Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Help for a Classical Music Neophyte
Although I enjoy classical music, I am woefully ignorant about it. At this point, my knowledge and exposure is pretty limited to Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, Tchaikovsky and Bach, but even my exposure to them is rather rudimentary. So I am turning to others to assist me in expanding my classical music horizons. The recent gift of a 60GB video IPod as a graduation gift has fueled my desire to expand my classical music library, so what suggestions do those of you who have more knowledge than me ( = just about anybody) for where to begin adding to my collection?
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8 comments:
Here is a website I recently discovered myself, it has free mp3's of classical music pieces.
http://www.classicalcat.net
There is a pretty good variety of composers and styles, and while missing some notable pieces it will certainly get you started.
Blessings,
Christine Myers
The Chopin Concerto #2, especially as played by Arturo Rubenstein, is particularly nice. The Rachmaninoff Concertos (any of them) are wonderful as well.
You didn't ask about vocal music -- but Opera can be a lot of fun to listen to, even without knowing the words.
Lastly, the British magazine "Gramaphone" sends out a sampler CD to all subscribers with each issue. It's a great way to be exposed to music you wouldn't otherwise have ever known about.
Christine,
Thanks for the helpful link; I'll have to dig around there a bit when time permits.
Phil,
Thanks for the suggestions. I tend to prefer non-vocal pieces. I've been to the opera once, and while I enjoyed it, I tend to listen to classical when I am working / writing / thinking, so I prefer no lyrics to distract. But maybe I've just not come across something that grabs me yet :)
Matt
Even if operas themselves might not work, you might try some opera overtures. You can get collections of Rossini's and Mozart's overtures, which are very delightful. You can also get collections of Wagner's overtures and preludes, which is some of most powerful and beautiful music ever composed.
In terms of non-opera, Haydn's symphonies and string quartets are accessible, enjoyable, and (if you want to think some about the art of musical form) educational.
You might also look for some of the conductor-defined collections to expose yourself to many composers. I would recommend there Bernstein, Szell, and Solti, and if you want to stretch your tastes, Boulez.
I have Brahms Requim if you want to borrow it. Conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. Just give me a call ahead.
Minor correction to Christine's post: the website is classiccat.net
I thank you for the tip as well.
Thanks to all of you who have replied. I'm making a list and I'll start working through it.
Blessings,
Matt
Rachmaninoff's piano concertos are really good, played by Konstantin Scherbakov.. Here's a link to his website, it contains a list of his recordings..
http://www.scherbakov.ch/
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