Western Classical Music

[smedhavi]

Thanks to Jagat's suggestion, I got some XRCDs from Acoustic Sounds.
I placed the order on Thursday and received the package in good condition in Bangalore, on Monday morning. I was not charged any duty by FedEx.

Thanks,
Sharad

 

[kooldeep]

You just have to start with Carmina Burana

popular song - 04-Atlanta Symphony Orchestra - Carmina Burana (Introduction)

i assure you that you must be feel this song if you have good quality headphones or audio setup.

 

[bhagwan]

Thanks to Jagat's suggestion, I got some XRCDs from Acoustic Sounds.
I placed the order on Thursday and received the package in good condition in Bangalore, on Monday morning. I was not charged any duty by FedEx.

Thanks,
Sharad

I was under the impression that Mr. Prithvi sold them [xrcd's] in India. I had got mine from him. Some 40 + a while - maybe 2 years back - from Bangalore.
Jelly Bean is what the company was called - I think.

 

[bandobast]

Western Classical music has very wide range.

I like rhythmical music maily but sometime sad but passionate music.

I recommend

In symphony

1)Mendelssorn Symphony No.4
2)Beethovan No.7
3)Elgar No.1

In Violine concerto

1)Mendelssorn
2)Tchaikovsky
3)Brahms
4)Beethoven

these are so called 4 major violine concerto.

5)Paganini
6)Khachaturian

These are also good

In Violine Sonata

1)Beethovan's violine sonatas
2)Mozart's violine sonatas

In Cello Concerto

1)Edward Elgar(Sad but Passionate)
2)Boccherini's all concertos
3)Dvorak(Sad but Passionate)

In Suite

1)Respigh's pine of rome
2)Holst's planets(especially Mars and Jupiter)

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
Tchaikovsky: The Seasons (awesome!)
Brahms : The 21 Hungarian Dances
Beethoven: Violin Sonata: Spring (so beautiful)
Mozart: Clarinet Concerto
Mozart: Clarinet Quintet
Strauss: Blue Danube

 

[psychotropic]

where would one find them?

any of the western classical fans here tried LIM xrcds? LIM for 'Lasting Impression Music' are historical recordings picked up by Winston Ma & then remastered. Most of them are Decca Original Masters.

"out of this world" stuff...

 

[bhagwan]

where would one find them?

On the net - amazon / cd now / cd universe / tower records etc. there are many sites that have them.
I personally have 45 ++ of them & I do not like them...
Sorry, but I find them to be 'tipped' for my taste.
You are welcome to borrow them if you live in Mumbai.
I have moved to Computer Audio, so my 5 K ++ CD's are just not being played..Sad I know !

 

[vishanv]

where would one find them?

LIM a.k.a FIM (First Impression Music) has an online store in their website. You can order directly from them or through elusivedisc.com . I have a few of those discs. Although the recording quality is the best I have heard, only a few have good content. listen to the samples thoroughly before you buy them.

As I have informed in an earlier post, their Divertimenti for Strings is a must have for all Classical music fans (even the ones who carry a Divertimenti already)

 

[amp]

If I may add a few suggestions:

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 : The opening motif is simple and very catch indeed. The melody is superb and will haunt you.

Franz Schubert Piano Trio in E Flat : The second movement is especially beautiful and there's a nice video on youtube which gives a "visual" feel to the music. Don't worry - this is not a pirated version and you can access it freely.

Beethoven Symphony No. 9: Wikipedia calls it probably the most popular piece of "western classical music" and rightfully so! To get a feel of the melody, just search for "Ode to Joy".

In case you are looking for any internet based radio stations, the best one I have found is wxqr.org

 

[Staxxx]

Happy to chat with any Western Classical afficianados in Bangalore. I have several versions of most of the core repertoire.

