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Any fans of classical musicl lurking here?

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professor liebstrum		#21	[-]
May 4 12 5:48 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Koukol, We've argued a bit over the years, but I've got to agree , THE LARK ASCENDING is sublime. There was a collection of cards you could get with your tea when I was young. 50 GREAT BRITONS. The composers included were Elgar, Britten and Vaughan Williams. I'd include William Walton but I like Vaughan Williams a lot, in fact it's hard, for me with my limited experience, to think of a composer who has made a greater contibution to the national psyche than Vaughan Williams Russ Last Edited By: professor liebstrum May 5 12 4:36 AM. Edited 1 times.
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professor liebstrum		#22	[-]
May 4 12 6:08 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I forgot Holst, THE PLANETS is very accessible and great music Russ
FrozenGhost		#23	[-]
May 4 12 6:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thank you, Ryan, for bringing up Hovhaness' Mysterious Mountain. I've been pushing that one on my friends for years, even those not inclined to like classical music. The Mount St. Helens Symphony by the same composer is another good one. Classical music always left me cold until the early 70s when the Classic Rock era was beginnng to fade. It's my main musical staple now along with soundtrack music of the 30s-60s. I often found when film and classical music merge, you often get great results. I can't imagine anyone not being moved by the opening of Virgil Thomson's The Plow That Broke The Plains. Absolutely fantastic.
Maldor		#24	[-]
May 4 12 7:49 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	LOng time classical music started in the 70's when am top 40 went down hill. Found a classical radio station on fm and been a fan since. Supernatural perhaps bologna perhaps not. Bela Lugosi the Black Cat
SiBurning		#25	[-]
May 4 12 10:27 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	professor liebstrum wrote: I forgot Holst, THE PLANETS is very accessible and great music Russ It's amazing how much music from sci-fi comes from or descends from Holst's The Planets. Must be 50%. (He says off hand.) If you're a Sci-Fi fan, get hold of this. And, yes.... The Lark Ascending is sublime. I have a small collection of Hillary Hahn's CDs and this is on one of them along with a concerto by Elgar. She's a brilliant technician, and a hot item... err... virtuoso who gets paired up with top tier orchestras, so this is a pretty sweet rendition--the boldest and most forthright I've heard. It's a very tentative piece (purposely, perhaps delicate or slow to get to the point is a more apt description) that can easily become a bore, so I think Hillary's boldness shines better here than more mature, perhaps more musical musicians. And, of course, it's the London Symphony Orchestra doing it justice. If you're new to classical music, don't take this as a recommendation. You might find it 16 minutes of boredom laying the ground (or air) for 2 minutes of beauty. ... Sorry for all the edits, but I've been listening to 3 different Larks forming my thoughts. That Elgar concerto ain't half bad either. Though I find it totally impenetrable. It's autobiographical, so clearly there's an astrological incompatibility between Elgar and me. It does remind me of a Gemini friend, though. Thoughts forming & merging, and moving on before they're half finished. Heck! The violin starts off in the middle of a phrase and that first movement ends in the middle of another. Guide to Resources on CHFB Last Edited By: SiBurning May 5 12 12:38 AM. Edited 20 times.
CucamongaDan		#26	[-]
May 4 12 10:46 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I started out life as a top 40 listener, then began moving toward more "serious" music by my early teens. First it was hard rock like Led Zep, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, then I moved towards stuff like Rush and UFO. As I sought out the most sensational electric guitar jams, Yes introduced me to Stravinsky's Firebird and Emerson, Lake and Palmer taught me about Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Then someone turned me on to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and the whole world of jazz began to open up. My favorite composers are Gershwin, Ravel, Debussy. Honorable mention to Cesar Franck (Symphony in D, Psyche and Eros), Gliere (The Sirens, The Red Poppy), and Khachaturian (Symphony no 1, Piano Concerto). I also like Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Wagner, Brahms. I just love how Beethoven brought the classical era into the romantic era, etc.; how the subsequent generations of composers built on each other and made more and more wonderful music. There is a thread that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on my friends. Some people started it not knowing that a tree can walk, And they'll keep posting forever about a movie they can mock...
horrorfilmx		#27	[-]
May 5 12 7:25 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	CucamongaDan wrote: Honorable mention to Cesar Franck (Symphony in D, Psyche and Eros), Gliere (The Sirens, The Red Poppy), and Khachaturian (Symphony no 1, Piano Concerto). Only honorable mention? I love Khachaturian. And I'm surprised no has has mentioned Prokofiev.
