Favourite ‘Classical’ Music

[Fonz]

‘Visions de l’Amen’
Olivier Messiaen




Over 7 movements iirc there’s a narrative relating to interpretations of ‘Amen’. That makes it sound religious. I can only say that it doesn’t have to be-don’t be put off! Spiritual, definitely. Existential.

Written for 2 pianos, during the war, for himself and his student who became his wife, I think. (Yvonne Loriod)

The first movement is probably my fave piece of European ‘classical’.
It starts with nothing. Apparently random notes appear, like celestial bodies floating around in the ether. Through the addition of more matter the ‘body’ of the music starts to coalesce, into something really glorious.

I think it’s a bit of a masterpiece.

[Brickyard Jack]

I have just acquired a Boult doing Vaughan Williams box set.
VW is a genius, and I would pick the London Symphony as my favourite.

[joklend]

Four hundred years ago this piece was considered sacred. It was only allowed to be played at the Sistine Chapel at Easter and transcriptions of it were forbidden. Excommunication was threatened for anyone breaking the rule.

A story goes that a 14 year old Mozart heard the piece and was so taken by it that he managed to transcribe it by ear. The authorities were so impressed that they apparently let him off, with the Pope honoring him.

[the masked man]

Stravinsky 'The Rite Of Spring' - utterly violent and inspirational stuff.

[pig bodine]

Gygory Ligeti
Luigi Nono
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Luc Ferrari
Morton Feldman
Pablo Casals solo Bach Cello suites

[joklend]

Stravinsky 'The Rite Of Spring' - utterly violent and inspirational stuff.

I love that, pagan anarchy all the way through. Frightening piece of music.

[Nervous Ned]

Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis / The Lark Ascending

[George P. Smackers]

Mahler 9, Abbado/Berlin

[PresMuffley]

I'm a real sucker for baroque played on traditional instruments. The viol gives me a boner. So if Jordi Savall is involved, I'm interested.

Having said that, I'm not sure how anyone couldn't find something to love about Bach.

[pcqgod]

Mozart late symphonies, piano concertos
Vivaldi lute concertos
Haydn London symphony
Telemann triple concertos
Bach Brandenburg concertos
Tchaikovsky ballet suites
Piano and harpsichord music in general.
Generally nothing past the Romantics.

[Jimbo]

PDQ Bach

[joklend]

Not often heard on a cello, but it moves me to tears

[Polishgirl]

Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra

Pachelbel - Canon in D

Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis ( we had both the Pachelbel and the VW at our wedding )

Ravel- Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte

Allegri - Misere

Mozart- Requiem

Tavener- The Lamb ( makes me go all wobbly )

[Samoan]

Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85

[joklend]

[joklend]

Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85

Good shout. Heard it played at the Gateshead Sage a couple of years ago.

[Count Machuki]

Pachelbel - Canon in D

I could happily go the rest of my life never hearing that again. It's pretty the first 100 times, I guess.

Here's a piece I always campaign for...they call it The Mexican Rite of Spring but I think it's more than just a Stravinsky rip off. It's seldom played out, probably because it has its roots in a movie score, but I think it's an amazing piece.



REVUELTAS - La Noche de los Mayas

More than just a suite from a film score, La noche de los Mayas (Mayan Night) hurls itself at an audience like a Mexican Rite of Spring. Extravagant sonorities, panoramic scene-painting, and driving rhythms abound in this half-hour work, derived from the soundtrack of a 1939 film of the same name. Comparisons to Stravinsky may not be entirely appropriate, though, for here Revueltas' textures tend to be less complex than was the norm for his own compositions or those of Stravinsky's early maturity. The music is based on fairly limited Indian-type melodies, although Revueltas seems not to be quoting any actual indigenous tunes. In the bulk of his catalog, Revueltas introduced primitivism into music that generally had to do with twentieth century contexts. Here, though, the primitivism is more organic; instead of employing his usual mock-mariachi nationalism, Revueltas takes his inspiration from pre-Columbian Mexico. The scene throughout is nighttime, when the protective sun has withdrawn and left the Mayans to contend with the lively denizens of the underworld.

