Classical Music Thread

Francis Poulenc was a pretty cool guy: handsome, witty, and associated with Jean Cocteau and his arty crowd, he was a darling in the fashionable salons in early 20th century Paris (double coolness cred for being gay too). But since the death of a friend in 1930, he found solace in religion and started a series of religious works. And Gloria was among his final compositions:


The music is not witty like his early works, but neither is it solemn or meditative, instead its clear lines and uncomplicated harmonies bespeak a Haydnesque innocence. It is not life-changing music, but it made me very happy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zeorus
Karl Amadeus Hartmann lived through the two World Wars, and his music was a testament to the atrocity he witnessed (he famously withdrawn from public life during WWII, in protestation of the Nazi regime). Take for example his Symphony No.7. The first movement is marked "Introduktion und Ricercare". Now the word ricercare is usually associated with J.S. Bach, and indeed the movement itself is basically a two-part canon -- but you can hardly imagine anything further away from Bach. After a brief introduction the music overheats and stays white-hot, with thunderous percussion, and the sheer intensity makes listening for structure somewhat difficult.


This is music for people who finds Shostakovich not angsty enough.
 
I really enjoy Samuel Barber's masterpiece Adagio for Strings. It's a contemplative and thoughtful song with an emotional tone to it of a varying range. I consider to be one of the greatest pieces of classical music made that is 2nd to Schubert's Ave Maria. I got introduced to the song from a certain scene in a certain video game.


 
  • Like
Reactions: Slick Willy
I enjoy classical myself. Can't say I like one composer over another, as I enjoy them all.
 
I've probably posted this earlier in the thread somewhere, but this is the one piece of orchestral writing that moves me emotionally more than any other.


ETA: This is also a rare instance when reading the Youtube comments on a classical music video are worthwhile.
 
Giacinto Scelsi's star is rising in modernist circles. Of noble birth and was independently wealthy, Scelsi had always had his own way -- which included refusing to grant interviews or even be photographed. Another peculiarity about him is that he used to play one single note on the piano, repeatedly, for hours. He found that very calming. Before you whip out your armchair diagnosis, let me say he was about to channel his mental peculiarity into work of art -- as in his Four Pieces for the Orchestra on a Single Note:


Listening to the ebbing and flowing of orchestral washes, I am reminded of a traditional piece for the shakuhachi, Ajikan ("Mediation on the Word A"). Whether Scelsi knew about this piece or not, we will not be about to find out; but we do know he was influenced by Asian cultures -- many of his pieces bear mysterious titles that are monosyllabic or mantra-like -- and given his frequent visits to the Far East, he most likely was familiar with the shakuhachi. His compositions for the flute, for example Pywll, is very reminiscent of the bamboo sound and overblowings of shakuhachi.

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Zeorus
Fourth of July special: the most American composer of all time -- Charles Ives.


Although I must admit I still don't understand this piece.
 
  • Semper Fidelis
Reactions: Zeorus
Listening to a collection of early English keyboard music (Byrd, Gibbons, et al), I was startled by this anonymous piece of the 1530s (or perhaps even a bit earlier). I was delighted by its straightforward, folk-music character.

 
  • Semper Fidelis
  • Like
Reactions: Slick Willy and Zeorus
Positron said:
Listening to a collection of early English keyboard music (Byrd, Gibbons, et al), I was startled by this anonymous piece of the 1530s (or perhaps even a bit earlier). I was delighted by its straightforward, folk-music character.

Click to expand...

If you like this, you'll probably get a real kick out of Thomas Roseingrave.
 
  • Winner
  • Like
Reactions: Slick Willy and Positron
Bramhs projects a solemn, rigorous, even gruff persona in most of his works, but occasionally he lets his guard down and allows his sentimentality, his innocence, shine out -- and he is more endearing for that.

 
  • Agree
Reactions: Zeorus
Positron said:
Bramhs projects a solemn, rigorous, even gruff persona in most of his works, but occasionally he lets his guard down and allows his sentimentality, his innocence, shine out -- and he is more endearing for that.

Click to expand...

Contrast this with his rather somber organ music:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Positron
Josef Hassid was one of the finest classical violinists ever. Tortured by mental illness, sadly, he died a young man.


 
Last edited:
No matter how many versions of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" you've heard, you need to hear Fabio Biondi/Europa Galante's second recording on Virgin Classics. Biondi goes back to the manuscript source, and there are surprises abound, starting literally in the first bar of "Spring". All in all Biondi is very energetic and uses a rather brisk tempo, hence I find the "Autumn" a bit lacking in atmosphere, but the "Summer" can't be beat:

 
Anton Arensky is a contemporary of Tchaikovsky, and like Tchaikovsky, he had a nervous deposition and died fairly young. His huge output of composition sank into obscurity after his death, and his Piano Trio is about the only item that you can find in concert programs nowadays. Much pleasure can be had for listeners willing to explore his works though: all his four suites for piano duos are elegant and tuneful, especially the First Suite, with its fragrant blend of Russian airs and French salon music:

 
Benjamin Britten's six Canticles are all very different in instrumentation and subject matter (not all of them religious). The Second Canticle, Abraham and Isaac, is almost like a mini-opera for tenor, counter-tenor and piano. The piano underlines the emotional states of the two personality eloquently and with precision.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Witner04
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back