Classical Music

[DFJ]

I'm in the process of adding a classical music category to my Spotify account. My mother was a pianist and of course I was too stupid to pay much attention. Horses were my passion. I was familiar with the pieces she would play but couldn't tell you the title or composer.

Anyway, I wonder if any of you could recommend to me your favourites so I could become better educated. Any advice would be welcome.

 

[millyskate]

Chopin 1st piano concerto recording By Martha Argerich / Abbado with LSO
Some of my other favourite recordings include Roger Muraro’s Liszt B minor sonata and Tchaikovsky’s 1st piano concerto by Yuja Wang - ultimate amazingness.

Wonderful pieces you might enjoy : Beethoven’s pastoral symphony, Frank & Elgar’s piano and violin sonatas, Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia, Shostakovich Cello Concerto, Mozart’s clarinet concerto, Rachmaninov Vespers…

 

[Spun Silver]

Oh my goodness, what a huge question. Everyone has their favorites. Some suggestions (and be aware, SO much depends on the performance. If you don't care for something, try another performance and see if it makes a difference):

Beethoven's Archduke Trio and his piano concerto nos. 3-5 and his Eroica symphony and his late piano sonatas and string quartets and his opera Fidelio
schubert's Trout Quintet, also his hundreds of lieder/songs - try Gretchen am Spinnrade, Ganymed, Du bist die ruhe, Der Tod und das Mädchen, the cycles Die Schöne Müllerin, Winterreise... )
Bach Goldberg Variations and Well-Tempered Klavier (Compare performances of Glenn Gould vs Tatiana Nikolayeva - both marvelous IMO)
Mozart operas - Don Giovanni, Figaro, Idomeneo - and piano concerti - try nos. 9, 17, 22, 23, 25...
And Verdi operas, from Rigoletto to Falstaff...
Don't worry about the languages, you will find yourself learning "lieder German" and "opera Italian"...
So many riches await you!

 

[Japanfan]

Vivaldi Four Seasons

 

[Bunny Hop]

Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake. Yes, it's ballet, but the music on its own tells a story.
Tchaikovsky - Symphonies No.4 and No.5
Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto #2
Rimsky-Korsakov - Sheherazade
Shostakovich - The Gadfly Suite
Prokofiev - Classical Symphony
Saint Saens - Danse Macabre

 

[Wyliefan]

Here's an old thread that may be of use to you!

https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/essential-classical-music.92119/

 

[DFJ]

Oh my goodness. Thank you everyone. I'm grateful. I know how I will spend my day.

I'm sure my mother is looking down saying "See, I told you so".

ETA: Just found Moonlight Sonata; Georgi Cherkin. I can see my mother at the piano. A little heartbreaking.

 

[A.H.Black]

Your mother played the piano. You will want the great piano concertos and concert pieces.

Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto #1
Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto #2 (and #3)
Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor

This list is pretty good - https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/piano/best-piano-concertos/

Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue

I'm assuming she played a lot of Chopin, Beethoven, Bach, Debussy, Liszt, etc. so I won't list those.

 

[A.H.Black]

Now check out individual composers and find the pieces that fill you up with joy.

Ralph (pronounced Rafe) Vaughn Williams
Respighi
Copland
Saint Seans
Poulenc
Strauss, Richard and Johann
Mussorgsky
Prokofiev
Rimsky-Korsakov
Ravel
Smetana
Brittan
Humperdinck
Grieg
Albinoni
Debussy
Sibelius
Sousa

That's just off the top of my head but each of them have composed pieces that make me sit in the parking lot until they are finished. I'm sure others will add to the list - it's a very long list as you find more and more pieces and more and more composers. Classical music is endlessly interesting.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

Anything from Chopin! One of my favorites: https://youtu.be/X3JhMcb9R4c

 

[DFJ]

Thank you all so much. I have had the best day looking up all of your suggestions.

And you know what else I did? I went out and bought a piano. And, come hell or high water, I'm going to learn to play the damn thing.

 

[taf2002]

For 3 years I had to commute from Fort Worth to Dallas for work. I always arrived in Dallas stressed out from the traffic. A co-worker told me to listen to the classical radio station to keep me calm. After that I quit sweating the small stuff (like idiots cutting me off) & got to work in a good mood. And it taught me to really love classical music.

 

[Wyliefan]

Thank you all so much. I have had the best day looking up all of your suggestions.

And you know what else I did? I went out and bought a piano. And, come hell or high water, I'm going to learn to play the damn thing.

Good for you!

 

[A.H.Black]

Thank you all so much. I have had the best day looking up all of your suggestions.

And you know what else I did? I went out and bought a piano. And, come hell or high water, I'm going to learn to play the damn thing.

One year from now - just think how much you will have learned. A little bit every day. I offer you all the encouragement I can give.

 

[DFJ]

My piano arrives on Sunday. I'm nervously excited. I had to purchase a digital piano because I live in a condo and certainly didn't want to disturb my neighbours.

