micjac
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| Sendt: 28 December 2003 kl. 01:12 | IP-adresse registreret
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Hej gutter, jeg kom lige forbi dette morsomme og
informative indlæg om klassisk musik for begyndere. Det er så
formidabelt skrevet at jeg synes det skal postes her også.
Tak til Tones og Graham - postere på
http://www.zerogain.com/forum
(Bemærk alle kommentarer i indlægget er møntet på Zerogain
forummet.)
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A beginner's guide to Classical Music
Once more with feeling... It seems that the message length is
restricted here, hence the three parts. I've only brought my own
over, so far.
This is basically the first page the thread started at HFC by
Graham N and myself and continued in Groovehandle (RIP). I
had to shorten it (50,000 characters maximum). How much of it
is worth transferring I'm not sure, but if anyone wants to add
more, be my guest. I do not pretend to be an expert on the
subject, but perhaps that's to the good, because I bring the plain
man's idea of the classics (I have no musical training (or ability)
whatsoever). Graham, on the other hand, is musically trained
and brings considerable technical musical expertise to the party.
However, they are, in the end, only our opinions.
So, on with the show...
The subject of "how do I get into classical listening" often comes
up, so here is one classical lover's opinion on the subject. My
standpoint is that modern musical ideas and melodic conceptions
stem mainly from the Romantic period, which could be dated
from middle Beethoven to Mahler and Brückner. Thus, I tend to
go for this as the ideal introduction, but I'll include some other
stuff as well. However, this collection makes no claims as to
comprehensiveness. So, here we go, starting with something
relatively recent, and going (roughly linearly) backwards in time.
Other folk, please weigh in with your favourites and selections,
and let's build an archive! GrahamN, where are you?
A useful point in classical is that some of the most memorable
recordings are quite old, but have never been surpassed. For
example, the best recordings of Beethoven's 9th are the 1962
and 1979 DG recordings by Karajan and the Berlin Phil. Most of
these older recordings are on medium- or low-price labels, and
this can make classical collecting quite cheap. Moreover, the
quality is often amazingly good; the recordings supervised by
Walter Legge for Decca are excellent.
CARL ORFF: "Carmina Burana". Orff's adaptation of some songs,
basically by unfrocked monks on the virtues(?) of wine, women
and song, found in the monastery of Benediktburen in the early
20th. century. The whole piece, with big choral numbers,
beautiful arias and spectacular percussion, is great fun. There's
a good cut-price version by Eugen Jochum on DG.
GEORGE GERSHWIN: "Rhapsody in Blue". Written at the
commission of the "King of Jazz" Paul Whiteman and
orchestrated by Ferde Grofé, this combines classical forms and
jazz influences in the most successful fusion ever. In a good
version, the orchestra swings like a big band. Gershwin's jazzy
Piano Concerto in F (the one in which Oscar Levant plays
everything, including the appreciative audience, in "An American
in Paris") is also good.
EDWARD ELGAR Famous for the Pomp and Circumstance
Marches, especially No. 1 (Land of Mope and Tory), which really
is, as Elgar himself put it, a "damn fine tune", especially taken
away from the Proms and the flag waving. His Enigma Variations
are also worth a listen.
SCANDINAVIANS Yes, they did write good stuff, and not just
Alfven's Swedish Rhapsody (which they played incessantly in the
local cinema when I was a kid). For example, there's
- Edvard Greig, most famous piece the incidental music from
"Peer Gynt", also some lyrical pieces for orchestra (e.g.
"Wedding day at Troldhaugen", "Cow keeper's tune").
- Jean Sibelius, his symphonic works, becoming ever sparser as
he went on, leading to the single movement 7th. take a bit of
getting used to, as does the sparse violin concerto. However, the
occasional pieces such as the Karelia Suite, Valse Triste and
most of all "Finlandia", with its glorious hymn tune ("Be still my
soul"), can be appreciated by everyone.
RUSSIAN LOLLIPOPS: With the enormous heritage of folk music
and the music of the Russian Orthodox Church, Russian music in
the late 19th Century was wonderfully tuneful. Much of it was
written by "the five" (Rimsy-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Borodin,
Balakirev, Cui). Examples:
- Nikolai Rimsy-Korsakov: "Scheherezade";, tone poem based
on the Arabian Nights story, very tuneful, very spectacular. Also
"Russian Easter Festival Overture".
- Alexander Borodin: professor of chemistry and medical doctor,
it's no wonder he left not a lot of finished music. Anybody who
has ever seen the musical "Kismet" will recognise Borodin
immediately, because that's where all the tunes came from. The
best known are the Polovtsian Dances ("Stranger in Paradise")
and "In the steppes of Central Asia". The beautiful "And this is
my beloved" from "Kismet" is a movement from one of the
string quartets.
- Modest Mussorgsky. "Pictures at an exhibition", a wonderfully
spectacular tone poem, originally written as a tour-de-force
piano piece, but better known in the orchestrated version by
Maurice Ravel. Also "Night on a bare mountain" (sometimes
called "Night on bald mountain"). Familiar to anyone who has
seen "Fantasia".
PYOTR ILLYCH TCHAIKOVSKY First Russian composer to achieve
international fame. In my opinion, the best tune writer the planet
has ever seen; listen to the final movement of the 5th.
