Buying Western Classical Music

[ajay124]

The Great Composers of western classical music

Johann Sebastian Bach

J.S.Bach was born in the German town of Eisenach in 1685. He died in Leipzig in 1750. During his lifetime he was more famous as an organist than as a composer. The popular composers during those times were Telemann and Vivaldi. The noblemen who employed the composers and musicians, seemed to have had a great influence in deciding what kind of works would be written, performed, or passed on to future generation. Most of the works written in the Baroque period are in praise of God, or of kings and noblemen who ruled over that part of Europe. Bach's works were finally collected and codified in the Bach Gesellschaft Edition, which was published in 1850 to mark the 100th anniversary of his death. Bach was deeply religious and his belief in God was the source of all the music he ever wrote.

Among his best known works are:

The Brandenburg Concertos
The Goldberg Variations
The Well Tempered Clavier
Mass In B Minor
St.Matthews Passion
English Suites
French Suites
Italian Concertos
Organ Works (Tocattas/Fugues/Fantasias)
The Art Of The Fugue

The Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach are a set of six concertos for several instruments. Bach wrote them in the early years of the eighteenth century and sent them to the militarygovernor/nobleman of Brandenburg. Legend has it that he was seeking employment and sent these works as a resume. But the concertos may have been too complex for the nobleman's orchestra to understand or perform. Like the rest of Bach's enormous output of compositions, they languished in obscurity until the Bach revival which began in early 19th century.

David Oistrakh and Yehudi Menuhin performing Bach's Double Violin Concerto

‪Yehudi Menuhin & David Oistrakh - Bach Double Violin Concerto in D minor - BWV 1043 - Vivace‬‏ - YouTube


Some well known 20th century recordings of the Brandenburg Concertos:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bach-Brande...57D8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311304725&sr=8-1
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos: Neville Marriner, Academy of St Martin in the Fields: Amazon.co.uk: Music
Brandenburg Concertos, Violin Concertos (Bath Festival Orchestra, Menuhin): Johann Sebastian Bach: Amazon.co.uk: Music
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos 1-6: Johann Sebastian Bach, Christopher Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music, Stephen Hammer, Catherine Mackintosh, Christophe Rousset: Amazon.co.uk: Music
Bach, J.S.: Brandenburg Concertos: Orchestra Mozart, Claudio Abbado, Giuliano Carmignola: Amazon.co.uk: Music

 

[ajay124]

The great composers of western classical music

Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in Bonn in 1770. He died in 1827 in Vienna. The man who created perhaps the finest music ever written in the modern world started experiencing hearing difficulties at the age of 26. Over the next few years the problem gradually worsened. He could no longer hear his own music. Life is unfair. Yes. Everyone knows it. But what could be more unfair than one of the greatest musical geniuses mankind has ever known, to become deaf in the prime his creative life?

On 6th October 1802 he wrote a letter to his brothers which has come to be kown as the Helligenstadt Testament.
Beethoven's Heiligenstadt Testament

Beethoven composed music in virtually every form which was popular during the classical period, symphonies, string quartets, piano concertos, violin concertos, piano sonatas, violin sonatas, piano trios, masses and a solitary opera (Fidelio)

Among his best known works are:

The nine symphonies. Especially 3,5,6,9
The thirty two piano sontatas. Especially 8,14,15,17,21,23,26
The five piano concertos. Especially 5
The violin concerto in D major
The triple concerto for piano,violin,cello
The sixteen string quartets. Especially 7-11
The kruetzer sonata
The overtures. fidelio, leonora, coriolanus,egmont
The diabelli variations

‪Leonard Bernstein performs Beethoven's Ode to Joy‬‏ - YouTube

 

[ylesmana]

I am also a huge fan of classical music and am from Jakarta, Indonesia...I have seen a lot performance from Berliner Philharmoniker Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic/Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and many more. Also I have stepped into the best concert hall in the world to name few, Vienna State Opera House, Vienna Concert Hall, Berlin Philarmonic Concert hall, etc... I have almost 1000 CDs and 500 Vinyl record of classical music and my favourites are Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Beethoven, Mozart, Paganini, Haydn, Schubert, Schumann, Suppe, Strauss family, Mendelshonn, and many more..I love all their works without exception. Please feel free to contact me for sharing informations.

