Who's into Classical Music?

[nellyonthewing]

Puccini -'O mia bambinio caro' -just the thing to shrug off derby day blues.

 

[mikemcfc]

I've about 50 cd's and albums of classical music. I grab them from thrift stores for 50 cents or a dollar and have done well. I keep an eye out for the Telarc cd's and Deutsche Grammophon albums, as they seem very well recorded.
I've always liked classical but I don't have a fave as such. Like Basil Fawlty I do like Brahm's Third Racket, but as I listen to so much music in total when I rotate through my classical in between the other stuff it's so long till I get back to something again I've forgotten what it was, though I do put stuff aside that I really don't like.
I do own and like my infamous cd copy of Tchai's 1812 Overture with the digital canons with big warnings about blowing speakers! Apparently on the vinyl the crazy cut of the grooves for the canons could throw the stylus right out.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

I've about 50 cd's and albums.

Fucking hell, sort that post out. ;)

I've been getting into it more recently. I've found the problem is finding decent recordings. Because they're all public domain, anyone can put out a recording meaning there's no quality control unless you know which performer to look for (which I don't).

Anyway, a few of my favourites.







All of this, but the 3rd movement especially:



And of course the classic Tom and Jerry one...

 

[mikemcfc]

I've found the problem is finding decent recordings.

Like I posted, you can't go wrong with these companies, Deutsche Grammophon probably considered the best in my limited search, Telarc, ECM, Sony are very good as well, but I'm sure the real aficionados will steer you in the right direction.

 

[Mike Cledford]

Land of Hope and Glory and the Grand March from Aida are stimulating.

Aida Garifullina singing Casta Diva on u tube is one of several lady singers, pianists and violinists who are err ...also stimulating.

U tube keeps offering successive links to various attractive lady classical performers.i wonder how they categorise my interests for the links? No answers on a post card please.

 

[toffee balls]

Don’t mind if I do.
My old music teacher Mr Clough would be a proud man.

Listen to Classic FM and admit to being we’ll chuffed when I guess both the name of the piece and the composer.

 

[journolud]

I go through phases of listening to classical music and have a few LPs that I've collected from charity shops including a box set of Beethoven symphonies and used to have a lot of CDs. When I first got into it I had joined one of those clubs where you get a cd of the month and a catalogue, that was a good way of finding out about different stuff. I also had a copy of the Rough Guide to classical music which had recommended recordings.

Nowadays I use spotify which is a bit frustrating as it isn't easy to find a particular recoding although to be fair I'm not smart enough to notice big diferences in how its played. It's not that easy on spotify to fin d particular pieces either.I get to the Bridgewater occasionally, love sitting up top watching how it's all put together- favourite symphonies are Beethoven's 7th and Dvorak's 8th but like most things by these two composers. Dvorak's American quartet and serenade for strings are nice easy listening pieces.

For those who have the time it's worth getting on the mailing list for BBC shows, I've managed to get to seeafternoon concerts/ recordings by the BBC Philharmonic.You can apply for (free) tickets and then go in to a ballot.

Other recommended pieces Tchaikovsky and Sibelius violin concertos and Elgar cello concerto. Films worth watching: Hilary and Jackie about Jacqueline Du Pre, a cellist who developed MS but did the ultimate recording of the Elgar and Shine about the Australian pianistt David Helfgott who it is fair to say divides opinions but I saw him at the Bridgewater a year or so ago playing Rachmaninov's third piano concerto and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[journolud]

 

[journolud]

This was the first classical piece I got into, bits were used by Greg Lake in his I believe in father christmas and I think Sting has sampled it to

 

[KnaresboroughBlue]

I love most classical music.

There are many great composers that I enjoy listening to but Dvořák and Smetana are my two favourites. Both have composed some exceptional pieces but Smetana's 'Ma Vlast' and Dvořák's 'Slavonic Dances' are especially wonderful.