Tips for a classical newbie

[Beethoven]

In the last year I've slowly gone from listening to 90% metal to at least 60% classical. The power and mastery of the greats can't be denied.

For beginners I would suggest what I did myself, which is listen to the 5th, 9th and piano sonatas by Beethoven, in my opinion the greatest musical works of all time. Maybe I'm biased because I play piano and play nothing but Beethoven piano sonatas lately but anyone with any kind of appreciation for music will dig Beethoven. I stress him because in his 32 sonatas the enjoyment and new interpretations are endless on each listen or playing. (sonatas to check out first are generally any of the named ones, particularily numbers "14 - moonlight" "17 - the tempest" "23 - appasionata" "8 - pathetique"

I agree that the Planets, Peer Gynt Suites and the Four Seasons are great places to start on the classical path, however, no one has mention Chopin.. (maybe because there seems to be more of a symphonic focus than Piano at ANUS) and he is definitely one of the greatest romantic composers. A beginner would likely most enjoy his Nocturnes and Etudes (check out the 4th first).

[AttheGates1996]

In the last year I've slowly gone from listening to 90% metal to at least 60% classical. The power and mastery of the greats can't be denied.

For beginners I would suggest what I did myself, which is listen to the 5th, 9th and piano sonatas by Beethoven, in my opinion the greatest musical works of all time. Maybe I'm biased because I play piano and play nothing but Beethoven piano sonatas lately but anyone with any kind of appreciation for music will dig Beethoven. I stress him because in his 32 sonatas the enjoyment and new interpretations are endless on each listen or playing. (sonatas to check out first are generally any of the named ones, particularily numbers "14 - moonlight" "17 - the tempest" "23 - appasionata" "8 - pathetique"

I agree that the Planets, Peer Gynt Suites and the Four Seasons are great places to start on the classical path, however, no one has mention Chopin.. (maybe because there seems to be more of a symphonic focus than Piano at ANUS) and he is definitely one of the greatest romantic composers. A beginner would likely most enjoy his Nocturnes and Etudes (check out the 4th first).

I wish I had Beethoven's piano sonatas. Is there a possibility that you could upload them?

[chrstphrbnntt]

In the last year I've slowly gone from listening to 90% metal to at least 60% classical. The power and mastery of the greats can't be denied.

For beginners I would suggest what I did myself, which is listen to the 5th, 9th and piano sonatas by Beethoven, in my opinion the greatest musical works of all time. Maybe I'm biased because I play piano and play nothing but Beethoven piano sonatas lately but anyone with any kind of appreciation for music will dig Beethoven. I stress him because in his 32 sonatas the enjoyment and new interpretations are endless on each listen or playing. (sonatas to check out first are generally any of the named ones, particularily numbers "14 - moonlight" "17 - the tempest" "23 - appasionata" "8 - pathetique"

I agree that the Planets, Peer Gynt Suites and the Four Seasons are great places to start on the classical path, however, no one has mention Chopin.. (maybe because there seems to be more of a symphonic focus than Piano at ANUS) and he is definitely one of the greatest romantic composers. A beginner would likely most enjoy his Nocturnes and Etudes (check out the 4th first).

Don't miss the last 5 or so piano sonatas. The 32nd and 28th in particular.

Also, it's worth it to check out Leopold Godowsky's Complete Studies on the Études of Chopin, recorded by Marc-André Hamelin. Speaking of mindbendingly complex piano music, I love Debussy's 12 Études for Piano (recorded by Mitsuko Uchida), and Charles-Valentin Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano, recorded by Marc-André Hamelin.

[Hulegur]

any or all of Béla Bartók.

[Prospero]

Actually...

Why bother with Prokofiev? I found him empty, along with many of the other classical pieces suggested.

I agree with you since it is the communist government who requested Prokofiev to make music about great Russian heroes (Nevski, Ivan the Terrible). But still, I think that Claudio Abaddo gave Alexander Nevski the intensity it deserved. You should have a listen (mvt. 5 especially).

[chrstphrbnntt]

Some more favorites:
Henry Brant - Music for Massed Flutes
George Antheil - Ballet Mécanique
Charles Ives - Symphony No. 4
Olivier Messiaen - Quartet for the End of Time
Harry Partch - Delusion of the Fury
Gilbert & Sulliivan - H.M.S. Pinafore [size=10](take it seriously.)[/size]
Hildegard von Bingen - A Feather on the Breath of God
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina - Anything [size=10](along with Hildegard, my favorite of the Renaissance)[/size]
Karol Szymanowski - Sabat Mater for Solo Voices, Chorus & Orchestra
Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 7

My favorite composers are pretty standard: Bach, Schumann, Bruckner, Beethoven, Chopin. However, it's a mistake to ignore lesser-known and/or more experimental works. You're cheating yourself if you do. Not that I'm telling you to dive head-first into Xenakis, Lévinas, Penderecki, et cetera all at once -- explore the obscure / avant-garde after you already have a very solid footing.