The Batman of Gotham		#28	[-]
May 5 12 8:48 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It has been a Surprise and a Delight to read this thread! The "surprise" was in discovering that I was not alone in the manner in which I became familiar with the classics! Frankly, I thought myself quite alone in that regard! Most people I know took piano lessons ( or some other musical instrument ) and became acquainted with the classics in that manner. Not me. I don't know how to play any instrument. I'm certainly NO EXPERT in regard to the classics and I do get confused about certain composers and peices but - as they say - I know what I like! My appreciation for the classics came as a result of the movies, cartoons and tv shows that I watched. Probably the earliest real interest I had in discovering and identifying the composers and the titles of their works was by watching DRACULA. Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Act 2 opening was an instant favorite of mine and led to me seeking out an LP at a popular record store. About the same time, I also developed an interest in Bach by way of Tocatta and Fugue in D minor. This led me to discover an LP of the master organist E. Power Biggs. The 1934 Universal classic THE BLACK CAT was another strong influence. I had tape recorded the audio track while watching a broadcast of it one evening and listened to that soundtrack repeatedly! There was such a wealth of fascinating classical music used throughout that film! My love for Tchaikovsky was reinforced through it's use of the love theme from Romeo and Juliet. And I loved how they used Beethoven's 7th Symphony 2nd movement to punctuate the tension between Karloff and Lugosi! Of course, there were other influences as well. I remember in my Junior High School days being "turned on" to SWITCHED ON BACH by a music teacher. Does anyone else recall hearing Bach played on the Moog Synthesizer? A little later as a High School student I remember the top 40 radio stations playing Also Sprach Zarrathustra by Deodato... A Fifth of Beethoven by Walter Murphy and Tocatta and Funk in D minor! Then came HOOKED ON CLASSICS! The classics were presented with an upbeat tempo which made it easier for a teenager or young adult to digest ( and which only fueled a greater appreciation for the classics in their original form! ) So many cartoons have used classical music to great advantage! But, since you've already delved into that to some extent, I'll gloss over it for the present - except to simply mention the majesty of the grandest cartoon of all: Disney's FANTASIA! Lest I forget, there was also my interest in Old Time Radio programs ( THE LONE RANGER's William Tell Overature has already been mentioned ) But, what about OMPHALE'S SPINNING WHEEL by Camille Saint Saens? That was the perfect opening theme for THE SHADOW! As I say, I am NO EXPERT... but, my love for the classics has grown through my love for the other mediums which I enjoy! And I'm certainly relieved to learn that I am NOT alone that regard! - GJS
The Batman of Gotham		#29	[-]
May 5 12 9:15 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	horrorfilmx wrote: And I'm surprised no has has mentioned Prokofiev. Koukol 5 mentioned Prokofiev back in Post #19. But, since you brought it up, did anybody else see DANCING WITH THE STARS recently on their Classical Music night? The best dance of the evening was by Maria Menounos and her partner Derek Hough in which they performed a Vampire themed Paso Doble' to Prokofiev's MONTAGUES AND CAPULETS! It was just magnificent and earned scores of perfect 10's from the judges for the first time this season. - GJS
Monstroso Sabroso		#30	[-]
May 5 12 9:21 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It is a great thread. I am glad you brought up Fantasia. A theatrical re-release of Fantasia came out back in the day at just the right time to supercharge my interest in classical. (Of possible special interest to monster kids, I would like to throw in a reco for Der Vampyr, Heinrich Marschner's early Romantic opera here. You can hear bits of it on youtube. If you can get hold of it, there was a neat BBC adaptation of it in the early 90s, retaining the music and rewriting the book. It's worth a look.) "I consider it dispassionately as a possibility -- not hysterically as a fact." President William Windom
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The Batman of Gotham		#31	[-]
May 5 12 9:48 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Monstroso Sabroso wrote: It is a great thread. I am glad you brought up Fantasia. A theatrical re-release of Fantasia came out back in the day at just the right time to supercharge my interest in classical. I remember a revival of FANTASIA in the theaters around 1980 that was rather memorable for me. My best pal and I talked a couple of fine looking young ladies into going with us to see FANTASIA on the big screen - we expected this to be a stupendous experience! The girls were less than enthused #1. because it was a Cartoon and #2. because it was classical music! We never bothered dating those girls again. - GJS
