Do you listen to classical music? What era? What composers?

[DainBramaged]

I've been raised by parents who listened to a lot of classical music. This, and piano lessons for ten years, bred an innate appreciation for the music. I went from around 22-28ish where I didn't listen to a whole lot. But I really got back into it. Of all places, in Afghanistan. I'm now once again, pretty heavily into it. I mean, I listen to plenty of all types of music, but I really love classical.

I tend to find myself drawn to a lot of late-Romantic, early-Modern composers. Especially those who have a lot of piano. However, I love it all.

I would say that currently, my top five composers would be Shostakovich, Mahler, Rachmaninov, Gorecki, and Beethoven. Also high on the list would be Prokofiev, Brahms, Schumann and Chopin.

As for performers, I enjoy Murray Perahia, Helene Grimaud, Leonard Bernstein, Maurizio Pollini, and Trevor Pinnock, each for their own reason.

So yeah, what about you? Do you listen to classical music? Which style/era? Baroque? Romantic? Who are your top five composers, if you can narrow it down? What about performers?

 

[Platypus]

Romantic period for sure for me.

Chopin, Lizt, Wagner, Beethoven and Czerny, although the last one is a love/hate for me because of how fucking tedious his piano compositions were and how much I hated learning how to play them.

 

[smackababy]

I'd have to go with Baroque, but I really prefer Medieval and Renaissance stuff from before that. That probably has a lot to do with growing up playing Ultima Online though. The sound of a lute still brings back fond memories.

 

[JamesV]

About the only thing I listen to is Bolero by Ravel.

If I'm writing, doing some programming, or anything where I have to focus and think, that song increases my productivity and ability to focus.

 

[tHa ShIzNiT]

Yes...when i'm in the mood for it. I also took piano lessons for about 10 years when I was a kid. Haven't played much since then though, but I do play guitar. Anyways, I do listen to classical but not often.

mozart, beethoven, bach, schubert, brahms, debussy, gershwin (is he classical?)

favorite songs would be Air on g string, clair de lune, and gershwin's rhapsody in blue...and there are others too...moonlight sonata.

 

[smackababy]

Gershwin isn't technically classical, has he wasn't in the 19th century.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I've been raised by parents who listened to a lot of classical music. This, and piano lessons for ten years, bred an innate appreciation for the music. I went from around 22-28ish where I didn't listen to a whole lot. But I really got back into it. Of all places, in Afghanistan. I'm now once again, pretty heavily into it. I mean, I listen to plenty of all types of music, but I really love classical.

I tend to find myself drawn to a lot of late-Romantic, early-Modern composers. Especially those who have a lot of piano. However, I love it all.

I would say that currently, my top five composers would be Shostakovich, Mahler, Rachmaninov, Gorecki, and Beethoven. Also high on the list would be Prokofiev, Brahms, Schumann and Chopin.

As for performers, I enjoy Murray Perahia, Helene Grimaud, Leonard Bernstein, Maurizio Pollini, and Trevor Pinnock, each for their own reason.

So yeah, what about you? Do you listen to classical music? Which style/era? Baroque? Romantic? Who are your top five composers, if you can narrow it down? What about performers?

Ah, the angry Russians!

I'm more of a Bach kind of guy.

 

[lxskllr]

I like it more in the winter. I'm not particularly knowledgeable about it, but the stuff the local radio station plays is fine. I do tend to prefer modern composers(like Gershwin above). It swings a little more, and has fewer breaks in theme.

 

[MongGrel]

About the only thing I listen to is Bolero by Ravel.

If I'm writing, doing some programming, or anything where I have to focus and think, that song increases my productivity and ability to focus.

That is actually one of my all time favorites.

Bolero that is.

I remember a Thanksgiving I made a list of classical and having that running in the background at dinner and my Grandmother seemed in heaven.

I'm not picky on periods in classical, I just pick and choose and have some.

This is still one of my all time favorites before it even was absconded for a commercial.

Camille Saint-Saëns - Danse Macabre

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

I do like Bach, Wagner, Stravinsky, and a few others like Franz Liszt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Liszt

There is a lot of really good classical out there, of course. It always makes me laugh a bit when I'm listening to something I haven't before and recognize a passage that was ripped off in a modern song

 

[uhohs]

Baroque
Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, etc etc

Lutes, Mandolins, Harpsichords <3 <3 <3

 

[alzan]

A resounding third vote for Bolero. As far as classical composers:

Bach
Tchaikovsky
Beethoven
Litzt

I like some pieces by Wagner but I find most of his compositions somewhat depressing.

Also, probably not "classical" but I love John Phillip Sousa; the sheer brashness of his songs sets me humming and stomping every time.

 

[pete6032]

Romantic

Top 5 all eras:
Dvorak
Mussorgsky
Copeland
Beethoven
Chopin

 

[vailr]

In semi-chronological order, by date of composition:
Vocal music: most of The Tallis Scholars & The Sixteen recordings
J.S. Bach's keyboard & choral works; C.P.E. Bach's keyboard concertos.
Angela Hewitt's J.S. Bach piano music recordings are worth a listen.
The English Suites and Goldberg Variations are good examples.
Opera: Rossini overtures & Mozart overtures & late symphonies
Beethoven: symphonies & string quartets: Herbert von Karajan's 1960's Beethoven symphony recordings. His later 1981 recording of Strauss's "Eine Alpensinfonie" is also very good. It was actually the very first music CD ever released.
Bruckner: 11 symphonies (including numbers "0" & "00").
Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet
Widor: organ music; the CD set recorded in France by Ben van Oosten is excellent.
John Philip Sousa's band music for a change of pace.