Symphony, where great tunes are used as throwaway lines. I
would AVOID the 1st piano concerto; like Richard Strauss's "Also
sprach Zarathustra" (theme of "2001: a space odyssey"), it
never lives up to the promise of that magnificent opening.
Tchaikovsky highlights:
- "Romeo & Juliet" overture
- "1812" overture; brash, vulgar, totally over the top, but
wonderfully spectacular
- Marche Slave; not quite a rerun of "1812", but it also uses the
old Czarist national anthem (that's what plays in the "1812"
when the cannons are firing). I find it more enjoyable than the
1812. I have a marvellous old vinyl version by Stanley Black
and the Royal Philharmonic, which places severe strain on the
windows when it hits the big climax (that's the part when you
hidwe under the sofa to avoid the flying speaker cones).
- Variations on a rococo theme; (Tchaikovsky was contemptuous
of most other composers, but loved Mozart, which shows the boy
at least had taste)
- the Serenade for strings - marvellous melodies in this one.
- the ballet music; wonderful melodies in "Swan Lake" &
Sleeping Beauty; "Nutcracker" has a full ballet score, but the
famous suite takes the glorious highlights.
- waltz from "Eugene Onegin"; the best waltz tune ever written,
even better then the famous "Swan Lake" one, which is saying
something (Strauss? forget it!)
- 5th. Symphony; the most approachable of Pete's symphonies.
- the Violin Concerto, especially the fireworks of the spectacular
last movement.
ANTONIN DVORAK Composer of wonderfully tuneful stuff. The
Slavonic Dances are great. Another must have is the 9th ("New
World") symphony, full of great melody.
JOHANNES BRAHMS Tchaikovsky hated Brahms, but then he
hated nearly everyone (being a manic-depressive homosexual
in Orthodox Russia may have had something to do with it). But
Joe wrote come good stuff. Try his Variations on a Theme by
Haydn or the Academic Festival Overture, or the Hungarian
Dances, which inspired Dvorak to write the Slavonic Dances.
WIENER WALTZERS The Strausses (Johann and his sons, Johann
Jr., Joszef and Edouard), but also Franz Léhar and a few others.
Best introduction is one of the Vienna Phil's New Year's Concert
CDs. This will guarantee you the two traditional items, "The Blue
Danube" and the "Radetsky March". No matter how much they
hackney "Danube", a good performance will still bowl you over.
Mind you, none of them ever wrote a waltz to touch Léhar's
"Gold and Silver".
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Enormously popular at the time, but sadly
overlooked now. The named symphonies "Scottish" and "Italian"
(especially the latter; there's not a person who doesn't know the
first movement, even though they may not know it by name)
are great, as it the spectacular violin concerto. Also worth a
listen is the incidental music to "A midsummer night's dream",
and not just for the famous Wedding March (which is great, no
matter much it's hackneyed; there are many other great bits in
there).
HECTOR BERLIOZ The romantic's romantic, in his personal life
as well as his music. Berlioz is often spectacular with a large
capital S (the enormous Te Deum, the Requiem with its four
brass bands). His best known bits, the Symphonie Fantastique,
with its famous march to the scaffold and the stirring Hungarian
march from "The Damnation of Faust".
FREDERIC FRANCOIS CHOPIN The poet of the piano. Nobody
ever wrote better for the instrument, incredible beauty, mind-
blowing virtuosity. The famous dreamy Nocturne No.2, the
"Minute" waltz (about 95 seconds, actually), the polonaises,
mazurkas, etudes. Best to go for a cheap "Greatest hits" to get
the flavour. Tamas Vasary on DG was good for these.
MISCELLANEOUS OVERTURES There are a number of composers
who wrote operas or operettas, which are remembered only by
their overtures. These are frequently collected and are worth
having. These include
- Franz von Suppé's "Poet and Peasant" and "Light Cavalry";
- Jacques Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld" (featuring
the famous Can-Can)
- Resnicek's "Donna Diana"
Speaking of overtures...
GIOACCINO ROSSINI The master of the operatic overture. An
album of Rossini overtures belongs in everyone's collection;
"Wilhelm Tell", "The Barber of Seville", "The Thieving Magpie",
"The Silken Ladder", "Semiramide". Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
has a great DG collection, which includes the marvellous bow-
tapping "Il Signor Bruschino";, but omits Bill Tell and
Semiramide. However, Nev Marriner and the academy of St.
Martin-in-the- Fields have a disc that'll fill that gap nicely.
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Music is Before Beethoven and After
Beethoven, so thoroughly did he change musical history and the
way music was perceived. Music should "strike fire from a man's
soul", he said. His did. I presume that women's souls are
similarly struck. Beethoven is rugged, grand, majestic, and you
could spend your life exploring it alone. Some approachable
Beethoven:
- 5th. and 6th. Symphonies The most approachable of the 9 he
wrote. The 5th (Dadada-Daaaaaaah!) is, in my opinion, the best
of them all. The version that knocks spots off all the others is
Karajan's 1962 version on DG with the Berlin Phil.; nowhere is
the tremendous transition from the third to the fourth
movements better handled. The 6th ("Pastoral") is very tuneful.
For a complete set, Karajan's '62 and '79 sets are excellent (his
'85 (or thereabouts) set doesn't cut the mustard at all). The
recent set by David Zinmann and the Zürich Tonhalle Orch.
