# Can you reccomend music to a classical noob?



## Hagrid (Apr 27, 2015)

Hi everyone. I haven't been listening to classical music long, but I hope to start.. In fact I already have! I'm about to list some works I have listened to and enjoy, and based on this information, I would be very appreciative if some you classical buffs could reccomend me some similar music? Thanks.

Tchaikovsky

Symphony 4
Symphony 6
Serenade Melancholique
Violin Concerto

Schubert

String Quintet in C Major (the second movement is especially memorable)


That's pretty much it. I enjoy all of these works very much, and would very much appreicate and enjoy further guidance. I've also been listening to French music from a young age: Debussy, Satie, Ravel..

Cheers Harry. I particularly enjoy melancholy music. But I probably didn't need to specify that too much.


----------



## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 and Kullervo Symphony


----------



## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

You asked for music that's similar to the pieces you suggested. I'm sure others can provide plenty of suggestions, but of course there's every chance you'll also like music that's quite different from those pieces!

Over the years, TC members have collaborated to produce lists of the most popular (or "best") works in various genres such as symphonies and concertos. A newcomer could have a lot of fun working their way through these lists (not necessarily in the given order). Have a look at http://www.talkclassical.com/17996-compilation-tc-top-recommended.html for the full set of lists, and my suggestion is just take the plunge!


----------



## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Great selections so far--both Tchaikovsky and Schubert are treasure troves of haunting music and memorable melodies. A few more from these composers:

Tchaikovsky:
1st String Quartet andante, scored for orchestra: 



Variations on a Rococo Theme: 



Symphony #1: 




Schubert: 
Piano Sonata 14: 



21: 



Piano Trio 2: 



Arpeggione Sonata: 



String Quartets 13, 14, 15: here's "death & the maiden" 




There is lots of great, melodic, melancholic music from the Renaissance to the present: as others have said, dig around in the recommended lists. Youtube, Spotify, and other streaming services are good at recommending similar repertoire when you find something you like. Also check out the "other people who bought this album also liked these" sorts of recommendations from Amazon.

Have fun, and let us know when you find anything you like.

*p.s.* And Sibelius 4:


----------



## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto & Symphony no.3
Schubert - Symphony no. 8 'Unfinished' 
Rachmaninoff - Symphony no. 2, Piano Concertos No. 2 & No. 3
Scriabin - Piano Concerto

Not so melancholic, but very tuneful: 

Dvořák - String Quartet no. 12 'American'

Schubert - Symphony no. 9 'Great'


----------



## Hagrid (Apr 27, 2015)

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Since you've all been so kind as to supply me with music, I'll give you an update.

Sibelius - Symphony 1

I had enough time to listen to the whole thing twice (after a couple of hours of course). I enjoyed it a lot, and I'll definitely be listening to his fourth symphony tomorrow as recommended here. I could feel a gush of chilly wind flying around my brain as I listened to this. I'll be coming back to this.

Schubert - Piano Sonata 14

This is wonderful piano music. I'm familiar with Richter... I'm also familiar with the weird Ebola virus that seems to plague an audience whenever they're presented with classical music. WTF? 

Schubert - Piano Sonata 21

I heard this melody years ago, very nice to hear it again. I enjoyed the first and second movements most of all. I looked it up on Spotify (with Richter) to see if I could find a studio recording for obvious reasons, but it was the same live recording. Why would any self-respecting musician want to release this kind of stuff?

Hopefully you don't find my descriptions of the music pretentious (they're not). And please do continue to educate me. x)


----------



## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I won't inundate you, but I think you should hop over to Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis (a.k.a. Tallis Fantasia). if not quite melancholy it's at least painfully beautiful. Any fairly modern recording should do.


----------



## Hagrid (Apr 27, 2015)

Weston said:


> I won't inundate you, but I think you should hop over to Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis (a.k.a. Tallis Fantasia). if not quite melancholy it's at least painfully beautiful. Any fairly modern recording should do.


It's a good job you're not inundating me then. I've heard a few pieces by Vaughan Williams, and that one you named is one of them. Truly the most quintisentially English classical music I've heard. As opposed to Elgar for example, I can see images of the English countryside with the Vaughan Williams pieces I've heard.

I haven't heard any of the more lengthy works by him though. Any particular Symphonies/Sonatas/Concertos that come to mind?


----------



## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Hagrid said:


> I haven't heard any of the more lengthy works by him though. Any particular Symphonies/Sonatas/Concertos that come to mind?


