Classical Music - Any Way In?

Classic FM isn't great for serious listening, but for someone knowing little or nothing at all about classical music and interested in trying, as per original question, I think it is a good starting place, especially if sampled at a few different times of day to catch different programming. Otherwise there's a risk of listening to a full symphony or two, and deciding symphonies - or, worse, classical music -  isn't for you, when what is wrong is you've heard two of styles that you don't like, where other styles you'd fall in love with - the different styles, coming in periods like visual art, means that by looking at a couple of impressionist paintings (or substitute any other style) you don't like paintings. Against that, classic FM is more like whizzing through a gallery stocked with many different styles.

once someone has found they like classical music, they can explore further, either within or across styles, and then the library approach really comes into its own (yes, I did that, too) - the modern equivalent I suppose may be an online streaming service, though that is a matter of personal preference - and finding one with a good classical selection if Qobuz disappears as being discussed I another thread.

Radio, or free MP3 quality streaming I suggest are good enough to decide if you like a piece of music before buying, though not perhaps to enjoy all  the nuances of different recordings of the same piece.

K90,

that box set certainly looks tempting for a starter pack. Might just have to click on it.

Dave

I don't know if this will help, but there are some great Masterclasses on Youtube.  I think they are worth listening to because the master is always engaging with the music, rather than the technical issues. Won't cost anything to look.  Anything with Vengerov on the violin, he's a fantastic teacher and very entertaining , and Barenboim on Beethoven. Some masterclasses are just too dry, but these two are generous and engaging.

There are plenty of excellent recommendations above to keep a new listener amused for quite some time, but here are some more anyway, with some performer recommendations as well:

Bach: Goldberg variations (try Andras Schiff)

Byrd: Masses for 3, 4 and 5 voices (Tallis scholars)

Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid (try Louis Lane on Telarc)

Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite (von Karajan), Piano Concerto (Leif Ove Andsnes)

Handel: Messiah or Coronation Anthems (can't go wrong with Trevor Pinnock)

Mozart: Flute & Harp concerto, Clarinet concerto

Mozart: Requiem

Orff: Carmina Burana (Berlin Phil conducted by Ozawa)

Mussorgsky: Pictures at and Exhibition and Night of Bald Mountain (try Lorin Maazel on Telarc for a fabulous performance and recording)

Vivaldi's Four Seasons is almost a cliche, but for good reason (try Tafelmusik on Sony Classical)

Mark

When I started Classic FM was just created as a radio station, their compiations, plus those that came with the magazines (remember them ?) were key to opening new doors to find the complete album, from the library et al.  The boxset I listed is a broad spectrum. If it wasn't for that my wife wouldn't be enjoying the Bach, Handel and Baroque albums that came after.

well, there's no easy way in... for instance, i myself began listening to classical music only when got bored with pop music and mass culture as a whole; however, even so, i first went with theater, rather than music itself, and set out for watching Wagner's Der Ring Des Niebelungen, but only as a theatrical piece while the music as such remained merely a noise to me... to my surprise, as i watched it more, the music has begun revealing to me and, finally, growing on me. Wagner operas have become my staple listen; i had collected all of them ever released on video, only to soon find out that the man wrote too few operas and i came to replaying each of them like for the 10th time around. Verdi, Mussorgsky, Rossini, Richard Strauss opera videos were added to my collection as a result; other composers' followed these.

It's a daunting prospect because there is so much of it and what people refer to as "classical" music actually spans a period from the 16th century (some might argue earlier in terms of choral music) to the present day, and covers a number of different periods and types of music.  The music developed over that long period and if you dip your toe in the water at various points on the journey you will get a sense of what suits your taste, and what doesn't.  You don't have to like all of it, indeed, you don't have to like any of it; there is a great deal of snobbishness around classical music and this is what puts off a lot of people who might otherwise enjoy it.

My personal likes and dislikes:

Early liturgic choral music: Thomas Tallis, Montiverdi and Palestrina etc.

Classical period - Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven orchestral 

Romantic period - lot of this leaves me cold esp. Brahms and Bruckner - do like Richard Strauss and some Sibelius orchestral

20th century - lots of interesting music - Stravinsky - Britten and may others like Copland and Philip Glass

I aslo enjoy singing from various eras - Schubert lieder and most opera

The thing is to dip in on Spotify and Radio 3. I would not recommend Classic FM and I'll tell you why; it's a bit like classical music for people that don't really like it.  Thomas Beecham said that "the English don't like music, but the love the noise it makes".  Classic FM is like eating the really rich part of a meal and leaving the rest.  When they play operatic recordings they play the "pay off" section of the arias without the build up sections that let one fully appreciate the "pay off"

Just some idle ramblings - try a few things - see if you like them.  It used to be a case of borrowing the LP's from the library.  Now you can do it 10 times easier with Spotify etc.