 

[Colecutter]

Hong Kong is a good source for both XRCD and the K2HD CD. I bought a couple on eBay and am expecting them later this month. They have a limited range in classical but some good ones e.g. the Fritz Reiner Beethoven's 6th that someone mentioned earlier. I've ordered two K2 HD's - Martha Argerich playing Tchaikovsky's first and Rachmaninov's third piano concerto, and Jacqueline Du Pre playing Elgar's cello concerto. Have never heard K2HD before and hoping it's worth it.

 

[Staxxx]

The Jacqueline du Pre Elgar is one of my most favourite discs! It would be interesting to know if the K2 CD sounds very good. Martha's Rach 3 is legendary and incendiary! It is not for repeated listening IMO. I do have many other versions if anyone wants to do a compare listen sometime....

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Beethoven Symphony No. 9: Wikipedia calls it probably the most popular piece of "western classical music" and rightfully so!

And... Beethoven's 6th symphony: another one in which he gives us one of those melodies everyone knows. A delight!

 

[technobhatt]

I don't understand classical music at all... but I love following tracks from Beethoven.

1. Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24, "Spring": II. Adagio molto espressivo
2. Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59, "Fur Elise"
3. Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61: III. Rondo: Allegro
4. Alfred Brendel/Bernard Haitink/London Philharmonic Orchestra. 2 Largo

 

[jls001]

IMHO, for anyone planning to build up a serious western classical music collection, a good route is to go with used vinyl. I understand vinyl is not everyone's cup of tea but there is a huge amount of western classical records on vinyl in the used market. In my limited experience, they are usually well kept - both the record and inner and outer sleeves - compared to regular pop or rock or jazz records. And one certainly don't have to pay a premium.

Nowadays I keep coming across (and buying) Melodiya recordings from the erstwhile USSR. I am grateful for the vestiges of the legacy of the friendship between the two countries.

PS: Currently, I am partial to the piano and violin concertos of Tchaikovsky and the symphonies of Sibelius, and (happily) admit that I might be having too many versions of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1 in B Flat Minor:lol:

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

a good route is to go with used vinyl.

... Ahhh, a lot of getting up to change sides!

But I wish my half-century-old classical vinyl was still playable. Sadly, due to youth, ceramic cartridges and, probably, blunt styli, it is not.

I doubt that I'll build either a vinyl or a CD collection of W classical ever again, but, I have (with recent reawakening of enjoyment) bought some FLAC downloads from eclassical.com. High res available, too.

I don't understand classical music at all... but I love following tracks from Beethoven.

No need to understand it. Just enjoy.

Actually, that's my approach to music in general

If you do want to understand more, there is a wonderful series of lectures, which I learnt about here on HFV...

Prof Craig Wright,Yale University, Listening to Music.

...Brilliant, and thoroughly enjoyable.

 

[Staxxx]

I don't understand classical music at all... but I love following tracks from Beethoven.

1. Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24, "Spring": II. Adagio molto espressivo
2. Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59, "Fur Elise"
3. Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61: III. Rondo: Allegro
4. Alfred Brendel/Bernard Haitink/London Philharmonic Orchestra. 2 Largo

That is a nice selection. Just to help understand those tracks better - the 2nd movement of the violin sonata in a classical style is usually a slow movement (which is the meaning of Adagio, molto expressivo being with much expression). The second most popular violin sonata that Beethoven wrote is his 9th (and last) called the Kreutzer. It is considerably longer than the Spring and much more emotional.

Not many people know that Fur Elise is a bagatelle - a short light piece - as it has a life of its own. It is one of the first pieces any budding pianist learns. Beethoven wrote many Bagatelles and these pieces contain some of his most serious music in its short form. This one was composed when he was almost completely deaf! ...and interestingly no one knows for certain who this Elise is that he wrote this little piece for.

Beethoven wrote only one violin concerto (but 5 piano concertos). Each movement is like a chapter in a book and although it is fine to hear a movement on its own, it is perhaps better to hear it in context with its other movements. Classical concertos (a single highlighted instrument playing with an orchestra) usually contains three movements, unlike sonatas (for single instruments, like a piano or a single instrument, like a violin or a flute, accompanied by a piano usually) which contains four.