Symphony No. 3, the Pastoral, is the one that sounds the most typically English in its own melancholy way. I would also recommend No. 5.


----------



## Hagrid (Apr 27, 2015)

Mahlerian said:


> Symphony No. 3, the Pastoral, is the one that sounds the most typically English in its own melancholy way. I would also recommend No. 5.


Okay thank you.

I'd say that's plenty to go on for now. Also.. The jokes on me. Vaughan Williams apparently didn't compose any Sonatas or Concertos. :lol:


----------



## Ken Cohen (Apr 10, 2015)

I remember the music that I grew up with that I loved, and the Tchaikovsky pieces you named are among them. Try the Sibelius Violin Concerto, Dvorak Cello Concerto, Debussy piano solo pieces (there are several good collections). If you want an easy entry to Beethoven, his Piano Concertos are all wonderful, the First being an old favourite of mine (Leonard Bernstein playing and conducting the New York Philharmonic is memorable). For Bach, maybe start with a cantata: no. 70 is a great one, 147 is famous, and there are many other outstanding examples to choose from. Once you get into this, it's an endless adventure.


----------



## Dave Whitmore (Oct 3, 2014)

What I did when I was new was go to YouTube and select a different composer every night and just spend a few hours listening to their music. I started with Beethoven, then moved on to Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Brahms etc. I did this for months basically. Then with the composers you really liked you can spend more time exploring their music. And there is such a variety. Symphonies, piano concertos, violin concertos, string quartets etc. Just enjoy yourself discovering a world of amazing music. I know I did!


----------



## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

In addition to the other Schubert works mentioned,you might check out Schubert's Lieder - though these are much easier to get into if you know German. There are many collections available. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's recordings are classics. I like Matthias Goerne's and Olaf Bar's if you want more recent recordings.

Based on your taste, I bet you'd like Brahms! Almost everything he wrote was melancholy, even when it's happy. My favorite Brahms works:

-Clarinet Quintet
-Symphonies 2 and 4
-Violin Sonatas 1 and 2
-Horn Trio
-Piano Trio in B
-Piano Trio in C
-Cello Sonatas
-German Requiem
-Piano pieces Op. 116 through 119


----------



## Dave Whitmore (Oct 3, 2014)

isorhythm said:


> In addition to the other Schubert works mentioned,you might check out Schubert's Lieder - though these are much easier to get into if you know German. There are many collections available. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's recordings are classics. I like Matthias Goerne's and Olaf Bar's if you want more recent recordings.
> 
> Based on your taste, I bet you'd like Brahms! Almost everything he wrote was melancholy, even when it's happy. My favorite Brahms works:
> 
> ...


You've just given me a Brahms night after reading this lot!


----------



## Hagrid (Apr 27, 2015)

Dave Whitmore said:


> You've just given me a Brahms night after reading this lot!


You took the words right out of my mouth! This Clarinet Quintet is beautiful.


----------



## Dave Whitmore (Oct 3, 2014)

Hagrid said:


> You took the words right out of my mouth! This Clarinet Quintet is beautiful.


It really is. I'm listening to it right now.


----------



## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

I would say to check out

1) Sibelius Symphony No.2 (I like the NY Phil with Bernstein Recording)
2) Dvorak Symphony No.9

They are not in the exact same vein as what you mentioned in your original post, but both are not a real stretch and are wonderful pieces of music.

Not sure if this helps but I would say that if you were to survey classical music listeners far and wide, of their top 50 favorites, these two would be on the list.


----------



## Hagrid (Apr 27, 2015)

isorhythm said:


> In addition to the other Schubert works mentioned,you might check out Schubert's Lieder - though these are much easier to get into if you know German. There are many collections available. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's recordings are classics. I like Matthias Goerne's and Olaf Bar's if you want more recent recordings.
> 
> Based on your taste, I bet you'd like Brahms! Almost everything he wrote was melancholy, even when it's happy. My favorite Brahms works:
> 
> ...


After listening to both the Clarinet Quintet and the first Violin Sonata, I think it's safe to say that you've recruited a Brahms admirer.


----------



## Trout (Apr 11, 2011)

Hagrid said:


> Okay thank you.
> 
> I'd say that's plenty to go on for now. Also.. The jokes on me. Vaughan Williams apparently didn't compose any Sonatas or Concertos. :lol:


Vaughan Williams did compose a couple fairly well-known concertos: one for oboe and one for tuba, which are both fine works. While not on the same scale of his symphonies, among favorite Vaughan Williams works are his sublime _Serenade to Music_ (the version I enjoy is for 16 vocal soloists and orchestra), his folk-inspired, pastoral _Five Variants on a Theme of Dives and Lazarus_, and his two splendid string quartets.

