Help needed: first steps with classical music

Edo,

here a few unsorted recommendations for you although it´s a wide wide field:

- A. Corelli: Trio Sonatas
- J.S. Bach: Organ works
- J.S. Bach: Mass in B minor
- W.A. Mozart: Horn Concertos
- N. Paganini: Capricci
- S. Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos
- F. Schubert: Impromptus
- G.P. Telemann: Fantasias for flute
- .
- .
- and all you can get from Bach, of course
Have a nice listening!

Christian

Not too imaginative, but tso easy to like

1) Beethoven 5/7 Symphonies, Kleiber DG (Super bit map remaster). What to say...

2) Haydn, London Symphonies, Davis, EMI. Two double disc sets, cheap, and great!

3) Bach, piano concertos, Perahia, Acad. St Martin , label?

4) Brahams/Stravinski Violin Concertos, Hiliary Hahn

Oops, out of time, will continue later...

Bruce

Also known as serious music. But how serious can Copeland's Appalaichan Spring (try to find the whole version not the suite). It's light and clean.

Stravinsky Petrushka
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Prokofiev Classical Symphony
And my favorite of the decade is
John Adams Chairman dDances

edo,

often people recommend cheap classical recordings (not in this thread yet) for the simple reason that they are decent and good vfm. however, i would advise to buy only interpretations which are beyond doubt. those vfm-recordings are often not the real thing and you might conclude that it is the composition that is boring while it is the interpretation. it might decide whether you are going to follow the road to classical music or not. i am sure the usual suspects will come up any minute with another ton of recommendations (and they are propably right).

personally i think you would be well advised to start with a piece you've heard before. beethoven's fifth (i too vote for kleiber on dg) for instance or even the four season by vivaldi 8(academy st. martins in the field made some good interpretations with iona brown). listen to them in full length and see what you get out of it. there are interpretations which make this presumably well known music very interesting. from there (or other well known pieces) there's a lot to explore. but there is no point in starting with the heavy stuff.

oh, yes. dvoraks ninth from the new world is exceptionally good for a start. you will be surprised how much of you've heard before but in different context.

The most important upgrade: Forget about your system.

If you've got access to a classical radio station (I would think there must be at least 1 available in Dutch airspace), start there. That way you get effectively free access to a wide range of material and can narrow down your field of view a bit: as it is "classical music" covers such a huge range it means effectively nothing in terms of knowing what to suggest.

If you have access to live concerts (anywhere near the Concertgebouw?) then that's a superb way to get acquainted with what's what, and enjoy yourself enormously in the process.
Pete.

Thank you for your recommendations so far, everyone. I'll try to plan a visit to a serious CD store ASAP and see what I can lay my hands on.

Concert-wise, the Concertgebouw is a 30 minute drive plus a 45 minute parking struggle. There's also the Amsterdam Stopera, which hosts excellent opera's every now and then and is built on top of an underground parking garage and lightrail station. Good idea to take the missus...

On the FM, we get Dutch Radio 4, which I think is too much about talking. Also, there's Classic FM, which seems to have quite a nice playlist. Through cable we even get BBC Radio 3 (mono). Might be a good idea to get that tuner into shape after all?!

Thanks again, and I'll keep you all posted on my experiences.

Cheers,

Edo

Edo,

Certainly see if you can start to listen to some radio, at least it will make it easier to get an idea of what is out there.

I suggest:-
Bach - Goldberg Variations (Glenn Gould - later version is my preference)
Satie - 3 Gymnopedies (you may have heard this else where)
Schumann - Piano Concerto (an excellent accessable work, the Alfred Brendal version is good)
Dvorak - Sym No.9 (already mentioned)
Mozart - Sym No.41 (you will probably recognise some of this, good place to start with symphonies)
Beethoven Sym Nos. 3,6
Bach - Cantatas Nos. 140 & 147 (here is the CD reference of the recording I have which will give you a good introduction to Bach's choral works 0 28943 18092 on Archiv)

The list could go on, but your best bet is to try and see what you like. A good guide is either the Penguin or Gramophone CD guides, these tend to give a guide on what good recordings are out there, or at least steer you clear of the bad (artistically rather recording quality). These recommendations are certainly not the greatest pieces of music but should give you a steping stone into some of the delights to be found.

enjoy

Matthew

So far I don't think anybody has mentioned Sibelius, who can be a very rewarding composer for a newcomer to the classical repertoire. Try his symphonies or tone poems to start with.