(very cheap, at least here) is also excellent.
- 5th piano concerto ("Emperor"), the heavyweight champion of
all piano concertos, a wonderful work. Actually, all 5 are good.
- solo piano; the name sonatas ("Moonlight", "Appasionata",
etc.) are worth a listen. Luddie was the best pianist of his time
and knew to write for the instrument, his relentless demands on
the instrument forcing makers to make them more versatile.
The piano for which the "Emperor" concerto was written was a
very different instument from the one for which the first
concerto was written.
- overtures, especially "Leonora III" and "Egmont". Beethoven
had three goes at an overture for his opera "Leonora", before he
gave up, changed the opera's name to "Fidelio" and wrote an
entirely different overture! "Leonora III" is the best, most
spectacular overture ever written, especially the way, at the end
it stands up on its hind legs and ROARS.
- violin concerto; the heavyweight champion of violin concertos,
finishing (typically Beethoven-style) with a marvellous melody.
(Edited to add; I saw the late Isaac Stern perform this in
Australia, and I remember the smile that crossed his face as he
lit up on the great final melody - even the great musicians find a
good tune irresistible).
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART When the angels know that
God's listening, it's said, they play Bach, when the think He's
not, they play Mozart. Wolfie, music's greatest genius, was
simply incapable of writing an inelegant note. Telemann may
have been able to set a laundry list to music, but Wolfie's
laundry list would have been far more musical. Where does one
start??
- "Eine kleine Nachtmusik"; an extraordinary senerade
- the horn concertos. It is said (with some slight justification)
that Mozart wrote a horn concerto four times. They're not
actually THAT similar, and they're wonderfully melodic.
- symphonies; any of the named symphonies (I like No.35
"Haffner" especially, plus No.40)
- piano concertos; try 21 (forever known as "Elvira Madigan"),
but they're all good.
- the flute concertos; my countryman Mr. Galway does a great
performance of these.
FRANZ JOSZEF HAYDN Father of the symphony. He wrote over
100 of them, the best ones being the nicknamed ones
("Surprise";, "Drum Roll", "Farewell"). But there's a lot more to
Joe than that, much of his stuff is richly melodic:
- trumpet concerto; THE trumpet concerto, often found paired
with The Other One (Hummel's; they were both written for the
same man, Anton Weidinger, court trumpeter of the Esterhazy
family and born tinkerer). Hakan Hardenberger is a good choice
here, but also The Ace of Space himself, Maurice André can be
found on mid-price labels).
- cello concertos; very tuneful.
So, we arrive at the borders of the baroque, and I'm about to
break my rule and suggest some items that are listenable for
newbies.
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL
- Water Music; One of the best pieces of light music ever written.
Trevor Pinnock's early 1980s version is still the one to go for,
ditto his performance of the Music for the Royal Fireworks
- "Messiah"; familiarity often disguises the fact that this is one of
western music's towering masterpieces. Handel (who needed the
money) wrote it in three weeks. He said he was divinely
inspired. I believe him. My personal favourite is, again, Pinnock,
who combines light textures with plenty of oomph in the big
numbers. Hal-le-lu-jah!
- the Coronation Anthems. The best known, "Zadok the Priest",
is played in coronations to this day. Splendid in every sense of
the word. Go for Nev Marriner's, which knocks spots off anyone
else's.
(Edited to add) Dixit Dominus - the young Handel's version of
Psalm 110, written in Rome before he moved to England, is one
of the most exhilarating bits of choral writing in existence. It
takes a virtuoso choir to master its demands, but when one does
it's tremendous.
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH The greatest of a family of musicians
(there were so many of them that a musician was called a
"bach" in parts of E.Germany. Unlike his great contemporary
Handel, the man of the world, he existed in small courts and
towns and was only the fifth choice for his final job in Leipzig
(they really wanted Telemann). As a result, completely forgotten
until Felix Mendelssohn found the St. Matthew Passion score in
Leipzig public library while looking for something else.
Suggested J.S.:
- Orchestral Suite No.3; features the famous "Air on a G string",
but the rest is all trumpets and drums.
- Brandenburg Concerto No.3; the best known and loved of the
six Brandenburgs.
- Toccata and Fugue in D Minor; the best-known and most show-
offish of Bach's (many) organ works. Also worth listening to;
Toccata and Fugue in F Major and the Passacaglia in C, with its
relentless bass theme.
- the violin concertos , two solo and one double concerto; top of
the heap is Anne-Sophie Mutter's with Salvatore Accardo and the
ECO. Seventh-Day Authenticists may complain of the lack of
original instruments, but The Divine Ms M plays with such
warmth and skill that it makes strong men (and me) weep.
(Edited to add) Magnificat - the most approachable and joyous of
Bach's choral pieces. Lots of big numbers with drums and
stratospheric trumpets.
ANTONIO VIVALDI The Red Priest (hair colour, not politics). An
astonishing output. His "Four Seasons" is the most recorded
work in the repertoire. I recommend the version by Sparf and
the Drottningholm Ensemble on BIS. The double trumpet
concerto is great. Indeed, most of the concertos are eminently
listenable (and there's a LOT of them).