 

[malvai]

hey! which is a good intrpretation/recording of the Brandenberg concertos? I will try to get it on vinyl...

 

[ajay124]

manav

The most famous recording for the Brandenburg Concertos is by Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert. I believe it was issued on vinyl in 1982. Some reviews:

Brandenburg Concertos by Trevor Pinnock at jsbach.org
Amazon.co.uk: Customer Reviews: Bach: Brandenburg Concertos; Orchestral Suites


The second option would be a recording by Yehudi Menuhin & The Bath Festival Orchestra. I have an EMI box set which contains these recordings among others.
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos, Orchestral Suites / Menuhin | ArkivMusic

The Brandenburg Concertos are a set of six concertos with a combined running time of 100 minutes, so I guess the vinyl set would be in two volumes.

 

[ylesmana]

Another that I highly recommended:

01. Scriabin Symphony no. 2
02. Beethoven Moonlight Sonata and Pathetique
03. Vivaldi Trumpet Concertos.
04. Camille Saint Saens Symphony no. 1-3
05. Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 3
06. Profokiev Piano Concerto No. 1 (Truly Masterpiece)
07. Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1
08. Bruch Violin Concerto

and many more......if you want please send me private message.

 

[malvai]

@ylesmana: will check out your list as well... any particular conductors that you recommend for each recommendation you've listed?

 

[ylesmana]

@Malvai : There are many good conductors that performed my recommendation. Each conductor has a unique style, so you have to listen on your own. I like Riccardo Mutti, Karajan, Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Rafael Kubelik, Seiji Ozawa, Paavo Jevri, Vassiliev Sinnaisky....good luck and hopefully you are enjoy to listen my recommendation.

 

[ylesmana]

More on recommendation :

01. Franz Schubert Symphonies Nr 1 to 9
02. Maurice Ohana Concierto Tres Graficos para guitarra y orquesta
03. Antonio Ruiz Pipo Paintings for Guitar and Orchestra
04. Luigi Bocherrini
05. Mario Giuliani guitar concerto

 

[ajay124]

ylesmana

Welcome to the thread. You are fortunate to have visited some of the best places of tourism interest that Europe has to offer. Its symphony orchestras and museums. Why don't you post your impressions of the Royal Concertgebouw, BPO, VPO, LSO. Pictures too if you were allowed to/managed to click inside these great institutions.

 

[ylesmana]

ajay 124

Unfortunately, No picture is allowed during performance...btw, how long have you started on classical music? to bad, the western classical music is not very well developed in Asian Countries except Japan and Korea. What Hi Fi systems are you using to listen classical music?

 

[ajay124]

Because we have a daughter who is now five years old, our European sojourns have become less frequent. The last performance I attended was Madame Butterfly at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. We had left the camera at our hotel knowing that we would not be allowed to carry it inside. We bought heavily discounted (5 pound) tickets a few minutes before the performance was to begin. My wife and I seemed to be the only people dressed in jeans and casual shoes. Everybody in the (almost) full house was dressed as if they were attending a royal wedding. We were bowled over by the grandeur and centuries of tradition and culture on display.

During the intermission we wondered into the in house restaurant. Every table had been booked in advance (the name of the person who had booked it was displayed) and was loaded with plates of sumptuous looking sandwiches and a bottle of Dom Perignon. We drifted into another area where Stella Artois and Heineken were being sold. Felt more at home sipping a beer with the less privileged classes!

Opera is not my cup of tea so I can't say I was enthralled by the music. But I enjoyed the new sensations and sights which the Royal Opera House offered in abundance.

What to Expect - Royal Opera House

 

[ajay124]

Violin virtuoso's

Jascha Heifetz was born in Lithuania in 1901. His family moved to the United States in 1917. His initial recordings were made for the Victor Talking Machine Company. For the major part of his career he recorded for the RCA Victor label. Heifetz is considered to be the most technically accomplished violinist of the 20th century. His playing is precise, intense and true to the composers intentions. His recordings of the major violin concertos of Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Bach, Prokofiev and Bruch are among the finest ever recorded.