Now this might sound totally crazy but being a teenager in the sixties I was brought up on pop and rock, classical music was for others. Then, in the seventies I heard Louis Clark's "Hooked on Classics" and enjoyed a few of the 'tunes' that were whizzing past. This prompted me to investigate those tunes further which has led me, 40 years later, to be a lover of all things classical. There is no secret to it, great music is great music whatever the genre. Listen to whatever whets your musical appetite and follow wherever it takes you. The 'Gramophone' website can be a useful pointer.

This is an excellent ''crossover'' album mixing up classical pieces with world music. AND maybe the best sounding in my collection;

Andre Heuvelman; After Silence

For "an easy way in" I suggest listening to something that's likely to be familiar, or at least contain familiar parts.
An example might be Dvorak's Symphony No.9 - part of it is used in a well known bread advert, so at least it will kind of be a gentle introduction.
Music from the ballet "Swan Lake" is also likely to contain stuff you've heard before - or the William Tell Overture by Rossini - everyone knows and loves it!

You can't really go wrong with Bach, Beethoven or Mozart.

The Bach unaccompied cello by Starker on Mercury is one of the great recordings of all time. Any Klemperer conducting Mozart is great. 

But by all means buy a complete Beethoven symphonies. The one by Karajan on DG from the 1960s is a good place to start. 

Just to start, Impact (Orchestral) and melody fist impression: Brahms violin concerto, David Oistrakh and Radio France, old EMI recording sometimes flat but so musical.

Schumann piano concerto, beauty-beauty!

Pergolesi Stabat Mater... For the melody, peace and wonderful voice. Dorian, les violons du Roy and Dorothea Röschmann.

Enjoy

This will either sway you or not.  Listen to Wagner's Siegfried Funeral March from the opera Gotterdammerung.  For me the music is spell bounding in melody and atmosphere; a work from a genius.  

Bodger posted:

I had a reply from another recent thread suggesting classical music would be good listening and a meaningful step into a different listening pleasure. I have to admit I know nothing of this genre but like most, have been exposed to it inadvertently from film scores to beans adverts. I find the whole canon of work quite daunting. I know for most this will be a matter of personal taste, so wide is the choice. However, what I would like to hear is some simple suggestions for an “easy in” from folks in the know. I appreciate this is a tad tricky but it should be fun for those aficionados out there. Let’s try to avoid squabbling over “A” conducted by “B” and recorded at “C”. I really have no idea where to start and will be open minded about any suggestions.

 

Cheers

Dave

 

Well it's been a couple of months now, with lots of good suggestions above, have you have you found things you like?

Morton posted:

Bodger posted:

I had a reply from another recent thread suggesting classical music would be good listening and a meaningful step into a different listening pleasure. I have to admit I know nothing of this genre but like most, have been exposed to it inadvertently from film scores to beans adverts. I find the whole canon of work quite daunting. I know for most this will be a matter of personal taste, so wide is the choice. However, what I would like to hear is some simple suggestions for an “easy in” from folks in the know. I appreciate this is a tad tricky but it should be fun for those aficionados out there. Let’s try to avoid squabbling over “A” conducted by “B” and recorded at “C”. I really have no idea where to start and will be open minded about any suggestions.

 

Cheers

Dave

 

Well it's been a couple of months now, with lots of good suggestions above, have you have you found things you like?

Morton,

I did get some pangs of guilt when I read your post. I ahve been buying lots of new musinc but none of it so far has been classical. However, I've had a rifle through some suggestions and cut and pasted these into Amazon searches. I have now bought the following:

Bach Cello Suites, Janos Starker

Handel Messiah (DG the originals, not sure what this means) Trevor Pinnock

Mozart Requiem, some bloke called Karajan

Bach, Goldberg Variations, Andras Schiff.

Not an extensive list but at least a start. I have obviously heard of the composers before but do not know aht to expect. My home internet is pretty slow here so t'internet radio is not really an option. I shall report back on first impressions. probably late next week if "expedited delivery" lives up to its name.

Dave

I wonder how you made those selections. There are several guides to classical music which can help lead you to some of the better versions of certain pieces. Of course preference and recommendation are always subjective, but the differences can be significant. Try listening to Record Review on a Saturday morning on BBC Radio 3, particularly the comparative programme at 9:30am and you'll see what I mean.

I would strongly recommend listening to BBC R3 anyway (it's always on in my house). Most evenings there is a broadcast of a live concert. It's free and you may as well use it (while it lasts).

