Looking for classical music recommendations

[midnight armadillo]

My new office has a very liberal policy towards stereo use, which is nice since I like to listen to my CD (i.e. mp3's) collection while working. While in grad school I could get away with blaring "The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste" I have to be a little quieter here.

I'm looking to expand my classical music collection, which is currently largely limited to classical guitar stuff. I'm not looking for anything really in particular although I am partial to Bach and Chopin.

Can any DU'ers recommend some good solo piano/quartet/etc type CDs to check out?Thanks!

[bif]

1. The Beethoven string quartets are excellent

Also the Glen Gould "Goldberg Variations" are good.

[phiddle]

2. A few of my favorites:

Arthur Rubenstein plays Chopin Ballades (RCA)
Rubenstein + Guarneri 4tet in Brahms Piano Quartets and Quintet (RCA)
Mozart Viola Quintets, Grumiaux Trio + Friends (Philips)
Glen Gould plays Bach Goldberg Variations (CBS?)
the Late Quartets of Beethoven, Budapest Quartet (CBS?)

[RoBear]

3. Adagio for strings

There's a recording of several versions: original, brass, vocal, etc. Very interesting and has the feel of a loop repeating but no quite, if that's not too confusing. I also used to use the Chopin Etudes, but some of them CAN be a bit distracting. You might also check into collections. I have one that is intended for late night "mood" purposes and includes Pavane for a Dead Princess among others. Very quiet and tasteful.

[Spider Jerusalem]

29. You mean Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, yes?

You didn't say, so that can be confusing.

[nine30]

4. Classical personal favorites

Some of my favorites:

Beethoven string quartets - Op 57 ( Razumovsky ), Op 129, 131, 135

Beethoven piano sonata - Op 57 ( Appassionata), Moonlight (Op 14), Pathetique (Op 8). All of his 31 sonatas are excellent.

Mozart piano concertos - No 20, 21, 22,25

Chopin - "minute" waltz (Op 64), Berceuse. In fact almost anything by him -mazurkas, etudes, polonaises, waltzes, preludes

Bach - Well Tempered Klavier. The Goldberg Variations by Glenn Gould is superb.

[Donkeyboy75]

5. It's cliche,

but nothing beats Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, IMHO.

[jdots]

7. Bach cooks like no other

Copeland rocks and if you want people in the office to get sucidal Erik Satie there are good and bad compilation c.d.s out there at bargan prices .

[SnowGoose]

6. First impulse

Bach's Suites for solo cello:

definitely get the one by Mstislav Rostropovich (I'm not one of those who can typically hop on a particular performance as more accomplished than others, but this is an exception. This is my favorite classical recording of all time, even though it's not my favorite piece of all time). You can hear snippets at Amazon.com.

If you want something not too interruptive (as Tom Waits would say), you might like Allegri's "Miserere". The story often told (who knows if it's true) is that the Vatican was going to clamp down on this newfangled polyphony thing, but that when the pope heard the beauty of this piece, it saved the day for the advancement of western music. I have three versions of this composition, and the best one is actually one of the cheaper ones, performed by King's College Choir. It's a choral masterwork - really nice.

If the office is full of adventurous folks, you might try something like Kronos Quartet (Black Angels is a good first try). Some people find it grating, I find it does for me what the Ministry album you mentioned does. It grates me (pleasantly).

If, on the other hand, the office is more like a typical office, you might be better off with things like Handel's Watermusic, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos.

If it's somewhere in between, maybe Stravinsky would be a good choice. Everybody's heard the "Firebird".

Try your local library for risk-free listening. There's usually a decent number of classical CD's, and they're often "in stock" as there seems to be less demand for this music in most places.

OK, one last recommendation. This is my favorite classical piece of all time. Weber's Andante & Hungarian Rondo. It was originally written for cello, but is more popular in a transcription for bassoon. It's not that well known, but everyone I've played it for has reacted positively (to varying degrees of course). To my ears, it's pretty much perfect, but to be honest, I've never met anyone else who feels that way. It's very pretty and non-challenging, but has an emotional depth in places that just speaks to me. No accounting for taste. It's usually paired with some plesant double reed concerto, and would be unlikely to raise any hackles.

