Does anyone here listen to classical music?

[michiehoward]

Listen to pieces everyday, be it Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Satie, Tchaikovsky or Bach...ect ect. Can't get through a day without listening to some piece, also I'm a opera fan. Also you find some newer, purely instrumental, orchestral music on soundtracks, two of my particular favorites, The Pride and Prejudice soundtrack (keira knightly version) or The Piano soundtrack.

In fact listening to Chopin - Nocturno en si bemol menor Op 9 Nº 1 right now.

 

[Formica Archonis]

Classical music? Hell, yeah! I go as far back as the Bee Gees!

Sorry, couldn't resist. Yeah, I like classical. Fairly common stuff, mostly. Bits and pieces by Dvorak, Grieg, Rossini, Beethoven, etc. Lot of Bach, mostly harpsichord works.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

when if you look at the state of classical music today, it's almost entirely cover versions of other people's music, exactly what they deride pop for

Wut. That is a ridiculous statement.

Ok, I should have said 'popular classical music' - but if you look at classical radio stations or the classical chart section of any music store, you'll see Russell Watson, Katherine Jenkins, Andre Reiu, etc, playing Beethoven, Back, Rachmaninov, etc.

Very few seem to be writing and playing their own material, from a pop perspective, them and even entire orchestras are just 'covering' the works of people long gone, rather than creating their own, new music.

I just think that in classical, there's less of an urge to hear the new, rather being comfortable in relistening to the familiar.

I'm saying this as someone who likes some classical too. I do think it's an entirely fair point and not ridiculous however. What would be ridiculous would be if Justin Bieber was only covering Beach Boys songs instead of new stuff written for him. No, I'm not saying he's 'better', calm down, more that, even in pop, new stuff is more popular than retreading the popular works of hundreds of years ago. It seems movie scores are the only 'recent' classical music that gains any large popularity.

Popularity isn't the only thing any art should be judged by of course, I accept that. I was just stating that popular classical music, IS in fact mainly cover versions.

There's not a huge difference in Nigel Kennedy's 'Vivaldi's Four Seasons' and anyone else covering an old piece of music and releasing it.

 

[Chromatic Aberration]

Yes - Classical Music is awesome. Sadly, though, I wasn't really listening to it in the last years since that would require me to clean up and reorganize my "classical" folder with mp3s...what a shame....

I'am a sucker for Tchaikovsky the Carmina Burana and every Waltz by Johann Strauss....

Spoiler: Some examples from my library

Captcha: natimi Filosofia

 

[AlAaraaf74]

In fact listening to Chopin - Nocturno en si bemol menor Op 9 Nº 1 right now.

I love that Nocturne!

 

[l3o2828]

Yes, Lots.
I love everything made by Satie.
But yeah.

 

[j.alex]

Ok, I should have said 'popular classical music' - but if you look at classical radio stations or the classical chart section of any music store, you'll see Russell Watson, Katherine Jenkins, Andre Reiu, etc, playing Beethoven, Back, Rachmaninov, etc.

This is because there is an extra dimension in classical music almost entirely absent from pop - composition and performance are generally entirely separate activities.

Very few seem to be writing and playing their own material, from a pop perspective, them and even entire orchestras are just 'covering' the works of people long gone, rather than creating their own, new music.

There are many composers still writing new music today. Just have a look through the programme for this year's Proms and see the number of premieres of new works there.

There's not a huge difference in Nigel Kennedy's 'Vivaldi's Four Seasons' and anyone else covering an old piece of music and releasing it.

Just to make sure this sinks in, there is a marked difference between composition and performance in classical music. Old works aren't 'covered', they are performed.

 

[Fearzone]

I listen to the classical music station in the car and my favorite performance venue is opera. You are not alone, brother. Other kinds of music I will like for a little while, but then usually get bored and go back to classical.

 

[j.alex]

Love Classical music (orchestral music), even though it's a ***** to find composers to compose them well today.

Certainly not 'today' (it's about fifty yeas old now), but how about this for good orchestral music composed in a more modern idiom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=170VZGFoTKg?

Maybe look out for Brian's Gothic Symphony being given an extremely rare performance at the Proms this year too.

 

[michiehoward]

In fact listening to Chopin - Nocturno en si bemol menor Op 9 Nº 1 right now.

I love that Nocturne!

