Violin Concerto "Offertorium" by Sofia Gubaidulina (1986)
Music for 18 musicians by Steve Reich (1978)
Drumming by Steve Reich (1971)
Violin Concerto "Concentric Paths" by Thomas Ades
Last edited by RoundTheBend on 12/23/2021 01:58; edited 342 times in total
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
Early Music Period found:Here Baroque Period found:Here
Classical Period found: Here
Romantic Period found: Here
Reviews of the Modern and Contemporary found:Here
Charts Index
Western Classical Music
the early music period, which includes (Ancient/Medieval/Renaissance: Antiquity-1600 A.D. by sethmadsen)
the Medieval (500–1400) including; the ars antiqua (1170–1310); the ars nova (1310–1377); the ars subtilior (1360–1420); the Renaissance (1400–1600) eras.
the common-practice period, which includes
Baroque (1600–1750) Baroque: 1600-1750 by sethmadsen
Classical (1750–1820) Classical: 1750-1820 by sethmadsen
Romantic eras (c.1780–1910) Romantic: 1820-1910 by sethmadsen (needs some updating)
Modern and contemporary which includes
the modern (1890–1930) that overlaps from the late-19th century,
the high modern (1930–present)
the impressionism (1875–1925) that also overlaps from the late-19th century
the neoclassicism (1920–1950), predominantly in the inter-war period
the postmodern (1930–present) eras
the experimental (1950–present)
contemporary (1945 or 1975–present)
if you write about he ars subtilior (1360–1420) I'd be curious to read, I've been getting interested in Solage, there's something really interesting going on in the work there.
Right on Seth, should be interesting. Very few assign ratings (or even "all time rankings") to Classical works (the works themselves, not just the recordings). Are you planning to do this?
I am curious to see -- for instance -- if Joshua Tree is a 10/10 for you, does Wagner's Ring end up getting a 3,642/10?
🤔😉🤣
Joking ... kind of ... I would be curious to see ratings and rankings though, if you're so inclined 😁 _________________ Best Classical Best Films Best Paintings
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Yeah - her history is pretty interesting. Have you seen the movie about her? Fairly fascinating as well.
Totally had my fair share of Hildegard von Bingen (as in I've listened to a compilation a few times) and studied at the Uni and watched the movie. Totally a master of understanding polyphonic singing now. (kidding of course, but do dig it).
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if you write about he ars subtilior (1360–1420) I'd be curious to read, I've been getting interested in Solage, there's something really interesting going on in the work there.
Cool!
We'll it's on my list, so yes, I likely will write about it from a novice perspective. To be honest I know nothing about it.
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Right on Seth, should be interesting. Very few assign ratings (or even "all time rankings") to Classical works (the works themselves, not just the recordings). Are you planning to do this?
I am curious to see -- for instance -- if Joshua Tree is a 10/10 for you, does Wagner's Ring end up getting a 3,642/10?
🤔😉🤣
Joking ... kind of ... I would be curious to see ratings and rankings though, if you're so inclined :D
hehe.
Thanks for the encouragement AfterHours.
Joking aside I did take a semester long seminar on Der Ring des Nibelungen. Read the texts in German. Studied the mythology. Studied the musical themes. Studied the importance of the alliteration in the text. Long story short, I feel I assimilated more than most.
I rate music more on the emotional/mental appeal and intrigue, and while that work has massive appeal and intrigue, it also is extremely dense and difficult (not only for the 14 hour length). I suppose you could say I subscribe more to the Kant/Goethe understanding of Genius (the nature inspired instead of the "technically correct" book smarts/learning of men). For me Wagner is less of a Genius in that regard than Bono. And I know that hurts to say/hear, but to be honest as amazing as Wagner was, and he was, he also was a bit much.
I think rating the work movement by movement for all 200 or so tracks of Der Ring des Nibelungen would likely turn out to be a little like The Wall by Pink Floyd. The album as a whole is much better than the parts. I feel Der Ring des Nibelungen would turn out the same.