Unfortunately the last piece mentioned has the pianist's name (Alfred Brendel), the conductor's name (Haitink) and the orchestra (LPO) only. It refers to the second movement of a piece and the tempo marking is Largo. Movements are usually qualified by a tempo marking and many times with a mood indication also - like allegro (lively) or furioso (furiously and wildly). Since a pianist's name is mentioned it is a piano concerto but unfortunately two of Beethoven's Piano Concertos have Largo markings for their second movements (the first and the third). Largo means to be played broadly, and in modern music practice it is slower than an adagio. Both are wonderful concertos and for those new to this music I heartily recommend starting with the 1st and 2nd and finishing with the 5th and the grandest, also known as the Emperor Concerto.

Eventually, along with his great symphonies (No. 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 IMHO) you must listen to his solo piano sonatas. He wrote these throughout most of his life and it contains what many contend are the treasures of his compositional offerings to this world. One very eminent musician of the 19th century even referred to them as the New Testament of Music!

I hope this has been of some help.

 

[jls001]

I hope this has been of some help.

Brilliant explanation!

 

[shanmune]

Great to see this thread ... In the last 4 to 5 years, I started developing some interest for western classical music. The tracks I liked the most are from this CD:
Bach: Violin Concertos in E major, D minor & A minor; By Mutter, Accardo
1. Violin Concerto In E major - Allegro
2. Violin Concerto In E major - Adagio
3. Violin Concerto In E major - Allegro Assai

The first track that I listed makes my nerves dance just like that ... :yahoo:

The other tracks (fusion between western classical and Indian classical and which are inspired from other great western classical composers) that I loved the most are from the albums composed by the legend "Ilayaraja"
Nothing but wind album:
Mozart I love you

How to Name it
And We Had a Talk

The track "And We Had a Talk" is one of the best compositions (of western classical style) of Ilayaraja. It justs starts slowly and the tempo builds to a level of making your inner emotions highly charged up.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I hope this has been of some help.

Great stuff indeed.

I used to have a theory that, if a person was humming a tune, there was a good chance that that tune had been written by Mozart or Beethoven. Most of us have no idea how much those tow contributed to our culture! There is nothing to be frightened of in Classical music. It's great coming across melodies you knew all your life, but might not have been able to put a name to.

Whilst I wouldn't force it on anyone (nothing could be more counter-productive of course) I do not think that there is anything better than an orchestra to bring out the best in hifi --- indeed, to challenge it! I can't help wondering, sometimes, what is the point of soundstage, separation, depth, etc, when one is only listening to four or five instruments, and maybe they are coming from a couple of electronic boxes on the stage too. But, when there are dozens of instruments, or even hundreds of people playing ...wow.

It's just a personal thing with me, but I am not that fond of solo violin, or small string groups. For me, carnatic music expresses how a violin should sound! Similarly, I find the classical-trained western voice, sometimes, hard to listen too. Partly because of the vibrato, it sounds a bit artificial to me.

We don't have to like it all: Western "Classical" covers different centuries, different genres, different countries. It is a huge box of chocolates, and we can pick the ones that we like.

PS... a few people here know that I am a great fan of Mahler's symphonies. I have known Nos 1 and 2 for a long time, and have seen them and "the Symphony of a thousand" (forget the number) live --- and am discovering the others of late. 3, I find lacks the coherence of 1 or 2, but 4 is sweet.

Somehow I had acquired three different recordings of the 1st symphony. Recently, I took to comparing them, and found that the one that I never listened to much turned out to be my favourite! At the same time, I was discovering what my headphones could do with bass when plugged into the amp, rather than the PC sound interface. It can be a good thing when the broadband goes down and one is forced to explore the rest of the house