Classical/Traditional Music

[Black Orifice]

St. Mary's College was getting rid of a truck load of vinyls and reel tapes to make room for an office for a professor. Before throwing them out, they left them in the hall way for music students to go through and take what they wanted. I grabbed about 25 of them. I found Schoenberg's Serenade, which I was pretty psyched about. I also got some Stockhausen, Penderecki, Strauss, and a number of others.

I've been hooked on Charles Ive's Three Places in New England, Three Quarter Tone Pieces for Two Pianos, and Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time lately. I love Messiaen's incorporation of bird song in his compositions.

[The Emptier]

Quartet for the End of Time is the shit, same with the Ives stuff.

[Onder]

^ Quartet for the End of Time is great. I have some other Messiaen cds at home too. Do you guys like Turanga-lila symphony?

Anyways, I finally got to listen to some actual Wagner's opera, not just interludes and outtakes and orchestral music (which I all loved!). I chose Parsifal because National Theatre does one more reprisal of it next month and I might go there if I'm in the mood. So far I listened to the first act last night and it was awesome. No time for the other two yet but I guess it's better to not do it in one sitting at first so I don't lose concentration. The libretto is available online too, translated into English, so I can follow the storyline. Awesome.

I also finished the Shosty's book. Sometimes he was talking about people I didn't know at all, but some of the stories from Soviet times were amazing. It's a great insight into what it's been like around there.

I haven't posted in this thread in a while. Some other things:

There was a free concert on the Berliner Philharmoniker digital hall of some Tokyo youth orchestra playing Strauss at the end of the month. It was really cool! I forgot to post it here. Sometimes they let some of the concerts free of charge so look out! Unfortunately I don't have an account there and normally the concerts (live or archive) are quite expensive.

I was checking some Schubert quartets and they sort of bored me (the first few), I prefer his symphonies. Some other Janáček works like Simfonietta and Glagolitic mass didn't really impress me either. I should probably listen to them more times though. My favorite work of his is still the second quartet.

Also - Czech Talich quartet released Gubaidulina complete string quartets - might be VERY interesting. I read it in czech newspaper which was surprising because she's not wery well known around here.

EDIT: The person who wrote the article sounded like elitist idiot though.

[Black Orifice]

I hate to admit it, but I've never listened to the Turangalila Symphony all of the way through. The introduction and second movement are fantastic, but I find myself becoming bored after those two movements. Des Canyons Etoiles is my second favorite piece by him. His use of the wind machine, which he apparently invented for the piece, worked out very well. Have you checked out his catalog of birdsong?

What Wagner and Strauss would you recommend? I like Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder a lot, which I have been told is very Wagner-esque.

[The Emptier]

Good call on Parsifal, I love the ring cycle, tristan and isolde (!!) and lohengrin especially. Shosty's book got me into a lot of people I had never heard of, especially his teacher glazunov, he's awesome. I just got janacecks Glagolitic mass but I haven't listened to it yet, i got a ton of choral works to feast upon lately. Kaija Saariaho is a new favorite of mine right now, she's a fantastic modern composer.

As far as wagner and strauss, the operas I mentioned are essential for Wagner. as for strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra is obvious, der rosenkavalier is one hell of an opera too. death and transfiguration, don juan, and metamorphosen are great as well.

[Onder]

I would recommend Strauss Alpensinfonie; the storm there in about 2/3ds is absolutely breathtaking. Glazunov also caught my attention, I listened to two of his symphonies and they sound somewhat simpier but cool too. Also Kalinnikov.

My favorite pieces of music are currently Leoš Janáček quartets and Zdeněk Fibich quartets. They have this rural czech feeling and they are more derived from eastern european folk songs rather than from german/italian baroque and classicist chamber music (IMO). I'm normally not into stuff that is too folky but these things are also modern and more intricate than most older stuff (kind of like Bartók?). I need to check Martinů's quartets too but the other things of his I heard are somewhat too folk-ish. Well Janáček is one of a kind anyway. I need to try Sinfonietta again.

EDIT: Also I don't know the Kaija Saariaho. Hm.

[Onder]

Listening to Bruckner 7.

[Black Orifice]

I recently discovered Arthur Honegger, thanks to a documentary on Milton Babbitt. I'm listening to his First Symphony in C and I have to say that I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

[The Emptier]

Honegger is sweet. I'm super into Strauss right now, his operas are some of my favorite. Poulenc is the TITS as far as choral music is concerned....the french are so suave

[Onder]

Guys, what are some of your favorite piano concertos? I realized I don't know many. All I know well is Shosty's and some Bartók's and Brahms. I listened to some more but I need guidance.

In other news, I'm listening to a Hilary Hahn & Hauschka collaboration, it's pretty sweet. Also listened to some of her Bach concertos. Bach is peaceful. Sometimes I'm just in the mood for some Bach.

