Classical Music

Some baroque arias are wicked. I'm not a fan of Handel, but Bach has written a few awesome ones.
Like "Erbarme dich", "Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben" and "So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen" from Bach's St. Matthew Passion

(awkward moment when I realise they're all the depressing ones: throw in "Gebt mir meinem Jesum wieder" for good measure)

 

Yay! Classical music!! I was hoping to find someone to talk to about it!

I play the piano (shocking, I know!) every day and obsessively listen to classical music all day long. My poor kids, being exposed to this education on a constant basis ... what are the odds of them being normal? lol

On my piano today: Godowsky's Passacaglia (if you haven't heard this piece, it is a towering contrapuntal masterpiece of modern piano lit) Liszt etudes, Rach preludes, Haydn Sonata, Chopin etudes and waltzes, Liszt 2nd Years of Pilgrimage.

Listening to @ this exact moment: a piano concerto by Kevin Oldham on my Memento Bittersweet CD ... a tribute to composers who died of AIDS.

Sooooo, anybody want to get together and make music??

 

I'm not a big fan of Handel either. And I love Bach's arias. My favorites are "Ricetti gramezza e pavento" from BWV 209, "Phoebus eilt mit schnellen Pferden" from BWV 202, and "Freilich trotzt August' Name" from BWV 215.

 

Hmmm... I'm not really a fan of classical music because I developed some sort of an aversion towards it due to the relentless hours of piano practice I had when I was a child for 7 years. So I generally run in the opposite direction when I come across any piece by popular classical composers.

Recently I picked up piano again (after abandoning it for many years) but I switched to new age - ambient, contemporary, jazz, boogie, and modern romantic pieces by Lafontoine, Guinet Slyvian, Yiruma, Michael Folk, Michaux Jean Pierre, Moises Neito, etc. and even some cliche performers like Richard Clayderman.

I guess the other reason I am avoiding classical pieces is that I am currently practicing piano in public (I don't have access to piano at where I'm staying right now) so I didn't want to be mistaken as some double-standard elitist who is trying to flaunt his technical skills.:dry:

As for classical composers, the only ones that I currently agree with are Schumann and Chopin. Debussy and Erik Satie aren't classical composers, right?

 

They are!!! I love Debussy's string quartet and Satie's Gymnopedies.

 

oh yes! Debussy and Satie both are fantastic! Ravel too since we're Frenching @ the moment! and I LOVE the Saint-Saens concerti ... soooo fun

 

Yeah, I love the Gymnopedies series too. As I've mentioned earlier, I have been playing new-age ambient pieces in public places so Gymnopedie fits right in since it serves as a furniture/background music.

For the record, I knew that Debussy and Satie are considered classical composers. Well I learned, in music theory about the 4 major periods (baroque, classical, romantic, contemporary) and they are all considered classical music.

HOWEVER, recently, the line between classical and contemporary has kinda faded for me due to my recent exposure to sheet music sites and friends. Those people keep trying to separate the classicals from the contemporary age so I followed suit, thus my confusion regarding debussy and satie.:bang:

By the way, do you have any solo piano piece to recommend (that fit my preference = new age - ambient, contemporary, modern romantic, jazz, blues, boogie, etc.)? Skip the cliche pieces as I would have most likely played it before during my agonizing years.

 

I thought Debussy was more 'impressionist' rather than 'contemporary?' I would consider him classical when using the general term that encompasses all classical music but in terms of specific genre within classical music, I'd say 'impressionist'.

 

You are absolutely correct, sir!! **saluting** :eusa_clap

 

Medieval-->Renaissance-->Baroque-->Classical-->Romantic-->Impressionist/Modernist-->Contemporary-->21st Century

But they all fall under the big umbrella genre of "classical" music, as in "serious" music or "art" music.

 

Why thank you. Though, I am not a 'sir'. *points to gender*

 

Good grief. Are you sure we're not twins? You're also a Bach addict?

---------- Post added 28th Feb 2012 at 10:19 PM ----------

Oh, you should also check out Dowland's "My hopes are wing'd with love", and Bach's "Christmas Oratorio". Its as good as his Matthews Passion.

For Bewthoven, also check out the string quartet # 131.

---------- Post added 28th Feb 2012 at 10:22 PM ----------

I'd argue that Classical began mainly with Pre-Baroque/Renaissance.

Medieval choral music was not intended for academic depth, despite the wealth of polyphony.

 

I'm a huge Bach addict, too...probably the biggest I know. xD

 

I bet I'm a bigger Bach addict than you.

I've played numerous Bach cantatas and suites on the piano, and have probably scoured every possible BWV known to man on youtube.

I only play the piano, but my my most favorite Bach pieces are his Organ masterpieces and religious cantatas/passions/oratorios.

 

I don't mind Bach but I wouldn't say I'm addicted to him. I'm more into my Romantic and 20th century composers...Brahms, Schubert, Debussy, etc. I also like Mozart and Beethoven in moderation.

One of my favourite pieces ever: Vltava by Smetana.

Vltava

 

My preferences are as follows:

1. Bach (worth all the rest in my opinion)

2. Chopin

3. Rachmaninoff

4. Beethoven

5. Tchaikovsky

6. Shostakovitch

7. Mozart



Don't like Brahms or Shubert, they bore me. Schumann though is alright.

---------- Post added 29th Feb 2012 at 10:09 AM ----------

8. Mendelsohn/Schumann

9. Purcell

10. Glinka

 

You sound like you're as big a fan as me. If you put my media player on shuffle, I'd say about 1 in 3 songs would play Bach. xD I'm an avid collector of Brandenburg albums, and have already amassed over 10. I've also listened to almost all his instrumental pieces, including numerous reconstructions, and the only ones I have left are a few harpsichord pieces and a few organ pieces...I guess it's time to work on completing the cantatas next. xD

I love Vltava. I heard it years ago on a CD I checked out from the library...Arturo Toscanini was the conductor. It was epic. =D

 

I will say that one particular thing I do really like that's by Brahms is his 2nd symphony, the first movement in which he references his Lullaby theme. It keeps coming back in all these modulations that I think are really gorgeous. I had the privilege to play this piece last year and I was 2nd violin, so I had all the harmonies, and I absolutely loved playing that first movement.

Also, I'm leading a concert on Friday, in which we're playing Schubert's unfinished symphony!! Really excited for it!!

 

Ravel is totally my number 1!

Right now I'm loving Five Hebrew Songs by Eric Whitacre and Two Nightsongs by Imant Raminsh. Absolutely amazing.

 

I keep meaning to listen to Whiteacre and keep forgetting to look him up. There seems to be some buzz about him the classical blogosphere.

Heard of Lowell Liebermann? His piano works are fantastic, particularly the Nocturne no. 4 and the Gargoyles suite. Oh, and the 2nd piano concerto gives me lascivious thoughts!