David Oistrakh was born in Ukraine in 1908. He started touring and performing within the Soviet Union in the mid 1920's. Later he toured and recorded extensively in Western Europe and the US. Most of his Russian recordings were released on LP by the Melodiya label. Many recordings from the Melodiya label have been acquired by western recording companies and released on compact discs. While performing on stage Oistrakh is said to have had a commanding presence. The audience felt they were in the presence of a master. His playing was wide, expansive and 'big' sounding. And full of peace, richness and a rare beauty seldom achieved by any western classical musician.

There are two box sets of Heifetz available on Amazon from Sony currently. One is jumbo box set of 103 CD's. The other is a more affordable 6 CD set. For David Oistrakh there is nothing to beat the 17 CD EMI box set.

Jascha Heifetz: Jascha Heifetz: Amazon.co.uk: Music

Jascha Heifetz Plays Great Violin Concertos - Sony Classical Masters: Jascha Heifetz: Amazon.co.uk: Music

David Oistrakh - Complete EMI Recordings: David Oistrakh: Amazon.co.uk: Music

*** With the acquisition of the Esoteric CDP, SB Touch, Bryston pre/power, Vienna Acoustic speakers, Transparent IC's/cables and the Emerson online UPS, my high fidelity adventures are over for many years. I have no interest or ambition in venturing further down that lane. Because my inclination was never for hifi per se. For me the hardware is only a vehicle for the music. And the vehicle I have acquired is good enough for me!

But the desire to acquire and listen to more music is endless. Every year I come to a point where I feel that I have all the music I want. And then I discover and buy more! Next in line is the David Oistrakh set and the 103 CD Heifetz set. The idea of listening exclusively to 103 CD's by Heifetz and 17 CD's by Oistrakh is very appealing!

 

[ajay124]

Violin Virtuosos

Fritz Kreisler was born in Vienna in 1875. He studied music under Bruckner in Austria and later under Massart and Delibes in France. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest violinists of all times with a very distinctive and individual style.

Yehudi Menuhin was born in New York in 1916. His parents were Russian Jews who had migrated to the US. He studied music in France and performed extensively for the allied troops during World War 2. Menuhin was hugely popular and active till his last years. He died in 1999 leaving behind an extensive discography of memorable recordings.

Itzhak Perlman was born in Israel in 1945 and studied in Tel Aviv. He moved to the US in the late 50's and in subsequent years performed with most of the major American and European Orchestra's. He has been part of several television shows for popularising classical music and has worked on films like Schindler's List, Memoirs Of A Geisha and Hero.

Pinchas Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv in 1948 and has had a parallel career to Perlman. Phenomenally successful, multiple awards, hundreds of recordings, television appearances, and performances with most of the major orchestras of the world.

Isaac Stern was born in Russia in 1920 and a year after his birth his parents migrated to America. Apart from his music he is famous for having saved New York's Carnegie Hall from demolition in 1960. Isaac Stern has recorded major violin works of composers from all the periods - Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern.

Arthur Grumiaux was born in Belgium in 1921 and studied music in France. His recordings were mostly made with the Dutch label Philips. Among his famous recordings are violin concertos by Bach, Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven.

Famous recordings by all these musicians would be available on Amazon.

 

[ylesmana]

Other that you may be interested to hear:
01. Waldo De Los Rios Classic
02. Waldo De Los Rios Sinfonia
03. Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 and 2, Arthur Rubenstein Pianist.
04. Beethoven Complete Overtures David Zinman Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich
05. Trumpet Concertos, Herbert von Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker Ochestra, Maurice Andre Trumpet.

 

[ajay124]

Classical Guitar Virtuosos

Andres Segovia was born in the Andalusian region of Spain in 1893. More than anyone else in the 20th century he is responsible for taking the classical guitar into a new realm of perfection. He has influenced many classical guitarist who came after him and sold millions of records. Many composers dedicated their work to him. He has performed major works for guitar written by composers like Villa Lobos, Albeniz, Torroba, Sor, Ponce, Tarrega and many others. Among his best known recordings are his transcriptions of Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions which had originally been written for other instruments like the lute, cello harpsichord, violin and piano.