And to answer your question, I do plan on rating music, track for track. One headache I had and part of why I stopped was I use this site to rate/rank... so I may be forced to find good recordings and add them to this site. Often the problem is that stuff is thrown together on a classical album instead of just the single work, and sometimes it's just parts of a work that show up. So it becomes incredibly tedious to rate and rank, but that's really the only way I can do it without losing sanity (I really have a hard time rating something with an overall score... I have to do it by sum of all it's parts). This will drastically effect my scores, but it is what it is... 4 movements in a symphony and only one of the movements is boring... well that's a 1/4th of the score. 10 song album doesn't have that problem.
I suppose my question to you is how do you "objectively" compare classical music? And I don't mean what is your benchmark/litmus test for the "dogmatic" BEST or greatest, rather do you do it as an overall work or movement by movement or what's your methodology to compare? Again I'm not talking about what you've already written on the definition of great (conceptual and emotional greatness, etc.... that's kind of a given).
Furthermore, for those who are curious, here's my background in Western Classical Music:
My whole family is into it... so since I was a kid, I listened to Scheherazade as much as I did the Beatles.
My whole family played in the symphony: Flute, Violin, Percussion, Cello... and I played the double bass in both jazz band and symphonic band.
One of my family members has a PhD in music and as a kid I had to fight over the stereo as he wanted to listen to Mahler and I The Beatles when we shared a room.
Took a Music 101 class in college. It surveyed the times listed above, but really just a single piece from 4 or 5 composers per section.
I've been to several professional classical concerts at Disney Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Abravanel Hall, USC School of Music, Carnegie Hall, etc.
I've visited the Musikverein in Vienna, as well as been inside the church where Haydn was baptized. I lived on Linke Wienzeile for 9 months. I've also seen the burial sites of Beethoven, Brahms, Schoenberg, Schubert, Strauss, and a memorial to Mozart (mass grave...nobody knows where he actually was buried).
And some other things, but it really doesn't matter.
Having said all that, I'm an idiot, so I still consider myself a novice in the world of classical music and want to actually assess it at greater lengths than just a gut check of "hey I like this".
The end result, I hope, is probably an overall classical list (which I've already started): and perhaps a per era list like a decade chart.
Another part of this project is to find great recordings of music before 1950s... and likely will have to be compilations due to no LP before 1948. There's a small chance I'll start there since this Sunday I had a great time reviewing Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, etc.
BUT... I still have to finish my 2017 chart... haha.
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By no means a complete list, but from my start of this project a while back here are the "perfect" pieces so far and year of debut:
Piece Composer Year My Rating
Appalachian Spring Aaron Copland 1944 100
Peer Gynt 1, Op.46 Edvard Grieg 1876 100
Serenade G, K.525 "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1787 100
Symphony #5 (C97) Ludwig van Beethoven 1808 100
Symphony #9 E Min, Op.95 "New World" (3) Antonin Dvorak 1893 100
Symphony 9 D Min, Op.125 "Choral" Ludwig van Beethoven 1824 100
The Four Seasons Antonio Vivaldi 1725 100
Right on Seth, should be interesting. Very few assign ratings (or even "all time rankings") to Classical works (the works themselves, not just the recordings). Are you planning to do this?
I am curious to see -- for instance -- if Joshua Tree is a 10/10 for you, does Wagner's Ring end up getting a 3,642/10?
🤔😉🤣
Joking ... kind of ... I would be curious to see ratings and rankings though, if you're so inclined :D
hehe.
Thanks for the encouragement AfterHours.
Joking aside I did take a semester long seminar on Der Ring des Nibelungen. Read the texts in German. Studied the mythology. Studied the musical themes. Studied the importance of the alliteration in the text. Long story short, I feel I assimilated more than most.