BAROQUE "POPS"; Albums often come up with the following very
listenable pieces from the baroque:
- Pachelbel's Canon
- Albinoni's Adagio
- Handel's Largo (you all know this, played with great solemnity
in church, notwithstanding that it's a serenade to a tree from a
comic opera)
- Bach's Air on a G string (but the whole Orchestral suite No.3 is
eminently listenable; see Bach above)
- Bach's "Sleepers Awake" and/or "Jesu, joy of man's desiring";
generally orchestrated versions fo chorales from Cantatas BWV
140 and 147 respectively. The two complete cantatas are often
found on the same CD, and are worth a listen to get some
insight into the cantatas.
- Clarke, The Prince of Denmark's March; often known by the
name "Trumpet Voluntary" and in the name of the wrong
composer (Henry Purcell).
- Charpentier, Fanfare of "Te Deum", the Eurovision tune to most
of you folk. As a piece of totally useless information, this was
the first record from Erato in the 1950s, featuring a young
organist called Marie-Claire Alain and a young trumpeter called
Maurice André
THE GABRIELIS Uncle and nephew, wrote music for Venice. The
Venetians liked their music Grand and the Gabrielis delivered in
spades. The canzonas for brass are impressive and sonorous,
but too many at a time feels like a meal consisting solely of your
favourite ice cream.
And now some personal favourites:
AWAKE, THE TRUMPET'S LOFTY SOUND The three trumpet-
playing Läubin brothers team up with organist Simon Preston for
this spectacular. And spectacular it is; the final track, a
marvellous rendition of Handel's "See, the conqu'ring hero
come", is worth the price alone.
RAMEAU The French court composers of the reign of le Roi
Soleil, Louis XIV, were generally an undistinguished lot, churning
out music for the royal court. (The chief one, Jean-Baptiste Lully,
is distinguished as being the only man ever to kill himself
accidentally with a baton). Jean-Philippe Rameau is an
exception. The record/CD (I have both!) I have in mind is
probably sacrilege to many; it's played on synthesisers by US
jazzman Bob James. However, James remains true to the spirit
of the music and the result is one of my favourite CDs (it's also a
stereo spectacular). Far, far better than Walter/Wendy Carlos's
"Switched-on Bach".
MAURICE ANDRE Now past his use-by date, if recent reviews are
anything to go by, the young André was simply the best
trumpeter on the planet, perhaps the best the world has ever
heard. The smoothness and beauty of tone, no matter how fast
or how high he played, was uncanny, proof that some people
are much more equal than others. Much of André's output is of
transcriptions for trumpet (the baroque natural trumpet was a
pig of an instrument with a limited scope, so nobody wrote very
much for it). The best is a CD made with Nev and the Academy
in the early 1970s, which contains works from noble Purcell stuff
(actually written for the instrument) to a stunning Tartini
transcription, which I still don't quite believe. The trumpet and
organ stuff is also good, especially the Telemann heroic
marches. The one with Jane Parker-Smith is also very good.
(Edited to add) One of the greatest André records is sadly no
longer available in any form. This is "Trompettissimo", which has
André with organ, bass and drums playing jazzed-up classics
and French folk songs. Yes, it sounds corny, but it was and is
sensational, both from a musical and virtuosity point of view -
the version of the Badinerie from Bach's Orchestral Suite No.2 is
truly astonishing. The record was so successful in France that
they made another "En toutes libertés avec...", but it wasn't
nearly so good. At one point, Erato released both on a single
CD; it was withdrawn some time ago, but I have my ancient
vinyl copies. I would advise anyone who comes across these
treasures to snap them up.
"MADRIGAL HISTORY TOUR" Don't let the corny title put you off.
This disc by the King's Singers (to go with their television series)
is a marvellous introduction to the world of the madrigal, which
reigned supreme all over Europe from about the mid-16th to the
mid-17th centuries. The album covers madrigals from all the
major countries (including Thomas Morely's celebrated "Now is
the month of Maying"). The prize is the amazing five-part "La
Guerre" by Clément Jannequin, depicting the Battle of
Marignano, complete with battle noises.
(Edited to add) MICHALA PETRI The recorder version of Maurice
André, a player of such astounding virtuosity that you swear that
she can't possibly be human like the rest of us. She has gone off
in odd tangents in recent years (especially since signing for
RCA), but the early stuff, especially with the Academy of St.
Martin-in-the-Fields providing suitably marvellous backing, is
brilliant, spellbinding stuff (since I've got it on at the moment,
try Philips 412 630-2 with the ASMF - the Vivaldi is stunning).
Anything further from the recorder of your school days can't be
imagined.
TERPSICHORE Terpsichore ("Terp-SICK-or-ey") was the Muse of
the dance in Greel mythology. The name is given to a huge
collection (over 300 I believe) of dances of the Renaissance
period, collected (not composed) by Michael Praetorius. Nobody
has ever recorded them all, but a record of them belongs in
every music lover's colection, because they're so much fun. First
of all, there are the instruments. You have never heard anything
like these absolutely delicious sounds. One of Praetorius's great
contributions to music was a manual on instruments and
practice, with reproductions so accurate that it has been possible
to recreate the instruments even where authentic specimens no
longer exist. So feast your ears on shawms, crumhorns,
racketts, hurdy-gurdys, sackbutts... My reecommended
recording is the one by Philip Pickett and the New London
Consort. Everything from stately court dances to wild
rumbustious things. The recording is also very good.