I love youtube sometimes, instead of shuffling through hundreds of different pieces by different composers on my zune, poof, any piece i want when i want it lmao

for those who care next on my youtube list

 

[Xaio30]

My absolute favorite that makes me feel some sort of patriotism:

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Entirely fair points, I'm just stating that, in terms of what's popular, my interpretation of 'covers' seems to keep beating the newer, original works.

It's not a bad thing, it makes sense that the masses will always prefer the recognisable and easily accessible is all. I'm also not knocking any classical work, if it's being 'covered' 200 years or more after it's creation, then surely it's a pretty damned fine piece of work, will even the Beatles be getting covered in even 50 years time?

I like to think people performing the well known older pieces is a show of respect, I'm not really saying most classical is like some boy band knocking out old Duran Duran songs for a quick buck, but I do think it's fair to say the popular stuff IS 'covers'. Not bad, but I heard a lot of people and orchestras performing the same old pieces when I worked in a music store, and there didn't seem to be a lot of diversity going on. It certainly sounded like what I'd call a 'cover'.

I don't expect them to drop in some drum n bass mid sections or get Jay-Z to rap over the violin solos, I should say!

 

[Nazulu]

Love Classical music (orchestral music), even though it's a ***** to find composers to compose them well today.

Certainly not 'today' (it's about fifty yeas old now), but how about this for good orchestral music composed in a more modern idiom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=170VZGFoTKg?

Maybe look out for Brian's Gothic Symphony being given an extremely rare performance at the Proms this year too.

Thanks for sharing that, I've never heard it before. Also, very well performed.

 

[j.alex]

Entirely fair points, I'm just stating that, in terms of what's popular, my interpretation of 'covers' seems to keep beating the newer, original works.

It's not a bad thing, it makes sense that the masses will always prefer the recognisable and easily accessible is all. I'm also not knocking any classical work, if it's being 'covered' 200 years or more after it's creation, then surely it's a pretty damned fine piece of work, will even the Beatles be getting covered in even 50 years time?

I like to think people performing the well known older pieces is a show of respect, I'm not really saying most classical is like some boy band knocking out old Duran Duran songs for a quick buck, but I do think it's fair to say the popular stuff IS 'covers'. Not bad, but I heard a lot of people and orchestras performing the same old pieces when I worked in a music store, and there didn't seem to be a lot of diversity going on. It certainly sounded like what I'd call a 'cover'.

This is mostly because of the extremely small market for contemporary classical music. How many average people would listen to this voluntarily: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG4g2BTB8Nk? (That was a particularly inaccessible example, but in general the public want music which is pleasing to the untrained ear, and most of this was written pre-1900 before Schoenberg hit the scene.)

 

[Soulpunch]

Yes I Do, And Alot Of It Too

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

I do, sometimes. I really need to listen to more, though.

 

[Sariteiya]

I'm fond of Debussy myself. I'm a sucker for piano music. I do like Tchaikovsky as well, although I have to be in the mood.

To be honest I've never been big on Beethoven though. Too... aggressive for my tastes.

 

[frizzlebyte]

snip

Yeah, Tchaikovsky was one of my favorites for a long time, but I kind of fell into the Baroque period and just never got out, I guess.

If not for Smetana, Zelenka would probably still be unknown to modern audiences. At least by and large.

Unless I miss my guess, unless you're hardcore into classical (orchestral) music, Zelenka's still unknown to you. He might be more well-known than I am aware, though.

I'm an orchdork...

I got a chance to perform Zelenka's Miserere in c-minor, was freaking amazing.

Smetana has some great chamber music, and his piano works are awesome.

When I said "you," I meant the universal you, not personally. Obviously, you know what you're talking about. Sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to at all.


But wow, you got to perform Zelenka? Nice. My few attempts at learning an instrument failed amazingly. Just never cared enough to take it all the way. Sometimes, I wish I'd tried harder.

 

[j.alex]

Thanks for sharing that, I've never heard it before. Also, very well performed.

Yes, one thing I particularly admire about Messiaen is his ability to compose extremely technical modern pieces which are still also very musical. Unlike certain modern composers, especially of the 'New Complexity' movement (Ferneyhough being an especially prominent example) who seem to sacrifice the whole 'making music' part of composition in favour of ridiculously complicated theory and pretentiousness.

I could go the whole way to modern orchestral music and recommend this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZazYFchLRI, but I think that is an acquired taste.

 

[boringanarchy]

I like the impressionist movement, especially Claude Debussy.