The Batman of Gotham		#32	[-]
May 5 12 12:06 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Oh yeah.... forgot to mention Al Hirt's up tempo tribute to Rimsky - Korsakov's FLIGHT OF THE BUMMBLE BEE on THE GREEN HORNET tv show's title sequence Who didn't love that? - GJS
CucamongaDan		#33	[-]
May 5 12 12:24 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	horrorfilmx wrote: CucamongaDan wrote: Honorable mention to Cesar Franck (Symphony in D, Psyche and Eros), Gliere (The Sirens, The Red Poppy), and Khachaturian (Symphony no 1, Piano Concerto). Only honorable mention? I love Khachaturian. And I'm surprised no has has mentioned Prokofiev. I said honorable mention because they're not as well known or don't have as large a body of work, but not to downgrade their work at all. Khachaturians's Symphony no 1 and Piano Concerto are amazing! insane! Add to that list Ferde Grofe (Grand Canyon Suite, the original orchestration of Rhapsody in Blue, and his Rocketship X-M score is sometimes called his Mars Suite.) Paul Dukas (La Peri- a breath-taking ballet score!) The Sorceror's Apprentice doesn't do much for me though. I saw Prokofiev on this thread. Peter and the Wolf could have its own thread. I love his brief Sympony no 1, and his Romeo and Juliet is explosive in parts. One of my favorite old records is William Steinberg and Pittsburg Symphony doing his Love for Three oranges on One Side, Rimsky-Korsakov's Le Coq D'Or on the other. There is a thread that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on my friends. Some people started it not knowing that a tree can walk, And they'll keep posting forever about a movie they can mock...
atenolol		#34	[-]
May 5 12 12:26 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	As someone who, as another poster put it, is no expert and can't remember the proper citations for many pieces (and possibly the composers) but likes to listen to them anyway, I have a question: What about the film scores themselves? Is BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN classical? KING KONG? THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD? I know Prokofiev wrote the score for ALEXANDER NEVSKY and I believe William Walton wrote the score for the Olivier HAMLET. Even a popular melody like The Song From Moulin Rouge was written by Georges Auric. I recently watched an episode of the old TV series Victory at Sea and the score by Richard Rodgers would have fitted right in with classical in my opinion, for what that is worth. Last Edited By: atenolol May 5 12 1:01 PM. Edited 1 times.
CucamongaDan		#35	[-]
May 5 12 12:47 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Depends on what you mean by Classical. In a record store its a catch-all category for baroque, classical, romantic, impressionistic genres as well as operas, ballets, and so on. The classical era actually ended about 1840, Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin killed it! Record stores have separate bins for soundtracks usually, but the music could be categorized by its genre. So much great music is between genres and making new ones that its hard to categorize. Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto was from a now forgotten English 1942 war movie, but it is a very popular piece for orchestras. The producers didn't want to pay Rachmaninoff to do the score. Film composers have definitely made a mark on the world of music. And they work cheaper than the big name composers so they keep getting hired. (Sometimes the producers go for the old public domain stuff for their music to save even more money). I have a copy of Bride of Frankenkenstein and recently got a CD that included the King Kong music, call em what you want but I say they rock. Among my favorites of film music are the Death Curse of Tartu music (Reminds me of The Rite of Spring in places) and much of Ronald Stein's stuff. I know that Victory at Sea sold a lot of albums. There is a thread that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on my friends. Some people started it not knowing that a tree can walk, And they'll keep posting forever about a movie they can mock...
horrorfilmx		#36	[-]
May 5 12 1:23 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	atenolol wrote: I know Prokofiev wrote the score for ALEXANDER NEVSKY and I believe William Walton wrote the score for the Olivier HAMLET. Prokofiev also wrote the score for Ivan The Terrible and the unfinished Lieutenant Kije, which I first heard in Alec Guinness' adaptation of The Horse's Mouth. That film got me interested in both Prokofiev and Joyce Cary. Who says movies ain't educational?
