Have you ever listened to classical music?

Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
@Irvrobinson

I know you like the Beethoven Piano sonatas. I've heard plenty of them, mainly on local FM radio. Can you recommend a single recording? The choices are overwhelming.
 
Irvrobinson

Irvrobinson

Audioholic Spartan
@Irvrobinson

I know you like the Beethoven Piano sonatas. I've heard plenty of them, mainly on local FM radio. Can you recommend a single recording? The choices are overwhelming.
The box set is no longer available, but my overwhelming choice is John O'Conor's rendition on Telarc. The individual CDs are available for about $8 each on Amazon. The recording is good, typical Telarc for sound quality, though I prefer piano to be mic'd farther away to get more hall in the recording, but O'Conor's interpretation is simply my personal favorite. I'm such a fan of his that I'd like to meet him someday. I own four other versions, and I don't listen to them anymore. I still listen to some others via streaming, just to see if I find something better, but I haven't so far.

I'm sure you know that interpretations of classical works draw very personal preferences. One person's favorite is sometimes unattractive to someone else. I really like Alfred Brendel's interpretation of the Mozart Piano Concertos, but they get rather mixed reviews. Have fun discovering for yourself.
 
Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
The box set is no longer available, but my overwhelming choice is John O'Conor's rendition on Telarc. The individual CDs are available for about $8 each on Amazon. The recording is good, typical Telarc for sound quality, though I prefer piano to be mic'd farther away to get more hall in the recording, but O'Conor's interpretation is simply my personal favorite.
Thanks. I have only two Beethoven piano CDs:
  • The 2nd & 4th concertos by Rudolf Serkin, Seiki Ozawa & the BSO (Boston), Telarc
  • The 5th concerto & 28th sonata by Helene Grimaud, Vladimir Jurowski & the Staatskapelle Dresden, DG
 
macey

macey

Enthusiast
I can see why people might enjoy classical but for me I don't like it that much
 
Irvrobinson

Irvrobinson

Audioholic Spartan
B
Thanks. I have only two Beethoven piano CDs:
  • The 2nd & 4th concertos by Rudolf Serkin, Seiki Ozawa & the BSO (Boston), Telarc
  • The 5th concerto & 28th sonata by Helene Grimaud, Vladimir Jurowski & the Staatskapelle Dresden, DG
BTW, my favorite of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas is No 31 in A flat major. On this album:

 
Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
BTW, my favorite of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas is No 31 in A flat major. On this album (Vol VI)
O'Conor's Volume VI seems to be out of print. It isn't available on either Amazon or ArchivMusic.

I can find his Volumes 1, 3, 4, and 5 on Amazon. And Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 on ArchivMusic. Roman numerals drive me crazy – I used normal Arabic numbers.

I could always pick one randomly :).
 
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Mikado463

Mikado463

Audioholic Spartan
@Pogre

Classical music, in many cases seems to be rebuffed at the mere mention... like trashing a new thread dedicated to it. :( (although it was funny)

But who has taken the time to listen?

It's nothing but Pop music from the past.

Personally, I am a classical novice. I spent 50 years in Rock as many folks my age have.

But about 2000, as alternative waned and indie seemed to take it's place I began to feel lost.
How many old tired Bob Dylan albums was I going to buy? I mean, at this point listening to Dylan took a real effort. You had to try and like the stuff. Not at all like when Blonde on Blonde blew you away on first listen.
So many old rockers that did not know enough to walk away.

Anyway, in a constant quest for new sounds, continually bumping my head as I aimlessly went from genre to genre, I heard a few things that I liked in classical.

Now I'd say, 80% plus of my listening is of classical.

So my question is, have you ever taken the time to listen?
Yes, I've attended numerous concerts in Philly, Rochester and NYC. I do love the Pops interpretation of many of the classics.
 
Irvrobinson

Irvrobinson

Audioholic Spartan
O'Conor's Volume VI seems to be out of print. It isn't available on either Amazon or ArchivMusic.

I can find his Volumes 1, 3, 4, and 5 on Amazon. And Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 on ArchivMusic. Roman numerals drive me crazy – I used normal Arabic numbers.

I could always pick one randomly :).
Wow, that's a surprise! I'm going to have to archive mine. I think I'm going to have to buy the rest of the Telarc Classics catalog I don't already own. What a shame.

Try Volume 5.
 
Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
Wow, that's a surprise! I'm going to have to archive mine. I think I'm going to have to buy the rest of the Telarc Classics catalog I don't already own. What a shame.

Try Volume 5.
Today, while putting Vol 5 on my Amazon wishlist, I did find Vol 6. Yesterday I couldn't, although I tried a number of differently worded searches. Now both John O'Conor CDs are on my wishlist :).

Sometimes I find searching on Amazon can be hit or miss o_O. Although prices are higher for CDs, searching on ArchivMusic is easier.
 
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3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
I'm lucky I guess in that I was raised in a household filled with mainly classical music. Mom was a Mozart fan, Dad a Beethoven fan but everything classical was played. At the ripe old age of 5 I could tell you which piece of music was being played or at least ID the composer if I have not heard it before. People may think it odd growing up on a farm and knowing classical composers but my parents immigrated from Germany after WW2. My Dad also liked Big Band music, Bill Hailey, Stephen Foster and others like that.

My favourite piece of work from Beethoven's Piano Symphony #5 followed by the 9th and the 3rd Symphonies.
 
Irvrobinson

Irvrobinson

Audioholic Spartan
I was introduced to classical music the same way millions of other American kids from my generation were: Warner Brothers cartoons. I can still visualize an elephant's butt swaying to Lalo's Symphanie Espagnole. Bugs Bunny as the Barber of Seville is a tough image to get out of my head too.
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
I was introduced to classical music the same way millions of other American kids from my generation were: Warner Brothers cartoons. I can still visualize an elephant's butt swaying to Lalo's Symphanie Espagnole. Bugs Bunny as the Barber of Seville is a tough image to get out of my head too.

Just to drive the point home :p

 
2

2channel lover

Audioholic Field Marshall
I'm not an aficionado of Classical music but I have a 2 or 3 CDs, Leonard Bernstein I know is conducting on one of them...admittedly I play the online classical radio on whole house system as background music really low volume.

I'm learning something from this thread...I will probably pick up a couple of these suggestions for more critical listening.
 
Eddie14

Eddie14

Enthusiast
I'm not really into it, but my dad is (even he's a rock artist). Funny how 2 different characteristics can coexist in 1 person.
 
Mikado463

Mikado463

Audioholic Spartan
I'm not really into it, but my dad is (even he's a rock artist). Funny how 2 different characteristics can coexist in 1 person.
not funny at all, most 'rockers' have classical fundamentals, the two coexist quite often
 
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