Clive,

the selections were just a random sample of the prior suggestions from the thread. Anyway, the order is placed now. As this is simply an introduction at this stage, agonising over versions of the same piece is what I wanted to avoid at this stage as stated in my original post.

Bodger posted:

Clive,

the selections were just a random sample of the prior suggestions from the thread. Anyway, the order is placed now. As this is simply an introduction at this stage, agonising over versions of the same piece is what I wanted to avoid at this stage as stated in my original post.

Well said.  You do not want to waste time over versions.  You just want to find piece of music that you either like or do not like.  I listen to classical music on the radio when I am driving and if I like a particular piece of music I make note of that particular piece and composer and do my research later on google.  For a beginner I would imagine its the composition what is important not who the particular conductor was involved.

Dear Romi,

While I am not going to say that your are wrong, I will say that for the starter it remains crucial that the recorded “version” selected of any given classical musical piece is sympathetic to the style and drive of the music.

Even today there are recordings being made that from the musical aspect are certainly enough to put a beginner off! 

So whilst I am not one for detailed argument over personal opinion about whether say Furtwangler or Toscanini was the greater conductor in a specific Beethoven Symphony, it may be valid to point out which recordings are less fine than either of these legendary Maestros of a long past era.

A case in point is Brahms, whose music is certainly prone, far too often, to quite dull performances. The result is that far too many people think Brahms himself is a bit dull! Not so, but certainly you need to find sympathetic and insightful performances of his music to find the way into it.

ATB from George

Dear all,

Many thanks for the comments and suggestions so far. I have an update as I wait for delivery of some taster CDs as noted above. I was discussing this topic with a colleague at work and she lent me some of her choices for “easy classical” music. I listened to 3 of these last night. These were in order of listening: Mozart piano concertos 23, 24-28; Mozart again Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; finally classical guitar by Joaquin Rodrigo which began with Concerto De Aranjuez. To this in the know this may be too light on detail but these were loose CDs without cases or liner notes. I’m not sure if classical guitar is strictly classical music but I’m sure someone can put me straight on this.

First up I should remind folks that I have never sat down to listen to Classical Music (CM). I have only brushed by CM via tv or film scores, famous adverts, phone muzak etc. Also, this was a true listening trial for CM as in the above examples, it accompanied other, mostly visual stimuli. Now it had to stand alone without distraction.

CD1. I listened to 13 of 14 tracks (movements?) before I sought a new disk. The music seemed to be very much more of the same. I was surprised how little actual piano was to the front and just how much orchestra dominated the music. The skill and virtuosity of the musicians was undeniable. However, I could not become emotionally involved much as I tried. What was the composer trying to convey. No idea. If you have to read a book before getting it, that is a black mark for me. The tempo was pretty similar throughout without too much of a break from the relentless background mass ranks of strings. No real bottom end for my bass players ears to follow. Lacking “normal” rhythmic signposts as I’m used to in R&B, soul, rock etc it was hard to divine any climax, ebb and flow.

CD2. I had actually heard this title before or come across the title somewhere. Tracks 4, 10 and 11 I had heard elsewhere and was at least on semi familiar territory. This proved to be a minus as I ended up skipping these a fair bit as it was not a trip into the unknown.

CD3. Guitar, at least this should be more familiar to my ears. This was quite enjoyable and having the lead instrument do just that, I was able to get some emotional feedback from the music. As with the piano concerto, I had expect more lead and less orchestra which again took over the overall stage. I am used to instruments backing leads rather than substituting for them. I heard some 4 tracks before bed.

Overall I am a little underwhelmed. The lack of vocals for me takes away much of the story, message and emotion of music. A lot of songwriters have something to say. Perhaps composers do too but I have not read the runes to date. I do not know if these particular CDs were typical of the sound quality found in CM but I had to play at much higher than normal volumes to really hear properly. With the lead violin washed away by the orchestra for the most part, you need the ears of a bat or are deluding yourselves if you are using a low spec system for CM replay. Or perhaps you need to be more sympatico with the genre to get it. I will persevere for a while and see if I can dig deeper.

Dave

Concerto De Orange Juice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8uoY9e5YVY

Sorry from George

George Fredrik Fiske posted:

Concerto De Orange Juice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8uoY9e5YVY

Sorry from George

Nice pipes.

Bodger - try the album I suggested on 11 November. 

Bodger posted:

What was the composer trying to convey. No idea.

not quite the right way to speak about someone like Mozart, because time has proven that he is a genius and can't go wrong, at least not in his above mentioned piano concerts and universally acclaimed masterpieces... the thing about classical music is that it exists not for listeners, but listeners exist for it.