Do you like classical music?

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AndyRM

XOXO
Location
North Shields
Classical music snobs won't listen to Classic FM because it's 'too dumbed down'!

It's a commercial radio station.

It's not that it's "dumbed down" it's just that like with all commercial radio stations, it exists for advertising. And has been noted, doesn't actually play full pieces.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
Yeah I don't like opera...probably because of the (to me) over long repetitive Aria warblings!

I too dislike the ghastly warlby stuff, but early opera such as Montiverdi (who I prefer to his brother Guseppi) or Rameau are fantastic and the singers tend not to adopt that style of singing. I also like modern stuff like Philip Glass or John Adams.
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere

Profpointy

Legendary Member
I discovered Philip Glass a few years ago. Absolutely wonderful.

[media]
]View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdvD3sJh1M0[/medi


We've seen all of his "big 3" operas: Ahknaten, Einstein, and Satyagraha, which are collectively his masterpieces I think.

Was dithering over Einstein on the Beach as we'd been going to quite a lot of gigs at the time then decided to go for it by which time only hundred plus quid tickets were left so decided not to. On my (50th) birthday Mrs PP handed me an envelope containing two tickets. It took me a moment or two to spot it was in Amsterdam rather than the Barbican. Tickets plus flights were actually cheaper than the London tickets and the hotel was likely cheaper than London too, so we had a nice weekend away. Anyhow sat down in our seats, and they were doing the "one, two, three" counting thing that opens the show and people a few seats over seemed to be staring and pointing in our direction. I looked around and realised Phil himself was sat in the end of our row, having come over to see his show.

We saw Glass himself playing a few times: with his small band playing along to a silent movie, and also playing piano in a concert of his piano etudes

For anyone interested in Glass's music, the 3
operas mentioned above are a great start, also his string quartets (one used in the film The Truman Show), and the piano etudes.

Opening of Einstein


View: https://youtu.be/pdkjbI_LskI?feature=shared


We saw this fabulous ENO production of Akhnaten


View: https://youtu.be/5PcgXev7VlU?feature=shared


And likewise their Satyagraha (twice!)

View: https://youtu.be/RoAN_xDcmmI?feature=shared
 
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All uphill

Still rolling along
Location
Somerset
I listen to a lot of music dating from about 1880 onwards. Exactly the kind my music teacher hated!

We love the music of JS Bach, Vivaldi and Monteverdi too.

Mozart can get in the bin. :laugh:
 

mustang1

Legendary Member
Location
London, UK
Kind of, and that's because I really have to be in the right mood to listen to it. I'm usually not in such a mood though.

I saw a Honda NSX video where they played classical music and I liked it so much that I seemed it out.

Those occasions are very rare though.
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
I listen to a lot of music dating from about 1880 onwards. Exactly the kind my music teacher hated!

We love the music of JS Bach, Vivaldi and Monteverdi too.

Mozart can get in the bin. :laugh:

I'm with you there, even on Mozart. I acknowledge his genius but I don't find most of his stuff that interesting.

That said, I love some of his wind septets and also the Requiem
 
OP
OP
slow horse

slow horse

Well-Known Member
Classical music snobs won't listen to Classic FM because it's 'too dumbed down'!
Was listening to it on a drive yesterday, and concluded the worst thing is the constant repetition of "Classic FM." I realise they have to throw in a station identifier every once in a while, but while it does roll off the tongue, it's annoying after the 50th time.
 

Psamathe

Senior Member
I realise they have to throw in a station identifier every once in a while, but while it does roll off the tongue, it's annoying after the 50th time.
These days many devices playing it will have the name of the station on the player display.

Ian
 

Profpointy

Legendary Member
Classical music snobs won't listen to Classic FM because it's 'too dumbed down'!

Whilst I somewhat fit that category I did discover Arthur Honnager's music from Classic FM which is quite radical stuff compared to their more usual popular classics.


View: https://youtu.be/jK9mGN7KZg4?feature=shared



I'd not previously heard any of his excellent symphonies. "A bit like Shostakovich" might be a reasonable indication. Bought a very reasonably priced boxed set of his symphonies by the Tolouse orchestra and they were all fantastic. Prompted by another online discussion got another boxed set by another band too, giving a rather different take on it. Someone had mentioned a "missing trumpet" on the Tolouse lot's version of one symphony, but it seems our Arthur had himself done two versions.
 
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Psamathe

Senior Member
I like all sorts on music, maybe only exception is Jazz. Classical I mostly like baroque harpsichord music (Rameau, etc.), requiems, maybe not string quartet stuff.

But main reason for post is I like a lot of modern interpretations of older classical pieces. Love Tomita's interpretations and maybe he's surpassed by a more recent performer, again using analogue Moog synthesisers known as "Electro-transcriptions" eg well known piece:


OR not so well known piece


Ian
 

Ian H

Ancient randonneur
I like all sorts from Bela Fleck to Birtwhistle to Stockhausen to Scarlatti to Mingus, (I could go on). Never background music though: silence when driving. And I much prefer live music to recordings. The Budapest Cafe Orchestra are touring at the moment - worth catching if you can.
 
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