[Humanicide]

Thank you all so much for your input, i have a lot of listening to do!

one more question, i do know that this forum has an audiofile section, which contains some classical albums, but where do you guys get your classical cds (if you choose to buy them)?

i was thinking perhaps eBay or half.com, but then it occurred to me that some of these works have been conducted by various people. so i think im going to have to try before i buy, via the audiofile forum.

[David_Ravel]

Amazon is good as far as I know, because it gives you alot of choice. But the price is generally high. Maybe someone know the same type of internet website but with a lower price, I don't know myself.

[-H418ov21.C]

so i think im going to have to try before i buy, via the audiofile forum.

If your town is large enough you'll probably have an audio library to check out and borrow classical CDs. If not, then check interpretations through the Internet as you suggested.

Try to identify the conductors you like ; it will help you in the future. Keep in mind that a conductor might master a particular repertoire or composer, but might be awful conducting the rest ; and use that to your advantage when searching for CDs.

I'll post some tips/links later.

[Beethoven]

I wish I had Beethoven's piano sonatas. Is there a possibility that you could upload them?

Instead of uploading something as large as this (10+ hours at lossless), people should use Bittorrent, it'll download faster and easier than megaupload fragments. If the torrent isn't seeding give me a PM and I'll reseed it. If you have no clue what I'm talking about look up bittorrent on any internet souce.

[Dunkelheit]

It might not be a bad idea to create a torrent tracker for ANUS. Megaupload and Rapidshare aren't quite the best ways to distribute mp3's and flac's, as they require membership to remove bandwidth limits and links tend to die.

[Pathologist]

i have been delving into classical music. i have found that it shares many characteristics with metal, and its wonderful music to relax to.

One shouldn't look to classical to find metallic aspects; one needs to look to metal to find classical elements. Classical was before Metal, and it is the basis of all music. It is great of you to undertake the task of listening to this eternal music as it will awaken you from the limits of contemporary listening. Now for my recommendations:

Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Handel are all essentials. Contrapuntal stuff is vital. You may also want to hear some Scarlatti, Vivaldi, and Purcell;  as long as you have an ear for 17th and 18th century music.
After that, move to the romantics starting with Weber, Lizst, Chopin, Schumman, Brahms, Wagner.
A bit of advice when listening to Bruckner; first listen to the First Symphony then move on. His music is very difficult to digest.
Also, advice for listening to Mahler: listen to his first Four Symphonies or the Wunderhorn series. These set the basis for his composition style.
Of course, I'm not saying avoid all of the other pieces, but for starters...
And get a book on Music Appreciation. Get a bit of perspective first.

[Humanicide]

One shouldn't look to classical to find metallic aspects; one needs to look to metal to find classical elements. Classical was before Metal, and it is the basis of all music. It is great of you to undertake the task of listening to this eternal music as it will awaken you from the limits of contemporary listening. Now for my recommendations:

Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Handel are all essentials. Contrapuntal stuff is vital. You may also want to hear some Scarlatti, Vivaldi, and Purcell;  as long as you have an ear for 17th and 18th century music.
After that, move to the romantics starting with Weber, Lizst, Chopin, Schumman, Brahms, Wagner.
A bit of advice when listening to Bruckner; first listen to the First Symphony then move on. His music is very difficult to digest.
Also, advice for listening to Mahler: listen to his first Four Symphonies or the Wunderhorn series. These set the basis for his composition style.
Of course, I'm not saying avoid all of the other pieces, but for starters...
And get a book on Music Appreciation. Get a bit of perspective first.

i wasnt LOOKING to find things in common with metal, i simply stated that it happened to share several characteristics with it, and i was pleasantly suprised. perhaps you misunderstood me.

but thank you for your recommendations. i have Wagner, Mozart, and Beethoven already. i will certainly give those other composers a listen.

[Humanicide]

Sergei Prokofiev

I often introduce metal fans to classical music with Prokofiev's powerful compositions. The way he blends his restless Russian chorals into heroical melodies is breathtaking. I remember I uploaded some not so long ago...

Surprisingly no one mentioned Carl Orff, perhaps his Carmina Burana is too well known but still... Haven't seen Gustav Mahler either, his fifth has pretty much everything you can expect out of a symphony.

Yet, my favorite pieces (from the moment I heard them) are both featured in my last upload. Great pianist as well.

Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto #1/Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto #2

thank you Dr. Growl, i really enjoyed Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto. havent gotten around to listening to Rachmaninoff yet, but i will soon.

[chyll]

I would recommend Leos Janacek's 'Sinfonietta' and 'Glagolitic Mass' above all else if you are absolutely new to classical music but well grounded in metal. Both sound metallic and somewhat bombastic, and the latter is actually a pagan hymn to natural archetypes in a liturgical guise.

Of course, lots of Bach and Beethoven will also do the trick.