Classical Music

Well, I'm a Beethoven Bitch™ , so I wouldn't be against hearing details of this. (Yes, I'm obsessed enough to have read books about Beethoven, not just listened to and appreciated his music.)

 

For me, the one that most "transcends overfamiliarity" would be Debussy. My Pandora is perpetually stuck on a "Claude Debussy" station. While it of course plays lots of other stuff, I never get tired of Debussy.

 

Debussy's pretty awesome too.

 

She really liked the power and the darkness that he expressed. It's - well, not obvious, but - it's definitely audible, especially in his later pieces. Just the lush harmonies and the (I'm a bit too inebriated to think of a synonym) power... It always leaves me breathless.

Since you've read about him, I'll try not to ramble too much I'm biased towards anything piano, so forgive me for this.

My teacher's personal favourite was the Pastorale sonata. I butchered it, much to her dismay :icon_sad: But the second movement of the Pastorale was, and you can correct me on this, one of Beethoven's favourite piano pieces to present. His audience thought it was kind of boring, but I think it means a lot that he personally really liked it. The calm beginning and the simple, yet effective, coda just kill me every time I either hear or play it.

 

I like Debussy.Scriabin as well.Liszt.
The one composer that I never seem to tire of (whether its playing or listening) is Rachmaninov

 

We had so many discussions about this that I'll need to be a bit more awake to think of a specific example. It basically darkened her as a person - not like an 'emo' sort of way, but like mushrooms darken the flavour of an overall recipe.

If you like the difficulty of Rachmaninov, try anything by Ravel - my absolute, 30000000% most absolute favourite composer of anything EVER on piano.

 

Breathless about sums it up. There was a passionate intensity to the man's music that, IMO, has yet to be surpassed, 200 years later. It's truly astonishing to appreciate just how strongly felt Beethoven's music is to be able to take the breath away over the span of centuries. It's almost as if the man had the spirit of 10,000 entities within him, all screaming to have their voices heard over the tumult of life's chaos. Would that I had .0001% of such spirit, I could move mountains.

As with much of Beethoven's music, there's a lot more going on than initially presents itself. Listening to a really good performance of it that can pull out all the subtly dramatics, one can kind see how Beethoven might have enjoyed teasing an audience with that appears merely to charm, while in fact carrying such powerful undercurrents of discord and despair underneath.

That said, I am not schooled on the music itself--having never had the luxury of lessons, I will probably never appreciate its purely musical qualities the way a musician (such as yourself or your teacher) would. My estimation is based almost purely on its emotional properties, as well as an intuitive grasp of its structure. As such, much of the "less subtle" piano sonatas in the Beethoven oeuvre remain among my favorites--Pathetique, Moonlight*, Tempest, Waldstein, Hammerklavier, etc.. (Although I have a special passion for the Op. 111 which, to me, speaks of a sublimnity that about surpasses the full implications of the word. I wrote about it briefly on my wall here.)

I think perhaps "enlarging the spirit" is the phrase that comes to mind when summarizing the effect Beethoven's music has on the truly appreciative ear. Certainly for my part, being exposed to it in my very early teens forever changed my understanding and valuation of art, as well as my appreciation for the potentialities of the human spirit. :eusa_clap



* Apologies to the Maestro, wonderful as the Op. 78 is, it is most certainly not a better sonata than the Op. 27, No. 2.


EDIT: Just so this post won't be only an eye-crossing wall of text, here's more of the Maestro's incredible music itself:

[YOUTUBE]g2Tdtx0uA94[/YOUTUBE]

 

Brava!

Yes, that sums it up quite well. While I can't say he completely changed my life - that dubious distinction goes to another composer -, I can see the effect he has on many, many others, and it's pretty awesome.

I will admit that the Moonlight sonata is better to listen to. It's more recognisable and you can always anticipate what's coming up, making the piece almost interactive. And of course, overall, it's just gorgeous.

I guess the thing that makes the Pastorale so great is its contrast with Beethoven's character. He was a forceful, unhappy man, and that shows in a lot of his work. His genius, like many of the greatest artists, shines in both the emotional depth of his pieces and his skill in translating that to his audience (us!). Pastorale is different because, without getting into too much analysis, it's understated and, more importantly, hopeful. And for me, that is a beautiful thought.

 

I almost mentioned Rachmaninoff above He's right up at the very top of my list. While I love his piano concerti, of course, and some of his orchestral works, it's some of the preludes and etudes that I love the most. So many are absolute gems, especially the Op. 33 Etudes-Tableaux.

Another favorite of mine

 

Note to self: Bartok is not the artist to be listening to when you're trying to maintain a cheery mood. >.<

 

The one song I can still remember from my years of piano lessons is Rachmaninov's Prelude in C Sharp Minor.
And I still rock it. I love playing that song.
[youtube]d-qwJoFQ3qo[/youtube]

 

One of my favorites of his as well, especially 'Le Gibet.'

 

Earlier today I listened to the wonderful C minor symphony by Brahms as played by the BPO/Karajan. Think I will move on to Holst's Planets now, I've not heard it in a while.

 

I'm a soprano currently completely a vocal performance degree at university!! So obviously I'm very fond of choral music. My favourites are probably Mozart and Schubert.

I think my all time favourite classical song would have to be Morgen by Strauss... I once heard that some people believe it to be the most beautiful art song of all time, and I have to agree. All music is so subjective, of course. But it's so unbelievably beautiful to me. I'm still very early in my degree, but I plan on finishing my graduate recital with this piece and have for a long time. Listen to this version by Arleen Auger if you're interested. She really portrays the peace and beauty of the song.

I've also got a very soft spot for Clair de Lune, because it was one of the first classical pieces that ever really drew my attention. I listen it almost every night when I have trouble sleeping...