The Classical Music Guide Forums

Unfortunately, I didn't know about the postal holiday as well. I intended to mail in my University of Chicago application, but it looks like I'll have to do it online.

Martinu- Epic of Gilgamesh
Kosler/ Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir
Naxos

His sixth String Quartet is brilliant as well.

I believe the listening comment is a Stravinsky joke.

To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also. - Igor Stravinsky

Mahler- Das Lied von de Erde
Bertini/ Cologne Radio Orchestra/ Ben Heppner/ Marjana Lipovsek
EMI Classics

This is only the second Mahler recording to which I've listened; so I'm pretty excited. The only other recording I've heard is Boulez and the BBC Symphony Orchestra recording of the 8th.

Bach- Fantasia in G Minor, BWV 572
Helmut Walcha
Deutsche Grammophon

Beethoven- Piano Trio in B Flat Major "Archduke", Op.97
Barenboim, Zukerman, du Pre
EMI Classics

I really enjoyed it. It was a great experience. The Pacific Symphony was playing Ravel's Mother Goose suite, Danielpour's Child's Reliquary, and Beethoven's "Eroica". Ravel's Mother Goose was just beautiful and magical. The "Pavane" was elegant. The "Tom Thumb" was mysterious; I could easily see Tom...

I'm not particularly well-versed in classical music and this is my first concert so pardon me if the review is amateurish, unrefined, and possibly skewed. The night's program consisted of Ravel's Mother Goose suite (Ma Mère l'Oye), followed by an orchestrated version of Danielpour's Child's Reliquar...

Berg- Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Webern, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Louis Krasner

I have the Rutter version as well. It's quite good and definitely a recording to buy if you want the version with a smaller orchestra.

Bruckner- Symphony No.0 in D Minor
Naxos
Tintner/ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland

Berg- Violin Concerto
Deutsche Grammophon
Anne-Sophie Mutter, James Levine, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

There's Benjamin Britten's War Requiem and Verdi's Requiem. For the War Requiem, you can't go wrong with the Decca recording with Britten himself conducting the London Symphony Orchestra! For the Verdi, there's another Decca recording that's pretty good; it has Solti conducting the Vienna Philharmon...

Piano Sonata No.14 "Moonlight" is part of an opus containing two piano sonatas: No.13 and No.14. Piano Sonata No.17 "Tempest" is part of an opus containing three piano sonatas: No.16, No.17, and No.18. So, to answer your question, no, Moonlight is not part of a bigger piece. It's one of the two pian...

Barber- Prayers of Kierkegaard
Mester, Louisville Orchestra

Sorry to give you the wrong idea, I tend to utilize rather dramatic diction sometimes. The effect that Schnittke's Second Symphony had on me wasn't as profound as you believe it to be. However, it did change me. It was a completely new experience that was stylistically and compositionally unlike any...

I ended up choosing the Pacific Symphony's event as my first concert. Just that fact that it's the premiere of an orchestrated version of a piece written in memory of the conductor's dead son screams to something inside me that this is going to be special. I'm sad about missing the other event since...

Barber- Medea Ballet Suite
Alsop/Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Naxos

I want to go to both of them, but it's in my best interest to not do both of them. I don't think I have the time to spare for two concerts considering I still have to do college apps and essays not to mention that's it's not exactly cheap going to a concert. I just want to make this time one to reme...

Well, normally it would be, but this is a bit of a special case. Normally, I'd choose without hesitation to attend the LA Philharmonic's program, but There's a lot of sentimental value and significance in the Pacific Symphony's program though so that's why I'm so so conflicted. There's an article ab...

On November 18, I'm turning seventeen. I just only got into classical music a few months ago and I haven't been to a concert yet. I asked my parents to let me go to a concert as a birthday present and they agreed to let me go! Obviously, I'm quite excited, but I don't really know which concert I wan...

Quite an experience. Glad to know someone here has braved this work and loves it. Well, the second Symphony was my first attempt at listening to Schnittke. It was a completely new experience, unlike anything I've every heard. It completely shattered my perceptions of music and opened my ears and mi...

Nobody's mentioned the Op.87, 24 Prelude and Fugues, yet; so, I might as well do it. I feel it's an under-appreciated masterpiece and one of the best contributions of any composer to piano literature, but that's just me. Keith Jarrett's version is pretty good, but it's unconventional. He plays the p...

I'm probably not the most qualified person to answer since I've only been listening to classical music for a few months, but I'll give it a shot. So, you want something angry or depressing? The third movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.23 can be interpreted as angry. There's Shostakovich's Strin...

Schnittke- Symphony No.2 "St.Florian"
Segerstam, Royal Stockholm Orchestra, Mikaeli Chamber Choir

Elgar- Enigma Variations
Monteux, London Symphony Orchestra

Mozart's Requiem does seem like it's more suited for a concert hall than a church. After listening to it a few times, one does outgrow it. Maybe you'll like Faure's Requiem or John Rutter's Requiem. If you like general sacred music, there's a large number of great pieces. Bach wrote some Masses and ...

Grace Williams Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes
London Symphony Orchestra

I know next to nothing about well-temperament and equal temperament. So I ask what are the advantages and disadvantages of well temperament and equal temperament?

Thank you for your replies.

Thanks for all of your replies.

gliere reminds of kalinnikov, but he doesn't sound like him. go ahead and listen to some tchaikovsky, he's fun. Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov are the only Russian composers that sound remotely like Kalinnikov, unforturnately, and even that is not a close match and not always predictably similar. Try ...

Hello, new to the forum. Sorry if I am posting this in the wrong place, hope it isn't a problem. Only 16 years old, 17 in a few weeks. I have developed an interest in classical music. I already played the cell at school for some years. I began to listen to classical music only recently. I always li...

I agree with most of the people here that different arts cannot be fairly compared because each art operates on its own set of rules. However, I would say that music is special because it escapes the binds of language and culture and speaks directly to the soul. In the case of instrumental music, pe...

Hello, I'm new here. I'm also new to classical music; I have only started listening to classical music for a little less than two months as of this moment. Anyhow, I probably should just get to the point. I just listened to Kalinnikov's Symphony No.1 today and I enjoyed it very much. So, I want to l...