The work is in four movements. The first, "La noche de los Mayas," establishes a ritualistic ambience by repeating short motifs obsessively. (Revueltas also used this technique in his greatest hit, Sensemaya.) The second, "La noche de Jaranas" (Night of Revelry), is highly typical of the composer's concise tone poems (especially the likes of Alcancías, Caminos, and Janitzio) with its exciting syncopations and irregular cross-rhythms. The battery of native percussion takes over for the climax, after which the fiesta fades into the dawn.

Contrast comes with the mostly contemplative third movement, "La noche de Yucatán." It's the most episodic section of the suite; this may have to do with the music's cinematic origins, but even in his concert works Revueltas made a virtue of short-attention-span forms. The movement begins with a simple drumbeat-accompanied melody; it would be at home in Carlos Chávez's Sinfonía India, which was also based on Indian motifs. But this immediately gives way to an impassioned, lyrical theme for strings. The long, slow melodies that wind through this movement suggest the romance of the jungle, but not without acknowledging the underlying menace of the supernatural forces at large. The stunning finale, "Noche de encantamiento" (Night of Incantation), is an orgy of elemental ritualism in theme-and-variations form. This piece is dominated by four percussion groups of mainly native instruments pounding out increasingly complex rhythms; it even features an obsessive repeated-note solo for the conch shell.

[Muskrat]

[Your Friendly Neighbourhood Postman]

Pachelbel - Canon in D

I could happily go the rest of my life never hearing that again. It's pretty the first 100 times, I guess.

Here's a piece I always campaign for...they call it The Mexican Rite of Spring but I think it's more than just a Stravinsky rip off. It's seldom played out, probably because it has its roots in a movie score, but I think it's an amazing piece.



REVUELTAS - La Noche de los Mayas

More than just a suite from a film score, La noche de los Mayas (Mayan Night) hurls itself at an audience like a Mexican Rite of Spring. Extravagant sonorities, panoramic scene-painting, and driving rhythms abound in this half-hour work, derived from the soundtrack of a 1939 film of the same name. Comparisons to Stravinsky may not be entirely appropriate, though, for here Revueltas' textures tend to be less complex than was the norm for his own compositions or those of Stravinsky's early maturity. The music is based on fairly limited Indian-type melodies, although Revueltas seems not to be quoting any actual indigenous tunes. In the bulk of his catalog, Revueltas introduced primitivism into music that generally had to do with twentieth century contexts. Here, though, the primitivism is more organic; instead of employing his usual mock-mariachi nationalism, Revueltas takes his inspiration from pre-Columbian Mexico. The scene throughout is nighttime, when the protective sun has withdrawn and left the Mayans to contend with the lively denizens of the underworld.

The work is in four movements. The first, "La noche de los Mayas," establishes a ritualistic ambience by repeating short motifs obsessively. (Revueltas also used this technique in his greatest hit, Sensemaya.) The second, "La noche de Jaranas" (Night of Revelry), is highly typical of the composer's concise tone poems (especially the likes of Alcancías, Caminos, and Janitzio) with its exciting syncopations and irregular cross-rhythms. The battery of native percussion takes over for the climax, after which the fiesta fades into the dawn.

Contrast comes with the mostly contemplative third movement, "La noche de Yucatán." It's the most episodic section of the suite; this may have to do with the music's cinematic origins, but even in his concert works Revueltas made a virtue of short-attention-span forms. The movement begins with a simple drumbeat-accompanied melody; it would be at home in Carlos Chávez's Sinfonía India, which was also based on Indian motifs. But this immediately gives way to an impassioned, lyrical theme for strings. The long, slow melodies that wind through this movement suggest the romance of the jungle, but not without acknowledging the underlying menace of the supernatural forces at large. The stunning finale, "Noche de encantamiento" (Night of Incantation), is an orgy of elemental ritualism in theme-and-variations form. This piece is dominated by four percussion groups of mainly native instruments pounding out increasingly complex rhythms; it even features an obsessive repeated-note solo for the conch shell.

Get this one:



I bought it new and sealed for € 5.99.

Gorgeous. My bargain of 2017.

[Count Machuki]

Dudamel is a fucking hero. I'll look out for this, thanks