*Classical Composers: The Best

[ernestolynch]

Thanks to soulseek i have been educating myself....if you could take the works of just one composer to a desert island - whose would you take?

I've included the following in the poll, but please suggest your own favourites and why, plus recommeded pieces to download...

my own favourite, and always has, been Ludwig van Beethoven....tortured genius....etc

 

[tom796]

palestrina

 

[laptop]

"Bach or Mozart?" - as effective as "cats or dogs?" in finding out whether someone sees the world the way you do. And there's probably a correlation.

+ Sergei Prokofiev.

 

[ernestolynch]

go easy on me folks I's a beginner and all that

 

[montevideo]

not a word. I'm not saying a fucking word.


































Rimsky-Korsakov

 

[ernestolynch]

why is he good? fycin explain yourself please

 

[pilchardman]

I love Bach. I really do. Genius. The Cello suites; the Goldberg Variations, the Well-Tempered Clavier. Utterly fantastic. I'm particularly fond of Rostropovich's reading of the Cello Suites. Far superior, in my view, to other readings. A real affinity with the pieces.

It'd definately be Bach if I could only take one. He's head and shoulders above everyone. Next would probably be Schoenberg. I love his Pelleas und Melisande.

Third, but a close third, would be Debussy's piano works, and Satie's, too. Then maybe Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, or James MacMillan's Seven Last Words From The Cross. Then maybe Tavener and Bartok.

God; how can you chose? It'd probably be a different selection another day. But Bach will always be number one.

 

[ernestolynch]

Thanks p. - I'm after educating myself here, and Ive started downloading all the stuff you recomnmended. I got myself a set of £20 headphones from richer sounds and i cant explain how great it is to hear these symphonies through them.

My faves are Beethoven 9, 3 and 5 at the moment but I can't wait to have more time from toil to indulge more.

 

[tom796]

Ooooooo Tavener. I went to his all-night vigil last year. The Veil of the Temple. Bloody brilliant. Nothing better than lying on a rug in the gardens of the Temple Church, spliff in one hand, glass of wine in t'other, listening to a choir of Greek Orthodox drones showing you the way to G/god.

 

[tom796]

ern. please please please please (can i say it one more time?) please: download/acquire/steal...

Allegri's Miserere
Lotti's Crucifixus

you will not regret it. turn the volume as high as it goes, close your eyes.

 

[twistedAM]

Sibelius followed by Shostakovich. I like the heavy stuff.

 

[tom796]

pilchardman, what's that macmillan piece like?
i don't have a downloading thingy so would have to buy the cd to listen...

cheers

tom x

 

[ernestolynch]

please recommend stuff to download....

 

[pilchardman]

Ooooooo Tavener. I went to his all-night vigil last year. The Veil of the Temple. Bloody brilliant. Nothing better than lying on a rug in the gardens of the Temple Church, spliff in one hand, glass of wine in t'other, listening to a choir of Greek Orthodox drones showing you the way to G/god.

Yeah, Tavener's great. I was at a great gig at Stirling Castle a couple of years ago, and they played The Protecting Veil, and, I think, Thrinos, the solo cello piece. Magic. A friend of mine is a Greek Orthodox preacher (no, really. Very nice guy). And I love all that stuff. He introduced me to some really great Russian Orthodox choral stuff.

 

[tom796]

Wonderful. The Protecting Veil's great. The kind of music you've got to give time to. Let all those metastructures flow through you. Tavener's ethic's spot on in my opinion. Music as a form of abortive spiritual union. (Prob. not a popular idea in this godforsaken, heathen forum, but hey that's what I believe... would like to believe... )

 

[pilchardman]

pilchardman, what's that macmillan piece like?
i don't have a downloading thingy so would have to buy the cd to listen...

cheers

tom x

I love MacMillan. He's, in my view, one of the contemporary greats. It's funny as an atheist that so much of my classical (for want of a better word) taste is in religious music. MacMillan's another religious nut. But an inspired one. If you get a chance listen to Verily I Say Unto Thee from Seven Last Words. The whole piece is a choral suite, with fantastic violin. But that piece has this amazing high violin. it defies desription, really. Similar in some ways to the feeling of the Tavener cello piece I mention earlier. Maybe it's the religious thing. Very intense.

 

[montevideo]

Russian Sacred Music by Rimsky-Korsakov

Russian choral music. Church music. Angels descending from heaven, souls ascending to god & all that. Makes me think of death, in the nicest possible way. Sitting alone in cathedrals while candles flicker against the stone, creating shadows & some strange universe.

Bit of a lad by all accounts. Also composed flight of the bumblebee.

 

[butchersapron]

You'd should've been brought up irish catholic with a latin speaking priest and a whole choir on hand, every fucking morning...

Was quite nice the first few times....

 

[ernestolynch]

is it only me who likes beethoven then?

 

[butchersapron]

Might be, i've heard nothing by those on your poll. I'd probably like some of them - but i'm not going to feel middle class guilt if i don't.

 

[pilchardman]

is it only me who likes beethoven then?

I've got a good CD of his string quartets.

But he's a bit over exposed, y'know. There's nothing new to hear.

 

[ernestolynch]

what does 'over exposed' mean?

common?

 

[montevideo]

You'd should've been brought up irish catholic with a latin speaking priest and a whole choir on hand, every fucking morning...

Was quite nice the first few times....

ah but that's the point, missed out on all the religious stuff when i was a kid, even refused to say the lord's prayer in assembly... it's all catching up with me now.

Do have a thing about cathedrals though.

 

[pilchardman]

Hey, butch. Just like what you like. That's what I do. If I'm supposed to like it but I don't, it doesn't bother me.

Mozart, for example, is over rated in my view. Shock horror? Well, so what? Life's too short for "self improvement".

 

[ernestolynch]

even refused to say the lord's prayer in assembly...
.

jaysus we have a live one here lads....

 

[montevideo]

what does 'over exposed' mean?

common?

Appeals to the petit-bourgseoise.

 

[ernestolynch]

Mozart sounds great to me - /im well looking forward to that programme on BBC2 this friday.

 

[pilchardman]

what does 'over exposed' mean?

common?

God, no. I just meant I've heard it all to death. I've nothing against Beethoven. I'm just not going to rush out and buy Ode To Joy. S'all.

 

[butchersapron]

I've got a sneaking regard for Ernst Busch, the official 'liar' for East Germany - is this classical?

 

[ernestolynch]

why would anyone buy anything? its all free on the interweb.