There are some excellent specialist classical music stores on the web, try www.crotchet.co.uk - they have recommendations to try and a very wide range.

I disagree with Thorsten's bias against the budget labels, there is a wealth of good music out there on CDs from the likes of Naxos and Ultima. I think its an excellent way to try a broad range of music at low cost. When you become more expert you will want to seek out the best interpretations of pieces you like. For a beginner I don't think its that important.

BBC Radio3 is excellent if you can get it - I'm listening to it on the web as I write this, but you do really need broadband web access to get acceptable broadcast quality.

Try also websites like www.classical.net or www.gramofile.co.uk which are superb resources of information and reviews on classical recordings.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy exploring the world of classics.
David

quote:

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BBC Radio3 is excellent if you can get it - I'm listening to it on the web as I write this, but you do really need broadband web access to get acceptable broadcast quality.

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I get it through cable (i.e. cable-cable, not internet-cable), so quality should be at least acceptable. Unfortunately, it is mono, and I haven't the foggiest idea why...

Cheers,

Edo

Edo,

When I started venturing into the world of 'classical' music a few years ago, I found that I preferred more recent works than the old favourites like Dvorak, Beethoven and Schumann. I began to appreciate the old favourites later on as my tastes matured (or, more likely, I became old and boring). You haven't told us much about the kind of music you like now, but I was into anything that was loud and raucous and didn't mind a side-serving of angst. Not surprisingly, the first classical composers that gripped me were Mahler and Shostakovich, both good for a fair racket and not short of angst! If this sounds like you, then try Mahler's first symphony (actually not that recent at all, but modern in attitude). Kubelik on DG is a good bet and is budget priced. Sounds great with the volume cranked up. Stravinsky ‘Rite of Spring’ might be a good choice for Techno-heads (goes at about 128 bpm in the version conducted by the composer if I remember correctly). Then you can go on to the Shostakovich, Bartok, Messiaen and Ligeti that Todd recommends. On the other hand if you are a mellow type who wants to chill-out then ignore all of the above.

I would concur with the suggestion to go out and see stuff live, though a season at the Concertgebouw might be quite an expensive toe-dip. Sometimes listening to the piece on disc a few times before a concert is a good idea, until you start to get to know the language of the music a new work doesn’t always grab you first time. This music is like beer and sex: don’t give up after just a couple of tries!

duncan

Edo --

Try some Vaughan Williams. Vastly underrated (although Richard Hickocks' recording of Symphony No. 2 'A London Symphony' was Gramophone's Record Of The Year last year). Beautiful, lyrical, romantic, visionary.

There are quite a few RVW collections available, giving an insight into the breadth of his genius. You can test the waters that way.

Also, Naim's own Classical sampler CD is a real treat (especially the piece by Gates), and, as you would expect, the recording quality is exemplary.

Cheers,

Tim

______________________________
Os nid Campagnolo yw hi, dyw hi ddim yn werth ei marcho...

Hi Edo,

I cannot recommend highly enough the Guinness Classical 1000 - it should be available from any good book shop. It covers the author's opinion on the top 1000 classical works and he chooses his favourite recordings. There are few misses and loads of suggestions that still make it a personal voyage of discovery despite my classical LP & CD collection now hitting the 20,000 mark...!!

As an introduction to Classical recorded works, it should be one of your first ports of call.

There are so many musical riches
awaiting your discovery, your life isn't going to be the same.... Have a great time!