Andres Segovia - The Master Guitarist: Andres Segovia: Amazon.co.uk: Music

The Art of Segovia: Andrs Segovia: Amazon.co.uk: Music

Julian Bream is a British guitarist born in London 1933. Julian Bream and Andres Segovia are widely considered to be the finest guitarist of the last 100 years. Together they built and carried forward the legacy left behind the great 19th century guitarist and composer Francisco Tarrega. There is a huge collection of Bream vinyl's and cd's available in the market. Not having some of them in your collection would be inexcusable and unforgivable! I do listen to popular guitarists like Django Reinhardt/Paco De Lucia/Al Di Meola/John Mclaughlin/Jimi Hendrix/Stevie Ray Vaughan/Duane Allman/Carlos Santana/Jimmy Page/Eric Clapton at times, but Bream and Segovia perform in a realm where no popular guitarist would be able to follow.

The Essential Julian Bream [International Version]: Julian Bream: Amazon.co.uk: Music

Julian Bream - Album Collection: Julian Bream: Amazon.co.uk: Music

The Ultimate Guitar Collection: Julian Bream: Amazon.co.uk: Music

Spanish Guitar Recital: Julian Bream, Isaac Albniz, Enrique Granados, Joaquin Rodrigo: Amazon.co.uk: Music

‪Julian Bream - Villa-Lobos - Preludes 3 & 4‬‏ - YouTube
‪Segovia Andres - Albeniz Isaac Asturias‬‏ - YouTube

 

[ajay124]

Should rock or jazz music be used for auditioning a good two channel system?

Personally I would never do it now. I don't think a quartet of rock or jazz musicians can cook up a 'perfect storm' of devastating audio. Something big and strong enough to test a big amp or big speakers in a big space.

When I listen to rock or jazz these days I feel like I am drinking beer with generous doses of warm water. Can you get high on such a concoction? I can't anymore.

So what would be the right music to audition a good stereo set up? I intend to make a CD which will really test a system and carry it for future auditions.

Track 1
I hope readers will have the patience to sit through the entire YouTube video
Movement 4, Symphony No.5, By Dmitri Shostakovich, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich.
‪Shostakovich Symphony No.8 (Rostropovich) 4/7‬‏ - YouTube

***Listen to the music which begins at 4.40. Imagine how it would sound with a 500 WPC amp and a decent pair of tower speakers.

 

[ylesmana]

‪Nathan Milstein plays Beethoven Kreutzer Sonata (1st Mov.)‬‏ - YouTube

Above is my favourite sonata from Beethoven.....enjoy...

 

[ajay124]

Track 2. Audition CD.

Frere Jacques is a nineteenth century French nursery rhyme which has gradually become part of world culture with numerous versions in many languages. I don't know if there is any version in an Indian language, but the English version is called Brother John. My daughter recently learnt it in her kindergarten class.

Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John,
Morning bells are ringing! Morning bells are ringing!
Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.

Who would have the power to turn a catchy nursery rhyme into stupendous, hauntingly beautiful music. God? Or perhaps Gustav Mahler.

In the year 1884, Mahler began composing his first symphony. Unlike most composers, he was a successful and experienced conductor before he began composing music. He bought his first hand knowledge of conducting an orchestra, to the symphony he composed over the next four years. Mahler's Symphony No.1 (The Titan symphony) was first performed in 1889, but languished in relative obscurity for many decades. It was too far ahead of it's time. It was the opening blast of a new and hitherto unknown music, heralding the beginning of a terrifying, modern and new world. Welcome to the 20th century!

By incorporating a nursery rhyme into the 3rd movement of the symphony, Gustav Mahler was taking liberties seldom taken by any composers in the past. It was only after the end of WW2 that the world finally started appreciating the sweeping power of Mahler's symphonies.

Symphony No1. Movement 3. Gustav Mahler. Leonard Bernstein. Weiner Philharmoniker.
‪Mahler: Symphony No. 1: Mov. 3‬‏ - YouTube

 

[ajay124]

Track 3. Audition CD.

My favorite conductor. Conjuring up a glorious soundscape. As usual.

Romeo & Juliet.Dance Of The Knights.Valery Gergiev.London Symphony Orchestra.

‪Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, No 13 Dance of the Knights (Valery Gergiev, LSO)‬‏ - YouTube