 

[Craig234]

I find that a lot of things take time to learn to appreciate, including a lot of music, whether rock, classical or others.

I think to someone new to rock, it 'all sounds the same', but as you hear things over and over, you appreciate differences more and more and come to love and hate things.

Fans who get more into it will get excited over tiny differences in a song, such as a remastering or two different live versions with subtle differences.

I'm at the early level on classical. Most of it 'sounds the same' and is not of much interest at this point - but I pick up a few favorites that stand out, the first that comes to mind is 'in the hall of the mountain king', but there are a few others likely found on the 'greatest hits' type lists.

I have often wondered why we don't have more 'great' classical songs written now.

 

[norseamd]

Anything but I love the Romantic and 21st century eras. Some of the mixes of classical and electronica music are actually very good. Also I love Dvorak.

 

[mikeford]

I listen to it all, different stuff for different moods.

 

[Arcadio]

I like it more in the winter.

I thought I was the only one whose musical preferences varied with the seasons.

 

[manimal]

Since your in champaign you can enjoy tons at krannert! Go see Nathan gunn next time he performs at the school.


Love all things classical till the twelve tone era.



Nothing like Mahler or Beethoven live!

 

[Ichinisan]

Linkin Park.

 

[mistercrabby]

I've been raised by parents who listened to a lot of classical music.

Clarify please, are you specifying golden age 'classical' as a date range approximately from 1750 to 1830 or as a broad spectrum of analog mass orchestral music styles that include sonata, concerto, opera, orchestra using strings, brass, percussion and other traditional instruments regardless of time period?

If the former, then yes, all of it. Beethoven especially, No 9.

If the latter, then all of that too. Despite the proliferation of Pop music, of which most is dreadful, great music in the "classical" sense is still being composed and performed. Check out John Adams- this piece will wake ya up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUiv0jJl9zU

György Ligeti, especially if you like spacey stuff. He did some music for 2001: A space odyssey. This is his 'Lux Aeterna' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iVYu5lyX5M

ETC!

 

[pete6032]

Clarify please, are you specifying golden age 'classical' as a date range approximately from 1750 to 1830 or as a broad spectrum of analog mass orchestral music styles that include sonata, concerto, opera, orchestra using strings, brass, percussion and other traditional instruments regardless of time period?
ETC!

classical = broad spectrum of analog mass orchestral music styles that include sonata, concerto, opera, orchestra using strings, brass, percussion and other traditional instruments regardless of time period

Classical = date range approximately from 1750 to 1830

 

[DainBramaged]

Romantic period for sure for me.

Chopin, Lizt, Wagner, Beethoven and Czerny, although the last one is a love/hate for me because of how fucking tedious his piano compositions were and how much I hated learning how to play them.

Yeah dude, I agree with the Czerny appraisal. I went through a ton of his stuff, but don't know if I can honestly say that I ever mastered any of it. But then if I had I guess EMI would pay me to play music.

I adore Beethoven's symphony cycle (especially 2, 3, 6, and 8) and his piano concertos are amazing, though I favor 4 and 5. I love Liszt, too.

If I'm writing, doing some programming, or anything where I have to focus and think, that song increases my productivity and ability to focus.

If I'm reading or writing, I cannot listen to anything with words so I'm really appreciating classical right now.

Since your in champaign you can enjoy tons at krannert! Go see Nathan gunn next time he performs at the school.

Nothing like Mahler or Beethoven live!

I've already been to a few performances at Krannert. Love it. And I agree with you on the live Beethoven. I would LOVE to hear Mahler live. Someday.

 

[DainBramaged]

Clarify please, are you specifying golden age 'classical' as a date range approximately from 1750 to 1830 or as a broad spectrum of analog mass orchestral music styles that include sonata, concerto, opera, orchestra using strings, brass, percussion and other traditional instruments regardless of time period?

If the former, then yes, all of it. Beethoven especially, No 9.

If the latter, then all of that too. Despite the proliferation of Pop music, of which most is dreadful, great music in the "classical" sense is still being composed and performed. Check out John Adams- this piece will wake ya up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUiv0jJl9zU

György Ligeti, especially if you like spacey stuff. He did some music for 2001: A space odyssey. This is his 'Lux Aeterna' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iVYu5lyX5M

ETC!

I was using it more as a general term, not specific to the Classical era. I would have thought that my favorites of Gorecki and Shastakovich would have given that away.

 

[manimal]

Yeah dude, I agree with the Czerny appraisal. I went through a ton of his stuff, but don't know if I can honestly say that I ever mastered any of it. But then if I had I guess EMI would pay me to play music.

I adore Beethoven's symphony cycle (especially 2, 3, 6, and 8) and his piano concertos are amazing, though I favor 4 and 5. I love Liszt, too.



If I'm reading or writing, I cannot listen to anything with words so I'm really appreciating classical right now.



I've already been to a few performances at Krannert. Love it. And I agree with you on the live Beethoven. I would LOVE to hear Mahler live. Someday.

Miss me some Timpones afterwards too!

Krannert great hall is a wonderous place to listen to instrumental music. No need for sound reinforcement and the acoustics used to be top five in the world. Still world class and a cheap ticket most events too!

Since your local join some of the discussions before the performances they give in the intermezzo well worth the time! Most of the time you can meet the performers afterwards and have a glass of wine or bubbly!

 

[brianmanahan]

oh yeah

mainly bach, with some beethoven, mozart, handel, rachmaninoff