I would have loved to keep my mother's piano but her's was a late 19th century Steinway grand. A stunningly beautiful instrument but if I put it in my living room I'd have no room for any furniture so it had to be sold. The lovely gentleman who bought it sends me videos of him playing from time to time to show me that it is being taken care of. Very grateful.

Wish me luck.

 

[Wyliefan]

You got this! Excited for you!

 

[A.H.Black]

I would have loved to keep my mother's piano but her's was a late 19th century Steinway grand. A stunningly beautiful instrument but if I put it in my living room I'd have no room for any furniture so it had to be sold. The lovely gentleman who bought it sends me videos of him playing from time to time to show me that it is being taken care of. Very grateful.

I know of a woman who bought a Steinway instead of a house. Her mortgage was on the piano.

 

[DFJ]

I know of a woman who bought a Steinway instead of a house. Her mortgage was on the piano.

It was (and still is) beautiful. Carved ebony. When my parents built their last house, the builder had to reinforce the floor to accommodate the weight of the piano.

It was the last birthday present my dad bought for my mom before he passed away. It is being well cared for though so I'm happy.

 

[skateboy]

Putting this here for anyone interested.

One my represented tenors, Eric Laine, is currently online performing Vaughan Williams' On Wenlock Edge with instrumental ensemble. (Link will remain active even after live premiere):

Eric Laine, tenor - VAMS Elite Artist Series

Vaughan Williams: On Wenlock Edgewith Andreea Muţ, pianoMiranda Hollingsworth, violinGilyoung Kang, violinMelissa Escobar, violaSamuel Linzan, celloAired Ma...

youtu.be

 

[Prancer]

And you know what else I did? I went out and bought a piano. And, come hell or high water, I'm going to learn to play the damn thing.

Have fun! It's much easier to learn to play an instrument when you are young, but adult learners usually appreciate the experience more.

 

[Deleted member 1204]

My all-time favorite: the Prokofiev 3rd

Martha Argerich Plays Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3 | Singapore International Piano Festival 2018

Legendary pianist Martha Argerich, as part of her long-awaited Singapore debut, performed her signature Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3 at the 25th Singapore I...

tinyurl.com

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

Bumping this old thread up to celebrate the legendary American soprano Leontyne Price's 97th birthday.

I hope the FB link works - it shows a picture of Ms. Price with her brother and manager, Gen. George Price, and a message from his wife regarding Ms. Price's health and ability to vocalize to high F above high C.

Leontyne Price - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0gRWZHdiJBwGLfzj5Lqen3DUUgsTg7tnnP2QpRHFqP1EsL3znWz59ztkS2tbMjHCBl&id=761922215

 

[taf2002]

My all-time favorite: the Prokofiev 3rd

Martha Argerich Plays Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3 | Singapore International Piano Festival 2018

Legendary pianist Martha Argerich, as part of her long-awaited Singapore debut, performed her signature Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3 at the 25th Singapore I...

tinyurl.com

I love Prokofiev. I'm pretty sure this is the same concerto that Amy Irving won with in the movie The Competition. The music in this movie was glorious. And Ms Argerich's interpretation is wonderful.

 

[pat c]

All good choices.

I like watching yuja wang play.

Yuja Wang - Variations on the Turkish March (Odeonsplatz)

Full concert here: bit.ly/ValeryGergievYujaWangOdeonsplatzSubscribe to our channel for more videos http://ow.ly/ugONZ Yuja Wang: PianistMünchner Philharmonik...

www.youtube.com

 

[Jot the Dot Dot]

May have been written/recorded relatively recently, but two tracks from the soundtrack to Inferno by Keith Emerson . Enjoy! Inferno (Main theme)
Rose's Descent Into The Cellar

 

[eusebius]

I love Prokofiev. I'm pretty sure this is the same concerto that Amy Irving won with in the movie The Competition. The music in this movie was glorious. And Ms Argerich's interpretation is wonderful.

A concert I will never forget: 1st half - Martha Argerich with the Toronto Symphony playing Prokofiev 3rd; 2nd half - Oscar Peterson with his trio. This was in 2005 I think.

 

[alexikeguchi]

I just had the amazing privilege of hearing Emanuel Ax play Beethoven's Appassionata and Pathetique sonatas in a private concert for MD Anderson staff and patients. The acoustics perhaps weren't meant for classical music performance, but on the other hand it's so lovely to hear great works performed with the intimacy of chamber music rather than in a huge concert hall.

 

[Wyliefan]

I just had the amazing privilege of hearing Emanuel Ax play Beethoven's Appassionata and Pathetique sonatas in a private concert for MD Anderson staff and patients. The acoustics perhaps weren't meant for classical music performance, but on the other hand it's so lovely to hear great works performed with the intimacy of chamber music rather than in a huge concert hall.

How lovely!