If you do not mind more recommendations along the same lines, I would also like to mention the music of not-so-well-known Gerald Finzi whom I actually prefer to Vaughan Williams. Perhaps try the short _Romance for Strings_ whenever you have space in your listening queue which is melancholic similar to some of the works you enjoy, but also tenderly loving and wistful. I would be happy to provide more suggestions if you are still interested.

Enjoy!


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Trout said:


> Vaughan Williams did compose a couple fairly well-known concertos: one for oboe and one for tuba, which are both fine works. While not on the same scale of his symphonies, among favorite Vaughan Williams works are his sublime _Serenade to Music_ (the version I enjoy is for 16 vocal soloists and orchestra), his folk-inspired, pastoral _Five Variants on a Theme of Dives and Lazarus_, and his two splendid string quartets.


Don't forget RVW's piano concerto

If you like Sibelius, try Douglas Lilburn - while he was a New Zealander who studied with RVW, his style is very Sibelian.


----------



## Hagrid (Apr 27, 2015)

And what about conductors?

Who are some of the best Tchaikovsky/Sibelius interpreters? I was listening to Bernstein's rendition of the first Sibelius symphony. Whilst it was clearly the most popular rendition, further inspection shows that most people saw it as being inferior to other versions. I'd like to know who these versions are by?


----------



## Bevo (Feb 22, 2015)

Tchaikovsky was the first composer whose music I truly fell in love with as well. There aren't too many more composers out there that share qualities that Tchaikovsky possessed. However, Tchaikovsky was one of the greats when it came to melody, so take a listen to Mozart. If you enjoy him then take a listen to Haydn! Here... go to Amazon and select digital music as the section to search in, and search "Bach Guild." When the results pop up select the "see all albums" option. There should be a bunch of albums with the words "Big Box," or "Little Big Box," in the title (you'll recognize them). Some are Big composer boxes, such as Brahms or Bach, and some are Big instrumental boxes, such as Violin or Winds and Brass. Granted there are higher quality performances of the works out there, but they're excellent recordings and practically all 99 cents. Some have over 15 hours worth of music. It's a really good deal, especially for new people getting into classical music so they can find pieces they like. You really should look into it! I've been into Classical music for a long time and still check for new releases! Here's their website http://www.thebachguild.com/ 
Anyways, check out Tchaikovsky's Slavonic March (also referred to as Marche Slave), Saint-Saens's Third Symphony (also referred to as the Organ Symphony), and Dvorak's 9th Symphony (also known as the New World Symphony). All great pieces with a little bit of a Tchaikovsky feel. Best of luck!


----------



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Nereffid said:


> You asked for music that's similar to the pieces you suggested. I'm sure others can provide plenty of suggestions, but of course there's every chance you'll also like music that's quite different from those pieces!
> 
> Over the years, TC members have collaborated to produce lists of the most popular (or "best") works in various genres such as symphonies and concertos. A newcomer could have a lot of fun working their way through these lists (not necessarily in the given order). Have a look at http://www.talkclassical.com/17996-compilation-tc-top-recommended.html for the full set of lists, and my suggestion is just take the plunge!


An even better list - in my opinion! - more comprehensive and prioritized without being sorted into arbitrary categories, is here: The Talkclassical Classical Music Project Ranked List of Recommendations. It's a rough draft of an excellent guide to classical music!


----------



## Guest (Apr 30, 2015)

^^^ 2142 works and no Jean Cras? Or Franco Alfano? Keep working! :devil:


----------



## Hagrid (Apr 27, 2015)

After starting with the Tchaikovsky symphonies/concertos and some Schubert quintets, (also Debussy and Ravel) I now have several compositions to look into. Thanks everyone for the reccomendations.

Tchaikovsky's Sixth, I think, is just a bit more than music to my ears. It's still one of my favourites.


----------



## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

For Sibelius 1, try Segerstam. With Tchaikovsky 6, I like Mravinsky.

Are you, Hagrid, possibly familiar with this little ditty I know, called Mahler's 2nd symphony, "Resurrection"..?
Also remember to check out all Rachmaninov's symphonies and piano concertos. And Schubert's late string quartets. And Tchaikovsky's piano concertos. And his string sextet "Souvenir de Florence".


----------

