Classical Music

[SuperMikey]

Who are your particular favourites? Could be a composer, conductor, pianist, violinist, anything.

 

The genius violinist David Oistrakh is a hero of mine, his skill with a bow is just unrivalled by anyone. How you can get so much emotion and feeling from some strings, some horse hair and some wood is just beyond me.

 

 

 

[video=youtube;SKd0VII-l3A]

[bridge too far]

Isaac Stern was another great violinist. He actually used to cry whilst playing.

[Sheaf Saint]

Somebody who I have discovered only fairly recently is Ludovico Einaudi. A contemporary pianist / composer without compare IMO. Some of his music was used on the soundtrack to This is England 86 to amazing effect as the it captured the emotion of the film perfectly.

[miserableoldgit]

I love Vaughn Williams (esp The Lark Ascending which IMHO really does evoke the English countryside)and Handel. Some versions of "Largo" from "Xerxes" make me cry, as does"Nimrod" from Elgars "Enigma Variations". These choices may be somewhat predictable and populist but they are beautiful.

[miserableoldgit]

Oh, and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto! Bliss!

[Mao Cap]

Just discovered the overture to Tannhauser by Wagner (did a bit of digging round Youtube after that Stephen Fry documentary about him). Epic doesn't begin to describe it.

 

[video=youtube;GwhP-wY1ROY]

 

[Hamilton Saint]

Where to start?

 

- the late piano concertos by Mozart

- Bach's Brandenburg Concertos

- Vivaldi's Four Seasons

- Handel's Water Music and the 12 Concerti Grossi 0p. 6

- Haydn's London Symphonies

- Beethoven's symphonies (especially # 3, 5, 7 & 9)

- Beethoven's piano concertos

- Mendelssohn's A Midsummer's Night Dream, his symphonies and the violin concerto

- Chopin's waltzes and nocturnes (played by Rubinstein)

- Tchaikovsky's piano concerto, ballet music, and Symphony No. 6

- Mahler's early symphonies (#1 and #4 are the most accessible)

- Sibelius's symphonies

- Ravel's orchestral pieces

- Erik Satie's quirky piano pieces

- Vaughan Williams' symphonies

- Stravinsky's early ballets: The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

I have what you might call a low taste in obvious classical music, but this old (very old) piece has the power to move me more than I can adequately express.

 

 

Take the trouble to listen and understand it and its quite heartbreaking.

[Kadeem Hardison]

This is more my area of expertise. I consider myself a bit of an expert on classical music. My favourites are Bond, Nigel Kennedy, G4 and Enya.

[hamster]

used to love hearing my dad play his violin, all sort of mish-mash of the classics, really wish we'd recorded him. he's still with us but he never plays any more sadly.

 

my taste in the classics is constantly changing and i am no good at remembering the names and composers.

 

 

classic fm was a revealtion for me personally, when i used to get really stressed at work i'd say that classic fm saved me from many a road-rage incident.

pier gynt is always nice.