# The "if you like a you'll like b" thread



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes (Feb 24, 2019)

People will mention a composition and/or composer they like and recive a recommendation to something similar they'll like; fair?

As for me, every time I listen to a piece by Tchaikovsky, I'm stunned, he just doesn't let me down, one of my top 5 most definatly, I hope I could get his Operas because I'm missing on this one; I have the Ballets, the Symphonies, Violin concerto, orchestra concert, and the seaons; was other composers with a similar style you think I'll like?


----------



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> As for me, every time I listen to a piece by Tchaikovsky, I'm stunned, he just doesn't let me down, one of my top 5 most definatly, I hope I could get his Operas because I'm missing on this one; I have the Ballets, the Symphonies, Violin concerto, orchestra concert, and the seaons; was other composers with a similar style you think I'll like?


Have you heard Glazunov?


----------



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Here's another a to b: If you like Erik Satie, you'll like Frederico Mompou.


----------



## CrunchyFr0g (Jun 11, 2019)

Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> People will mention a composition and/or composer they like and recive a recommendation to something similar they'll like; fair?
> 
> As for me, every time I listen to a piece by Tchaikovsky, I'm stunned, he just doesn't let me down, one of my top 5 most definatly, I hope I could get his Operas because I'm missing on this one; I have the Ballets, the Symphonies, Violin concerto, orchestra concert, and the seaons; was other composers with a similar style you think I'll like?


If you like Tchaikovsky ballets I think you'll like Romeo & Juliet and Cinderella by Prokofiev.


----------



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes (Feb 24, 2019)

CrunchyFr0g said:


> If you like Tchaikovsky ballets I think you'll like Romeo & Juliet and Cinderella by Prokofiev.


Have them :>


> Have you heard Glazunov?


His four seasons, yes.


----------



## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Taneyev was a contemporary and friend of Tchaikovsky who wrote in a similar style as him.


----------



## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Try Glazunov's Violin Concerto, it's a gem!


----------



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes (Feb 24, 2019)

I'm keeping a link to this thread, thanks folks!


----------



## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Ok, slightly off the beaten track: if you like Vaughan Williams, try The New Zealander Douglas Lilburn.


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

CnC Bartok said:


> Ok, slightly off the beaten track: if you like Vaughan Williams, try The New Zealander Douglas Lilburn.


LOLOL!! I was just about to post about Lilburn but saying if you like Sibelius then...!! While Lilburn was indeed an RVW student, his music is much more reminiscent of Sibelius. An example is his _Song of Islands_.


----------



## Rubens (Nov 5, 2017)

If you like snippets of Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, R Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Vaughan Williams, Mahler, Orff, Holst and many more, then you'll like John Williams


----------



## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> People will mention a composition and/or composer they like and recive a recommendation to something similar they'll like; fair?
> 
> As for me, every time I listen to a piece by Tchaikovsky, I'm stunned, he just doesn't let me down, one of my top 5 most definatly, I hope I could get his Operas because I'm missing on this one; I have the Ballets, the Symphonies, Violin concerto, orchestra concert, and the seaons; was other composers with a similar style you think I'll like?


If you like Tchaik PC no 1

you'll love rach pc 2 and pc 3


----------



## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

If you like Rach’s 3rd PC you will like Lutoslawski’s PC


----------



## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> People will mention a composition and/or composer they like and recive a recommendation to something similar they'll like; fair?
> 
> As for me, every time I listen to a piece by Tchaikovsky, I'm stunned, he just doesn't let me down, one of my top 5 most definatly, I hope I could get his Operas because I'm missing on this one; I have the Ballets, the Symphonies, Violin concerto, orchestra concert, and the seaons; was other composers with a similar style you think I'll like?


The ballets _Sylvia_ and _Coppelia_ by *Delibes* and _Giselle_ by *Adam* were much admired by Tchaikovsky and served as models for his own ballets; if you like them, chances are that you will like these works too. 
He also loved *Bizet*'s _Carmen_ and later in life became a friend of *Saint-Saëns* and of *Dvorák*, so I think that they're good recommendations too for those who like the russian.

*Mozart* and *Beethoven* were the favorite composers of Pyotr Ilyich (he even compared them to Christ and God, respectively), so you may like works such as _Don Giovanni_ and the _Eroica_ symphony, that Tchaikovsky loved unconditionally.