RACHMANINOV: VESPERS Music of the Russian Orthodox Church
and one of the most glorious bits of choral music you'll ever
hear. The Church is very strict about liturgical music - no
instruments are allowed, and the nature of the music itself is
fairly narrowly defined. Within these constraints, Rachmaninov
produced a masterpiece of a cappella choral, the lightness of
sopranos countering the rumbling depth of basses. Listen to the
Nunc Dimittis, where the basses sink to an astounding low B flat,
creating standing waves in your floor. Some Western choirs
have made reasonable fists of this music, but you really do need
a Slavic choir. The greatest rocording is an old one, the RSFSR
Academy Choir under Sveshnikov, recorded by Melodiya and
still available (I think) on Le Chant du Monde. Considering that
these people must have been all good card-carrying members
when this recording was made, the fervour with which they
produce the opiate of the masses indicates that the soul of old
Russia never died.
GrahamN
Veteran Member
Joined: 25 Jun 2002
Posts: 562
Location: Surrey, UK
Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2002 11:10 am Post subject:
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Well done Tones. I would agree with many of the
recommendations, but here are a few more of my own.
First a couple of bits of general information/advice. First up, the
label. We all know what "Classical" means in common use, just
like "pop". Most classical types wouldn't be able to tell R&B,
rock, grunge, trance, metal etc apart (and I'm not far off than
position myself) - lumping it all in the generic label "pop".
"Classical" has its own major divisions too - renaissance
(generally pre-1700), baroque (1700-1760), classical proper
(1760-1805), romantic (1805-1910), 20th cent (self-
explanatory), serial, modernist etc (although some may doubt
the latter two's credentials to be included under the category of
"music" ), and plenty of sub-divisions within those too.
Try-it'n'see. I've found when looking for new music that the links
to clips on Amazon are dead useful. You only get a minute or so,
but it should give you enough of an idea about the general style
to avoid one of those "Oh my God, what have I done?"
moments.
Another deeply held belief of the classical mafia is than
"classical" has to be concertrated on and worked at, whereas
"pop" is merely background music. This is not true (or should
not be, it's one of the great debates with modern stuff) - good
stuff should show itself pretty quickly, but it is true that the mark
of a great classical piece is that it reveals more of itself on
repeated hearing and increased concentration. You may also
take time to get into the idiom - many of my favourites now I
would have had a tough time with 30 years ago, and some of
my favourites then have rather palled with time.
However - if you do want to work at it (and there seems to be a
fair view around that "I'd like it...but I don't know enough about
it"), there is an excellent site at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/
classical/index.shtml . On one of its pages, http://
www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classical/discover.shtml , they have on
demand programmes of "Discovering Music" - 45 minute
programmes broadcast every Sunday where they pick a piece
and take take you through a wonderful guided tour of it - and
done with such enthusiasm you forget you're being treated to a
lecture. The site currently has over 60 programmes on it. It also
has performances for on demand streaming for free - albeit at
lowish quality - so once again you can try-before-you-buy, but
this time with the full piece.
As for choosing recordings, I nearly always search the Gramofile
site linked at http://www.gramophone.co.uk - containing over
26000 reviews! It's been pretty crap for the last year - e.g.
searches only work with two pieces of information, you often
fine the review doesn't match the track listing etc. - when they
"upgraded" it, but they are promising to get it fixed soon
(searches are failing completely today). When it does work, they
give you a detailed review of the performance (and sometimes
the recording quality too), with cross-references to normally
between 2 and 8 other top performances. The really important
point is that they tell you WHY they think its good/bad, so you
can make up your own mind as to the overall evaluation.
Sourcing recordings - most stores (e.g. your local HMV) may
have a couple of recent recordings of the most standard
repertoire, along with a load of rubbish from Sarah Chang,
Vanessa Mae, Russel Watson etc. If you want to find a specific
recording you'll normally need to get it on special order or go to
e.g. Tower/HMV/Virgin in London. Better and cheaper is to use
online: http://www.mdt.co.uk is the cheapest I've found, and
there are some good 2nd hand sites too (but I'm not telling you
what they are as the best recodings already go too quickly - like
within an hour or two of being posted)
It's also worth remembering that some of the best stuff
(certainly post-1800) is over half-an-hour long, so it's tougher to
dip in and out of.
Enough of this lecturing already - what about the music?
There are of course a number of compliations around that
aficionados like us tend not to look at, as we mostly want the full
thing rather than excerpts. This one does look a good selection
though:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...1453428-9429434
I have nothing to add to Tones' baroque recommendations, and
would endorse most of them (and I guess will probably try out
those I don't know).
Here's a few of my own, mostly the pieces that first grabbed me
and hauled be into their particular genres crying "give me
more"! My temperament is clearly a lot more towards the fiery
and emotional than is Tones', so you may wish to consider how
well this matches your own when judging our advice.
CHORAL MUSIC:
Maybe an acquired taste, but there's some lovely music writen
for choir at both ends of the volume spectrum.