Best of luck.

[mac56]

8. Ahhhh! Bach!

The Brandenburgs are not to be missed.

[Richardo]

11. I second the Brandenburg Concertos + a liberal amount of Handel & Vivaldi

...being the baroque kinda guy I am. ;-)

[immoderate]

32. The Brandenburgs!

I have the Berlin Philharmonic, von Karajan, conducting. It's wonderful.

Also look for Ravel's Bolero, and the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony.

--IMM

[Richardo]

12. mac56, remind me where the 'Ahhh Bach' reference is from...

...I know it's funny but I can't recall... :shrug:

[mac56]

13. M*A*S*H.

Radar had a crush on a lovely new officer. He felt she was out of his league intellectually. Hawkeye and Trapper gave Radar a crash test on how to sound intelligent. One clue was to blissfully exclaim "Ahhh! Bach!" whenever music was discussed.

Add on edit: Like many lines from M*A*S*H, it's become a catchphrase in my home.

[Richardo]

14. Thanks!

I can just hear Gary Burghoff now.... "Ahhh! Bach!" :D

[Bluebear]

22. kick

[Bluebear]

23. More ideas! More I say!

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. Dvorak string quartets, mozart wind trios, quartets, and etc.

The Dvoraks are a little heavier listening - not as light and airy as the Mozarts.

Whether you will be forcing your neighbors to suffer from listening to your crap will somewhat determine what you listen to. If you don't mind feeding your music to other people, then you can go with some Dvorak, or Stravinsky chamber music, or Shostakovitch - or the aforementioned Kronos Quartet.

If others will hear your music, but you also hope not to offend, then stick with some stuff that's easier to listen to like Mozart, Bach, Handel, some Beethoven, etc., whether solo instruments, chamber groups, string quartets, wind ensembles, etc. Stay away from the orchestral stuff as it can tend to be up and down all over in volume, and overpowering for some people. If you are in the "don't want to bother" category of neighborly relations, then this music is good because it's the kind of stuff that hotels and other places play in lobbies, etc. - nice background music, you can pay attention to it if you want to, but it's also easy to ignore it. Kronos Quartet, Dvorak, Mahler, Symphonies, etc., are difficult to ignore.

Renaissance music is also good, unassuming music - recorder duos and quartets and etc., pieces for lute (just like the guitar stuff you already have) and other stringed instruments, etc.

[auburngrad82]

10. What's sitting on my desk as we speak...

JS Bach Brandenburg Concertos by the English Concert/Trevor Pinnock
Mozart Requiem by John Eliot Gardener
Cecilia Bartoli, If you love me, 18th century love songs
yo-yo ma plays Bach
A State Of Wonder, Glenn Gould (both versions of goldberg variations)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. Since you enjoy Baroque...

You might also enjoy listening to these 20th century compositions which are Baroque/Classical in form, but use contemporary orchestration and harmony:

Stravinsky- Pulcinella Suite
Prokofiev- Classical Symphony
Respighi- Ancient Airs and Dances
Hovhaness- Symphony #2 "Mysterious Mountain"

Enjoy! :nopity:

[ilovenicepeople]

16. Chopin ,Chopin,Chopin.

:nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :nopity: :hi:

[midnight armadillo]

17. Thanks everyone!!!

Thank you all for the suggestions! I will hit the library on the way home tonight and then the local used CD stores afterwards...

I had forgotten Prokofiev. I am quite fond of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer's version of Pictures at an Exhibition ;-) I'll definitely check out Kronos as well, since they were recommended to me once by an acquaintance on account of my Freeway Philharmonic and Bela Fleck CDs.

I can get away with a fair amount, but as one replier pointed out the orchestral stuff has too much of a dynamic range for low-level listening. I can always shut my door (as the guy with the 3 foot tall speakers does) but I'm still new and don't want to seem anti-social (yet).

Once I've bulked up the classical CDs I'll go back to expanding my jazz collection, which is weighted entirely too heavily by Pat Metheny discs right now.