I rate music more on the emotional/mental appeal and intrigue, and while that work has massive appeal and intrigue, it also is extremely dense and difficult (not only for the 14 hour length). I suppose you could say I subscribe more to the Kant/Goethe understanding of Genius (the nature inspired instead of the "technically correct" book smarts/learning of men). For me Wagner is less of a Genius in that regard than Bono. And I know that hurts to say/hear, but to be honest as amazing as Wagner was, and he was, he also was a bit much.
I think rating the work movement by movement for all 200 or so tracks of Der Ring des Nibelungen would likely turn out to be a little like The Wall by Pink Floyd. The album as a whole is much better than the parts. I feel Der Ring des Nibelungen would turn out the same.
Isn't this true with any work? What would happen if you broke up Joshua Tree into 200 parts instead of 11? Still the same "whole", right? This is a reason why "average track rating" for an album/work (instead of cumulative, or as a whole) can be a faulty system. All works are a sum of their parts. The same analogy could apply to a song. If you broke up, say Light My Fire, into a bunch of 10 second clips, each of them would be, say, 2/10 or something. So if you average it all out you'd have "Light My Fire: 2/10". But, as a whole, a much different, higher rating -- even though they're actually the same. Etc...
sethmadsen wrote:
And to answer your question, I do plan on rating music, track for track. One headache I had and part of why I stopped was I use this site to rate/rank... so I may be forced to find good recordings and add them to this site. Often the problem is that stuff is thrown together on a classical album instead of just the single work, and sometimes it's just parts of a work that show up. So it becomes incredibly tedious to rate and rank, but that's really the only way I can do it without losing sanity (I really have a hard time rating something with an overall score... I have to do it by sum of all it's parts). This will drastically effect my scores, but it is what it is... 4 movements in a symphony and only one of the movements is boring... well that's a 1/4th of the score. 10 song album doesn't have that problem.
Are you listening to "best ofs"? It should be pretty easy to find complete works for virtually anything nowadays. Otherwise, I think we agree here (as long as the movements are the same length). In other words, a 20 min movement would have twice the impact on the overall rating than a 10 min movement... (same with songs/tracks from Rock/Jazz albums).
sethmadsen wrote:
I suppose my question to you is how do you "objectively" compare classical music? And I don't mean what is your benchmark/litmus test for the "dogmatic" BEST or greatest, rather do you do it as an overall work or movement by movement or what's your methodology to compare? Again I'm not talking about what you've already written on the definition of great (conceptual and emotional greatness, etc.... that's kind of a given).
A reliable formula for my ratings and rankings is as follows:
ACCUMULATION OF THE DEGREE AND CONSISTENCY OF ITS EMOTIONAL CONTENT, CONCEPTUAL SIGNIFICANCE, AND ITS INGENUITY, WITHIN THE TIME FRAME OR SPACE OF THE WORK OF ART.
With “time frame”, I am referring to art such as cinema and music that are produced and assimilated within finite running times. With “space”, I am referring to visual arts such as paintings that are produced and assimilated within finite spatial parameters.
The differences in rating and ranking are determined by a precise attempt at measuring the degree of amazement or awe inspired from the experience of the whole work while it is being assimilated. Both its peaks and consistency are carefully considered into the overall rating. During the process of assimilation, I observe and consider in real-time the various emotions and concepts expressed, to what degree and consistency they are being expressed, how creative and singular these expressions are, and their impression upon me.
Basically, just past the observation and experience involved in listening to the work itself, I am also rating it as it is playing. So, if it's 4 movement symphony, say Beethoven's 9th, for instance, I would usually rate it by movement, cumulative. Ex: 7.9 by the end of 1st movement ... 8.1 overall by the end of 2nd movement ... and the second side is, say, 9.0/10 ... so overall: 9.7 out of 10 (see my criteria page for, mathematically, what equates to 9.6, 9.7, etc) -- and possibly 9.8 when considering the second side might be 9.1 and it also has a greater impact on the overall rating than the first side, due to a higher percentage of the overall running time.
That's a crude example of just the logic involved in rating a work (not the thought process of the details of assimilation of Beethoven's 9th, obviously).
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