The sublime and ethereal end tends to be pre-baroque church
music. I would recommend "Allegri's Miserere", a piece jealously
guarded by the Vatican for well over 100 years, with
performance only in the Sistene Chapel - until the young Mozart
heard it once, then later wrote it down from memory (well so the
story goes). The Tallis Scholars on Gimell GIM 339 are excellent
(and it's coupled with one of the best of the polyphonic settings
of the Mass - Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli)
At the more secular (and bawdy) end, Tones has already
recommended Carmina Burana (which may be familiar from the
"Old Spice" advert). I much prefer the Previn recording to the
Jochum - on HMV 7676282, or there's an equivalent EMI release
number.
If you like these then you may also like to try:
(Early churchy) - Tallis, Spem in Alium, Tallis Scholars again
GIM006
(20th Cent big) - Walton, Belshazzar's Feast (try Rattle/CBSO on
EMI CDC 5 56592-2, others to look out for are Litton/
Bournemouth on Decca, or maybe Hickox/LSO on HMV)
Rutter, Requiem (smooth, laid back) or Gloria and Te Deum
(bouncy and brassy, bit like Belshazzar) - both well done by
Layton/Polyphony + the Wallace Collection providing the brass
backup, on Hyperion
OPERA/SONG:
Even more of an aquired taste, but we all know "Nessun Dorma".
If you like that, then you may well like some other Puccini. The
first opera I bought was "La Boheme", Pavarotti and Freni on
Decca. You may not want to go for the whole thing, but there are
a fair number of highlights discs around. The best known Puccini
arias are "O soave fanciulla" (duet) and "Che gelida manina"
(your tiny hand is frozen - tenor) from La Boheme, "Visi d'Arte"
(soprano) from Tosca, "Nessun Dorma" (tenor) from Turandot,
"O mio babbino caro" (soprano) from Gianni Schicchi, "Un bel di"
("One fine day" - soprano) from Madame Butterfly - all absolute
heart-on-sleeve stuff (get in extra hankies for the gf, and maybe
yourself too).
Be careful with Pavarotti though, in that he also does a lot of
Neapolitan "easy listening" stuff - great vehicle for the voice, but
a whole disc of his voice can get a bit wearing, and that music
doesn't take too many repeats.
I also love the sound of soprano with orchestra, and the piece
that did it was Richard Strauss' "4 last songs" (or the misprinted
version "4 last snogs"). There are a number of fine versions out
there - particularly Gundula Janowitz on DG, Jessye Norman on
Philips.
The Janowitz version (DG Originals, 4474222) comes coupled
with "Death and Transfiguration", a purely orchestral piece he
wrote 50 years earlier, that Strauss quotes in the last song,
when he's contemplating his own death. Highly recommended (if
not particularly jolly)!
20th CENTURY LISTENABLE
Altert! Steer clear of anything by Boulez, Stockhausen, Berio,
Dallapiccola, most Schoenberg!
Now the good stuff - Prokofiev "Romeo and Juliet". The full ballet
runs to about 2 hours, so there're excerts and suites to go for.
The top recommendation for the full wack is Maazel on Decca
4529702 or Previn/LSO on EMI CZS5686072, both (2CDs for the
price of 1, for as little as £11 - over 2 hours of music but worth
it), and there's also a good highlights disc by Ozawa/Boston (DG
4394922). There's also the Lieutenant Kije suite - often coupled
with Kodaly's Hary Janos - the "Romance" movement will be
very familiar to Sting fans as he lifted the tune for "Russians",
and the "Troika" movement is often used by the BBC for
plugging its Xmas schedule (although I'm probably
recommending this in spite of rather than because of that).
Talking of Hary Janos - try Ivan Fischer with the Budapest
Festival Orchestra on Philips 462824-2, and you may wish to
check your fillings (and speaker cones) are still in place after
track 15 (and 16's just as good). The couplings are the Dances
from Galanta and Marosszek - a classical muscian's take on
traditional Hungarian folk dances - and some childrens choir
stuff. This last may not be quite so enthralling, but it's giving a
bit more of the tradition from which the music stems - and
they're short so just skip the track if they're not you cup of tea.
This is stunningly played and recorded - you'll never again say
classical is soft and slow after hearing this (just ask robert_cyrus
and whoever was in the Wilson Benesch/Audionet room at the
Heathrow show when I subjected them to that!).
If you get on well with this, then try "The Rite of Spring" by
Stravinky - a bigger challenge and certainly not background
music, but incredibly rewarding, and full of raw, vital energy. Not
sure what to recommend here - I have Tilson-Thomas/
SanFrancisco on RCA, but that's part of a 3CD set. There's a
highly respected new disc by Gergiev/Kirov on Philips 4680352 -
coupled with Scriabin's Poem of Ecstacy, not something I'd
normally recommend as a starter piece, but it'll sure test out the
hi-fi! Although I've not heard it I would imaging Boulez on Sony
SMK64109 would be good (coupled with Petrushka), or
Stravinsky himself conducting also on Sony SMK60011 (coupled
with Firebird - the finale will be familiar to Yes fans, I believe it's
what they used to bring them on stage) - I notice this last disc is
also available on SACD - Sony SS89062.