[Bridget Burke]

33. A "Pictures at an Exhibition" recommendation.

Find "Sofia Recital 1958"--recorded by Sviatoslav Richter. It contains a solo piano rendition of "Pictures" that is is one of the most stunning performances on record. Primitive recording equipment, an audience coughing their heads off & a mistake or two--nothing matters but the music. This one is not for the office, unless you want everybody to stop working, gather around your desk & say "Oh, Shit!" But, give it a listen.

There are several years worth of fine suggestions on this list. I wanted to recommend a few recordings by I Salonisti, but most of their stuff has gone out of print. The genre of "Salon Music" includes lovely, refined pieces by small groups--ideal background music. The Tango Project has a couple of collections available; this is not truly authentic tango music, but so much passion might not work in the office.

Amazon.com has lots of info in their Classical music section--guides for beginners, samples & full downloads.

[Ratty]

18. Here are two Chopins and a Bach you will love

Chopin: Etudes performed by Maurizio Pollini
http://tinyurl.com/3ou72

Chopin: Waltzes performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy
http://tinyurl.com/44s3r

Bach: Toccata, Partita, English Suite #2 performed by Martha Ärgerich
http://tinyurl.com/3zn7f

It's too bad The Goldberg Variations performed by Pamela Pyle Resch isn't in print anymore as that one is the best. I've never been able to get into Gould's Bach.

These are piano solos, but there are some wicked good piano concertos out there too you know.

[Squeech]

19. Erik Satie

Most of his works were short; I think his complete piano works can be obtained on three CDs.

Trois Gymnopedies are his best known pieces, but I think the Sports et Divertissements are even better.

I like a lot of Debussy too, especially the Sunken Cathedral and Golliwog's Cakewalk.

[Bluebear]

20. Vaughan Williams: Fantasies/The Lark Ascending/Five Variants

"Exquisitely serene"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000004CVM/qid=1097523730/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/102-3592165-2489753?v=glance&s=classical

[Bluebear]

21. Ann Griffiths: The Virtuoso Harp

http://search.songsearch.com/scripts/itemdetail.taf?dist=dom&cb=72435727012&iartist=ANN%20GRIFFITHS&ititle=VIRTUOSO%20HARP&media=CD

[question everything]

24. Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez - for guitar

Vivaldi's mandoline concertos, Bach's French Suites.

And if you want a bit more modern: Liszt's Les Préludes and Richard Strauss' Alpine Symphony

And, of course, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2

[Bluebear]

25. Love your suggestions

Ever check out another Rodrigo work , Fantasía para un Gentil Hombre?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

26. If you're lucky enough to have a classical radio station in your area

listen to it for a while and buy what you like. Most such stations announce the name and performer of each piece before and after and also put their playlists up on their websites.

I got started as a classical record buyer when I lived in a dorm for students in the performing arts. I'd attend concerts and recitals with my friends and write down the names of pieces that impressed me. Then I'd go buy them.

There are no rules. Just buy what you like. I've been buying classical music for over thirty years and have about 200 CDs, but I'm missing some of the supposed "must haves."

[politicat]

27. Edward Elgar, Handel, Ravel and Rondo Veneziano

If you like Electronic Body Music (EBM), you've probably been exposed to Elgar. (Rob D Clubbed to Death and VNV Nation have both used the Enigma Variations.)

Handel is a recent acquistion for me; try to find some of the dances.

Ravel: I got interested in Ravel after some speculation that he had Alzheimer's and Bolero is a product of that; I can see where the idea comes from. I like Pavane and the Alborada del Gracioso.

Rondo Veneziano is a performing group that rather defies explanation in a short form: try here. http://www.rondoveneziano.it/

Pcat

[TrogL]

28. Glenn Gould

[bacchant]

30. Lately I've been enjoying Mozart piano concertos Nos. 19 and 20

Superbly arranged music.

[Spider Jerusalem]

31. Beethoven's piano sonatas are excellent.

My favourite is the "Hammerklavier" (no. 29). If you can find a recording, Daniel Barenboim has done many Beethoven sonatas quite beautifully.

Also, Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" is probably my favourite "modern" classical work (I recommend the recording of Andre Previn conducting the London Symphony Orchestra).

And, of course, there's Bach. Art of the Fugue, the Brandenburg Concertos...really hard to go wrong with Bach.