Early Tchaikovsky was very impressed with *Richard Wagner*; he wrote many articles about his music, and may even have attempted to have an exclusive interview with the german master in the first Bayreuth festival, which unfortunately seems to have been refused by Wagner.

After Tchaikovsky's death, composers such as *Rachmaninoff* and *Glazunov* in their early days continued to compose in a style that has a resemblance to his, and people like *Ravel*, *Prokofiev* and *Stravinsky* also became great composers of ballet and took the genre to new directions, perhaps at least in part as a reaction to Pyotr's astounding influence in the field.


----------



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes (Feb 24, 2019)

Allerius said:


> The ballets _Sylvia_ and _Coppelia_ by *Delibes* and _Giselle_ by *Adam* were much admired by Tchaikovsky and served as models for his own ballets; if you like them, chances are that you will like these works too.
> He also loved *Bizet*'s _Carmen_ and later in life became a friend of *Saint-Saëns* and of *Dvorák*, so I think that they're good recommendations too for those who like the russian.
> 
> *Mozart* and *Beethoven* were the favorite composers of Pyotr Ilyich (he even compared them to Christ and God, respectively), so you may like works such as _Don Giovanni_ and the _Eroica_ symphony, that Tchaikovsky loved unconditionally.
> ...


Stravinsky composed ballets? Who is Ravel? More info please and thanks a lot!


----------



## Guest (Jun 20, 2019)

Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> Stravinsky composed ballets? *Who is Ravel?* More info please and thanks a lot!


Paulb will be highly amused that you've never heard of Ravel. I'd love to see the look of shock-horror on his face if ever he stumbles across this.


----------



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes (Feb 24, 2019)

Partita said:


> Paulb will be highly amused that you've never heard of Ravel. I'd love to see the look of shock-horror on his face if ever he stumbles across this.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Maurice_Ravel
No ballets...


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Daphnis and Chloe
Ma Mère l'Oye - not originally written as a ballet but Ravel did do an arrangement.


----------



## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> Stravinsky composed ballets? Who is Ravel? More info please and thanks a lot!


Stravinsky has twelve ballets, _The Rite of Spring_ and _The Firebird_ being among the most famous of them. Some of these ballets are amongst the most influential pieces of music from the first half of the twentieth century. Here, take a look.

Joseph Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) is a french composer whose style is sometimes associated to that of Debussy. He is famous for his craft and perfectionism as a composer and for his legendary skills for orchestration. Amongst Ravel's most popular pieces are the _Bolero_, the _Pavane for a Dead Princess_, _La Valse_ and the most famous orchestration for Mussorgsky's _Pictures at an Exhibition_. Ravel composed six works labeled as ballets, being _Daphnis et Chloé_ arguably one of his best.


----------



## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> *The "if you like a you'll like b" thread*


If one likes Mozart, one likes chocolate of course.


----------



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes (Feb 24, 2019)

Allerius said:


> Stravinsky has twelve ballets, _The Rite of Spring_ and _The Firebird_ being among the most famous of them. Some of these ballets are amongst the most influential pieces of music from the first half of the twentieth century. Here, take a look.
> 
> Joseph Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) is a french composer whose style is sometimes associated to that of Debussy. He is famous for his craft and perfectionism as a composer and for his legendary skills for orchestration. Amongst Ravel's most popular pieces are the _Bolero_, the _Pavane for a Dead Princess_, _La Valse_ and the most famous orchestration for Mussorgsky's _Pictures at an Exhibition_. Ravel composed six works labeled as ballets, being _Daphnis et Chloé_ arguably one of his best.


I'll take a look, thanks; anything similar?


----------



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes (Feb 24, 2019)

Allerius said:


> If one likes Mozart, one likes chocolate of course.
> 
> View attachment 120463


My birthday, 7/7, is also the world chocolate day !


----------



## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Manxfeeder said:


> Here's another a to b: If you like Erik Satie, you'll like Frederico Mompou.


Oh yes!
And if you like Ibert, you'll like a good laugh.


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Maurice_Ravel
> No ballets...


I could not believe this. And indeed, it is of course not true: all six are listed in the referenced Wikipedia page.


----------



## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> I'll take a look, thanks; *anything similar?*


You mean like Ravel?

Well, a considerable portion of his output is in the impressionist style in music, so you could look for other famous names associated to it. The first and most famous of all impressionist composers is Debussy, but there are others like Albéniz, Lili Boulanger, Takemitsu and Dutilleux for example.