The other big name Russian is Shostakovich - best known for his
15 symphonies. He is uneven, and often manages to get some
of the most overwhelming and draining music I've ever heard
next to stuff of the most mind-numbing banality, but should
definitely be heard. Best is probably No 10, most popular are
nos 1 and 5, my favourite is no 8 (written following the Battle of
Stalingrad), most notorious is the 7th, written and performed
during the siege of Leningrad (has some truly spectacular
moments but Ernest Newman - a famous critic/commentator -
said that `the position of the symphony in the musical map of
the future will be located between so many degrees longitude
and so many degrees platitude') - 2 and 3 are unmitigated
drivel. Big DSCH fans talk in hushed tones of Mravinsky's
performances from the early '60s with the Leningrad Phil - his
8th has just been reissued by BBC Legends BBCL40022, Previn/
LSO on 4632622 is also stunning.
For something a bit more fun - Aaron Copland is a good bet,
particularly played by Bernstein. His ballets "Billy the Kid", and
"Rodeo" are great fun, and ooze the American west. There is of
course also "Fanfare for the Common Man" and "Appalachian
Spring". Be a bit careful with some of his other stuff though
because he had two very different sides: fun and astringent.
Also stradling the Romantic/20th century boundary is Maurice
Ravel - I guess you've pretty much all heard Bolero at some
time. One of the best interpreters in this repertoire is Charles
Dutoit, with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and there's a
double CD dirt cheap at as little as £9, Decca 4602142. This has
Bolero and La Valse (probably his second most famous piece),
Rhapsodie Espagnole, and a superb (although slightly more
challenging) ballet, Daphnis and Chloe.
ENGLISH
Almost anything by Vaughan Williams (probably not the 4th
symphony though). There's of couse the ubiquitous "Fantasia on
a theme of Thomas Tallis" and "Lark Ascending", but for a bit
more meat (and about an hour long) there's the "London
Symphony" (e.g. the glorious but slightly controversial "original
version" recording by Hickox/LSO on Chandos CHAN 9902).
Holst - "The Planets". Excellent piece, despite( ) being so
popular. Go for Charles Dutoit/Montreal on Decca/Pengiun
(4606062), or Previn/LSO originally on EMI, but which doesn't
seem to be available currently, but is/was also available on
HMV's own label (7676212 - also seems to no longer be
available). Again, Holst has two very different styles, so be a bit
careful with his other stuff.
ROMANTIC
Tones has also covered this pretty well.
For Brahms I would add Piano Concerto No 1 - written in his
younger days while still full of passion, and before he'd come to
terms with his (allegedly unrequited) love for his best friend/
mentor's wife! Pf No 2 is probably technically better, but the fire
and longing in No 1 just melts you.
For Sibelius, the next step after Finlandia, the Karelia Suite and
Valse Triste is probably Symphony No 2 - the finale really whips
up the Finnish national pride - and then No 6. Avoid No 4 (just as
for Vaughan Williams) until you're really sure you like his music.
The front running interpreters here are probably Osmo Vanska,
Sakari Oramo and Colin Davis.
And as Beethoven changed music once, Wa**er (the official
insertion is "gn", others may differ) changed it again. While I
now love the singing bit, it was a big turn off for a long time.
There's no-one who can conjour up deep dark colourations like
Richard W though, so you may like to try some of the following:
Lohengrin Prelude Act I (the Act III prelude is the more
commonly played but is too bombastic even for me)
Tannhauser: Overture
Flying Dutchman: Overture
Die Walkure: Ride of the Valkyries (and I said I found the
Lohengrin bombastic )
Gotterdammerung: Siegfried's funeral march
Tristan and Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod
If you like that, you may also like to try some of Richard
Strauss' tone poems. I've already mentioned Death and
Transfiguration, but the other major popular ones are "Don
Juan" and "Till Eulenspiegels Merry Pranks" (although I suspect
the translation is a bt toned down for English speakers). The
undisputed master for Strauss' orchestral music is Herbert von
Karajan with the Berlin Phil on DG - but generally go for the pre-
digital versions recorded in the 1970s.
And another follow-on recommendation is Schoenberg's
"Verklaerte Nacht" - despite my earlier health warning (the
magic number here is "Op 11" - do not touch anything beyond
that without very secure water wings!). Again, Karajan is pre-
eminent here (DG 4577212, coupled with "Pelleas and
Melisande"). Still at the heavy end, but on occasions using a
much more delicate brush, there's the current top of the
classical hit parade, Gustav Mahler. If you've got this far try
Symphony no 2 - about 80 minutes long, so be sure you want to
go there - it's glorious when you do though. My favourite for this
is Georg Solti, who really cannot be beaten for drama - there's a
good coupling of symphonies 1 and 2 on a two-for-one set
(Decca 4489212 - ah big problem with the recording, so have to
make big reservation on this recommendation - see below) -
although the currently acclaimed front-runner is Rattle on EMI
CDS7479628 (but v. expensive)
BEETHOVEN
As there's before- and after-Beethoven, there's also before- and
after-Eroica, the 3rd symphony (and not "Erotica" - Mrs Richie
may be good but she's not in this league). This piece, more than
any other ushered in the Romantic movement in music. The
funeral march (slow movement) can be quite overwhelming, and
the final movement incresibly uplifting. I wouldn't start with this
though.
My starting point would actually be Zinman's recording of the 7th
and 8th symphonies (Arte Nova 74321 563412) - a bit eclectic
but full of life and fun, and cheap. Carlos Kleiber also has a
couple of truly classic performances from the mid-70s (7th and
5th symphonies) on DG Originals 4474002.