SiBurning		#37	[-]
May 5 12 3:39 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Great post The Batman of Gotham. I've tried to turn people onto classical music, I mean people who expressed an interest. There are some fun CDs, like "Cartoon Classics" by RCA Victrola. I've also tried taking more varied, or more or less serious approaches, but it never seems to take. I just can't listen to those synthesizer or "Pops" things, especially the Canadian Brass. Even if I actually often played something like pops. I played in orchestral bands in high school, college, and community bands. Even did a paid gig for an opera once where I forgot to tune the tympani back to a major chord for the last note in a piece in a minor key. The conductor was happy, though--he said he doubted if anyone noticed. The best concert was a Halloween night which featured a lot of stuff that was on Fantasia. We had a ghoulishly lighted skeleton pop out and fly around the auditorium at a particularly difficult spot in the music to distract people from our poor performance. I've often wondered about a good way to introduce people, but there's so much emotional range and musical depth, that I often just want to hand people some of Chopin's mazurkas. They display a range of emotional conflict worthy of any manic depressive schizophrenic, while staying simple, being just a single piano. But then you have people like Rubenstein who can actually make sense of it... Takes all the fun out of it. So much to ask. So much to think about. Pardon me while I head over to the Horror Music Forum. Guide to Resources on CHFB Last Edited By: SiBurning May 5 12 4:16 PM. Edited 7 times.
ryanbrennan		#38	[-]
May 5 12 4:37 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The Batman of Gotham wrote: horrorfilmx wrote: And I'm surprised no has has mentioned Prokofiev. Koukol 5 mentioned Prokofiev back in Post #19. And I mentioned him in Post #6. My first exposure to Prokofiev was probably a TV telecast of "Peter and the Wolf." I seem to remember Art Carney hosting the event. I know I saw the Disney version, too, and I think I had a record also. Eventually, I discovered ALEXANDER NEVSKY, IVAN THE TERRIBLE I, and IVAN THE TERRIBLE II. Later I became familiar with "The Love For Three Oranges," "Lieutenant Kije," and "Romeo and Juliet." His piece from NEVSKY, usually referred to as "The Battle on the Ice," has influenced many, film composer James Horner often being criticized for what some perceive as more than borrowing.
FrozenGhost		#39	[-]
May 5 12 5:48 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I have the Christopher Lee-narrated Peter and the Wolf conducted by Yehudy Menuhin which is a real hoot. I misspoke on my previous post. It's the opening of Virgil Thomson's Louisiana Story that's my favorite, not The Plow That Broke The Plains, which, incidentally is very nice indeed. One of the great soundtracks that crossed over to the classical catalogue is Leonard Bernstein's knockout score for On The Waterfront. For the life of me, I don't know why this score hardly gets a mention in "the soundtrack community." It really is superlative.
ryanbrennan		#40	[-]
May 5 12 6:00 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	atenolol wrote: As someone who, as another poster put it, is no expert and can't remember the proper citations for many pieces (and possibly the composers) but likes to listen to them anyway, I have a question: What about the film scores themselves? Is BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN classical? KING KONG? THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD? I know Prokofiev wrote the score for ALEXANDER NEVSKY and I believe William Walton wrote the score for the Olivier HAMLET. Even a popular melody like The Song From Moulin Rouge was written by Georges Auric. I recently watched an episode of the old TV series Victory at Sea and the score by Richard Rodgers would have fitted right in with classical in my opinion, for what that is worth. No, the film scores are classified separately even when written by a classical composer. Of course, film score origins are in the European classical music idiom. Erich Wolfgang Korngold is as well known to classical enthusiasts as he is to film score fans. Shostakovich, Prokofiev, George Antheil, Aaron Copland, William Walton (who did four Olivier films) all trod between the two. Arthur Honegger did a lot of film scores including NAPOLEON (1927), Camille St. Saens did what some call the "first" film score in 1908. Some who were identified primarily as film composers expanded into the classical field like Franz Waxman, Miklos Rozsa, Jerome Moross, and Jerry Goldsmith. I don't really care how it's classified, I just care about the music.
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Any fans of classical musicl lurking here?