If you meant composers with a similar style to that of Tchaikovsky, I highly suggest you to listen to Delibes and Adam, particularly their ballets, that I mentioned earlier.


----------



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes (Feb 24, 2019)

Allerius said:


> You mean like Ravel?
> 
> Well, a considerable portion of his output is in the impressionist style in music, so you could look for other famous names associated to it. The first and most famous of all impressionist composers is Debussy, but there are others like Albéniz, Lili Boulanger, Takemitsu and Dutilleux for example.
> 
> If you meant composers with a similar style to that of Tchaikovsky, I highly suggest you to listen to Delibes and Adam, particularly their ballets, that I mentioned earlier.


How is French ballet different (both in music and in physical performance) from Russian ballet?
As for Delibes...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ballets_by_Léo_Delibes
How similar are these to Tchaikovsky's ballets, for example? And how strong is the Classical scene in France today? And in the past?


----------



## SacredBolero (May 20, 2019)

Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> Stravinsky composed ballets?


Yes, he did compose music for ballets, in fact he wrote quite a significant few, the most famous of which is probably The Rite of Spring.


Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> Who is Ravel?


Maurice Ravel is a French composer linked to "impressionism", a term also used to describe the music of Debussy. In my view Debussy is even more of an "impressionist", which is often linked to water and uses colours and harmony to great effect. Ravel is much less blatant in that respect, and his late works also carry some jazz elements as well. If you wanna have a listen... I started with Le Tombeau de Couperin, orchestral version. From there my love never ceased!
Edit: I failed to notice that there was a second page of posts and have only belatedly realised that these have been answered in a much more convincing fashion; I hope this answer still has helpful elements.


----------



## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Becca said:


> LOLOL!! I was just about to post about Lilburn but saying if you like Sibelius then...!! While Lilburn was indeed an RVW student, his music is much more reminiscent of Sibelius. An example is his _Song of Islands_.


Very happy to agree with you on that. Maybe there's a bit of Bax in Lilburn too/instead? I like to think that Lilburn is how Vaughan Williams would have written if he'd emigrated to New Zealand (or Nie Zilland to give its correct pronunciation)

An obvious one, to assist anyone embarking on a Stravinsky journey: if you like The Rite of Spring, you'll surely like Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin?


----------



## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

CnC Bartok said:


> An obvious one, to assist anyone embarking on a Stravinsky journey: if you like The Rite of Spring, you'll surely like Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin?


Noted... I LOVE the Rite, love Bartók, and even have that work in my library as part of an Adam Fischer/Hungarian State SO box set of Bartók works, but for some reason I never listened to it... I will have to change that posthaste. I'm moving right along in my own "Stravinsky journey"... he wrote so many varied and fascinating works, many of which are ballets. Off the top of my head, his ballets include the Firebird, Petrouchka, the Rite of Spring, Les Noces, L'Histoire du Soldat, Pulcinella, Jeu de Cartes, Orpheus, Agon, Apollon musagete, and La baiser de la fée.

This last one, known in English as "the Fairy's Kiss", is one that the OP should note is a tribute to Tchaikovsky's ballets and incorporates themes of the older composer. Stravinsky is more than a worthy successor to the Russian ballet tradition exemplified by Tchaikovsky. He takes it in a much more Modernistic direction, however. Stravinsky is one of the greatest composers of all time, and throughout his long career, he was always at his best with his ballets. Highly recommended!


----------



## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

flamencosketches said:


> Noted... I LOVE the Rite, love Bartók, and even have that work in my library as part of an Adam Fischer/Hungarian State SO box set of Bartók works, but for some reason I never listened to it... I will have to change that posthaste!


Good choice, both Fischer brothers are masterful in Bartok, Adam debatably more earthy, Ivan more aggressively refined (!) But one big proviso. That set has only the Suite from the Mandarin, not the full ballet (pedantically a pantomime, who cares?!). This misses out the last ten minutes or so, the music that depicts the Mandarin's persistent revivals and eventual death, and is the most remarkable music in there, eerie, other-worldly, and the perfect ending, rather than the violence of the final chase. Try and get a full version, nowadays the more common recorded version. The old Dorati recording on Mercury is awesome! Of more modern recordings, Ivan Fischer is superb, and the recording quality is spectacular!


----------