Next stop would be the 9th "Choral" symphony - one of the best
and most invigorating pieces of music ever written. Go for
Karajan (preferably 1977 DG 4158322, or 1962 DG 4474012) -
but avoid his 1980s digital recording, aparrently crippled by the
soprano Janet Perry.
CHAMBER MUSIC
We've mentioned little of any kind of chamber music so far - I
guess as it's generally much more reserved in its presentation
and appeal. Things that may appeal though are:
Dvorak: Piano Quintet and "American" quartet, Op 96
Schubert: Quintet in C major, Op. Posth.
Mozart: Quintet in G minor K515
Beethoven: in addition to those tones mentioned, two of the
most transcendental are piano sonatas 31 and 32 (Op. 110 and
111)
I have and love all the above, but as I've had them all for a
very long time I'm not sure whether the versions I have are still
recommendations (or even available).
_________________
Graham
Thanks, Graham, that fills a few holes in mine quite nicely. I
should have mentioned that well-known Jew-hating, wife-stealing
weirdo Dickie Wagner - some of his stuff is magnificent, it's the
bits between the magnificent stuff I find a bit of a yawn (yes, I
know, total lack of vision). Mind you, he did like Beethoven's
9th. (which proves he wasn't all bad) and apparently he used to
sit with the score open in front of him for inspiration).
Speaking of the 9th., this was what made CDs what they are -
Sony's insistence that the 9th. (enormously popular in Japan) fit
on one disc made the length 75 minutes, not the 45 that Philips
wanted. I always find the last movement a collection of bits - but
they're magnificent bits and they include one of the greatest
tunes ever written.
I steered away from chamber music, because it tends to be
more of an acquired taste, but there's a whole universe of it to
explore. I recently acquired the Askenaszy/Perlmann/Harrell
Beethoven piano trios set. Wonderful stuff, and nicely recorded.
P.S. Why not the classic King's College/Roy Goodman version of
Allegri's Miserere? It's cheaper than the Tallis Scholars one! (Is
that the one with Alison Stamp as treble, or has there been
another since then?).
_________________
Tones, whose Bach remains better than his byte
Back to top
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2002 12:56 pm Post subject:
------------------------------------------------------------ --------------
------
Following on from the discussion with GTM on the subject of
Wolfie, I should just like to add that, when deciding what
classical music to buy, the old hi-fi adage, "Trust your ears" is
even more important than it is with the equipment. You know
what you like, so buy that, not what any reviewer likes. And that
goes for even the likes of "Gramophone", many of whose
reviewers are music scholars and authors. For example, my
very favourite work is Monteverdi's marvellous Vespro della
Beata Vergine of 1610. My favourite version is Gardiner's
extraordinary live performance in San Marco, Venice (I also
have the video!). To me, this knocks spot off any other version,
and if I lend it to anyone, it usually comes back quickly, because
the borrower rushes out and buys his or her own. Yet, most
critics "can" Gardiner, usually on the grounds of taking liberties
with the piece. They all prefer Andrew Parrott's - this is
excellently performed, but it sounds to me like a mildly
rescusitated museum piece, rather than a piece of living, vibrant
music.
Moral of the story, use the reviewers as general guidelines, but
make up your own mind. It matters not that you know nowt
about matters technical (I don't - can't read music, can't play an
instrument) - classical music is there to be enjoyed, not
endured. So, if you don't like it, as GTM doesn't like Mozart,
don't feel guilty about it, because you think you "should" like it,
because of it's "quality" or something else. Heaven knows, there
are enough musical snobs in the world. It can happen that, as
your musical "palate" becomes more used to the genre, you
come to like it. Another favourite is Bach's Goldberg Variations.
If someone had presented me with this when I first started
listening to classical, I would have run a mile. But there came a
time when I was ready for it.
Classical is a journey that will last a lifetime. It varies from
plainchant and the songs of the troubadors to the various
modern forms. There is something for absolutely everyone in
there. The fact that you don't like it all is irrelevant (I still can't
come to grips with modern stuff), but there's a lot more good
listening out there. Go forth and enjoy!
still tones wrote:
"Trust your ears" is even more important than it is with the
equipment. You know what you like, so buy that, not what any
reviewer likes.
Agreed 100% - and others may well hate lots of what we've
recommended here, performance or piece. My pet hates in
performers are Bernard Haitink as the most overrated conductor
(detailed to the exclusion of the music), Yehudi Menhuin as the
most overrated violinist (truly disgusting tone and apalling
intonation), and Emil Gilels as the most overrated pianist
(terrminally tedious and boring) - but these are all pretty sacred
cows in most quarters. And of course Mozart wrote some
dreadfully trite and repetitive music (in addition to some of
undoubted genius)!
BTW I've just added/corrected some more recording details to
my original post - and cannot believe I omitted Ravel from the
initial list.
_________________
Graham
_________________
__________________
The man with the golden ear trumpet
-----------------------------
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Mr Musicman - det er altså gode skiver du her anbefaler. Jeg har ikke Chopin på Hyperion men med det høje nivaue og Dimidenko ved klaveret så hut jeg visker - er der dømt god lyd. Hyperion er på nuværende det eneste selskab der kunne forføre mig til sacd. 
Mozart er det Grumiaux og Davis? - nydes her på sorte skiver 33 gange i minuttet.
Big Bang!!!
. Tror det er fra en nedlagt radio eller en der er gået over digi. 