[The Emptier]

Both of Chopin's!! Particularly the 1st one. Edward Macdowell's concertos are incredible, prokofiev has a few, 1 and 4 are particular favorites. Moritz Moszkowski has a nice piano concerto, as with adolf von henselt. You can never go wrong with Rachmaninoff too

[Blind Guardian]

How should I go about listening to Der Ring des Nibelungen? I have found a Karajan disc set at a library, and with it comes pamphlets with lyrics and commentary, so I'm all set. What I'm wondering is how I should arrange the listening sessions (since all four operas combined take roughly 15 hours to get through). I have both saturday and sunday free, but each opera is meant for a separate night..

[The Emptier]

morning, night, morning, night.

[SentinelSlain]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzLI0W6nhrc

[Onder]

Originally Posted by The Emptier

Both of Chopin's!! Particularly the 1st one. Edward Macdowell's concertos are incredible, prokofiev has a few, 1 and 4 are particular favorites. Moritz Moszkowski has a nice piano concerto, as with adolf von henselt. You can never go wrong with Rachmaninoff too

Thanks. I still need to listen to more piano concertos.

On another note, I keep returning to Janáček's 2nd quartet and I'm in love with Per Nørgård's work. I often listen to his Light Night violin concerto and Terrains Vagues, as well as some of the quartets I have managed to find online. Everything is absolutely amazing and I need more.

I looked up a new Czech Philharmonic season's program and there are at least two concerts I intend to go to. One of which has Penderecki's Hiroshima, some Dvořák cello concerto played by Sol Gabetta and then Shost 5 in the second half! I have a boner.

[Onder]

I'm listening to some pieces by Witold Lutosławski, but I'm not sure if they are the most significant. Some guy on a czech forum recommended me Partita f. violin and orchestra and Piano concerto so I will follow these. Anyone into this guy? It was on top of my last fm suggestions based on Kodály, Nørgård etc.

BTW Nørgård is currently my favorite contemporary composer. I love Terrains Vagues, Symphony 3 and Symphony 6. Fucking amazing. I need to find more.

[Gage Condemned]

I know it's a common one but I am still in live with Vivaldi's four seasons, winter in particular another composer I like is Proyecto Onyric (think the spelling is correct) she is a pianist and makes the nicest dark songs, well worth checking out

[Gage Condemned]

*in love* not in live - damn auto correct

[Onder]

Originally Posted by Gage Condemned

I know it's a common one but I am still in live with Vivaldi's four seasons, winter in particular another composer I like is Proyecto Onyric (think the spelling is correct) she is a pianist and makes the nicest dark songs, well worth checking out

Apparently it's Proyecto Oniric. Speaking of Vivaldi, I've been listening to Sol Gabetta's cd of Vivaldi cello concertos lately. Amazing. I need something similar.. I'm sure there's many baroque cello pieces like this.. No..?

[Onder]

I'm really enjoying Fibich's chamber works. It's kinda silly I have never heard any of the symphonies. My favorite discovery as of late is Elgar's cello concerto. But everyone probably knows that already.

[Akirahito]

Flamenco is doing it for me lately. Trio Garufa is a particular favorite. Guitars, drum, and cajon.

[Onder]

Originally Posted by Akirahito

Flamenco is doing it for me lately. Trio Garufa is a particular favorite. Guitars, drum, and cajon.

Don't know much about flamenco, but I love Paco de Lucía. That's as close as I can get.

Lately I was exploring more music from composers that I loved based on one piece or something small. Namely Zdeněk Fibich who has brilliant second quartet and I got to know some more of his chamber stuff. Sonatina and Sonata. Both brilliant. Still have to check out his symphonies. Now I'm listening to Janáček's "On an Overgrown Path" for solo piano.

Few days back it was some John Cage anniversary too so I listened twice to his prepared piano sonatas/interludes. I liked the sound of those but I won't go deeper into understanding it's micro structure. Too complicated. Also, I listened to Langgaard's piano works and most of them are brilliant! Definitely my biggest discovery of past months. I recommend his Music of the Abyss and La Beguinage. So far I don't know Music of the Spheres or any of the symphonies.

[Black Orifice]

Here's one of Cage's non-prepared piano works:

You Tube

I like the very percussive quality that Cage utilizes in this piece. I have a better performance on my computer, but this was the best on youtube.

I'm pretty disappointed that I just found out that it was John Cage's centennial birthday. Washington, DC, which is only about an hour from my house, was hosting "John Cage Week" which featured tons of performances of his works and I missed it

edit: I almost forgot about water walk:

You Tube

[Onder]

^ That piano piece is nice.

Talking about classic american composers, here are Steve Reich quartets. I love Different Trains and WTC 09/11.

http://www.npr.org/event/music/16062...tring-quartets

[arg]

jump to 5:55

Prelude to Lohengrin Act 3 - Wagner

Pathetique Sonata - Beethoven

i was a small kid in the 80s and i remember the Peanuts cartoons used a lot of classical music