# New Pleasure



## Cpt. Sweet (Aug 13, 2008)

Hey everyone,
I'm 18, new here and to classical music. I've started listening to the local classical music station and I was wondering if anyone could suggest some composers for me. I'll give some examples of what I like and see what you can do.
It's probably fairly mainstream stuff as fair as classical goes.
Wolfgang Mozart - Requiem - Lacrimosa 
- Introitus
Johann Pachelbel - Kanon in D
Rachmaninoff - Adagio Sostenuto
Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings
Tchaikovsky - Anything from The Nutcracker
Paganini - Concerto Pour Violin No. 1
Wagner - In the Hall of the Mountain King

These are just the ones I've managed to write down or already know. I tend to like pieces with a strong string section and I've grown quite fond of piano concerto's. Not a massive fan of female vocals.

Thanks in advance.


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## fox_druid (Feb 12, 2007)

Hi there  
I'm 18 too and just discovered my passion on classical music about 5 years ago

Seeing the list above, i think you should try Tschaikovsky's Swan Lake. It's a wonderful piece and relatively easy to the new ear.

Canon in D can be a good start for baroque music. You should try the Gigue too. The canon is used to be paired with the Gigue, but unfortunately the Gigue don't have the same popularity as the canon. It's a really moving and lively piece.

Or perhaps if you like slow pieces, try Albinoni's adagio. It's also a very popular baroque piece for strings.


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## Scelsi (Jul 24, 2008)

Mahler could work (like symphony nr 1 or 5 to begin with)
Shostakovish could work (like concerto for piano and trumpet, symphony nr 7)
I'd also recommend to discover beyond "orchestra". Like string quartet (dvorak, late Beethoven, both Janacek quartets). Try one opera (Bizet's Carmen for example). Discover some piano solo (Beethoven sonatas). Etc.
Also, don't wait too many years before expanding through time: probably you'll stick to the classical and romantic period for some time (maybe with some baroque). But maybe you'll get hooked on renaissance or medieval music or contemporary classical, once you've acquired the taste (try Stravinsky's "le sacre du printemps").


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

*Edvard Grieg & Wagner*



Cpt. Sweet said:


> Wagner - In the Hall of the Mountain King


Since last year was the "death-centennial" of Edvard Grieg, his music has been more in the spotlight than previously. "In the Hall of the Mountain King" is _the_ Grieg hit in much the same way that "Ride of the Valkyries" is _the_ Wagner hit (unless you give pride of place to perhaps the most-played Classical Music excerpt ever- the Bridal Chorus from _Lohengrin_).

Grieg may have blown hot and cold in his feelings for Wagner's music. His _Lyric Suite_ was originally scored for Harp & String Orchestra- and it became known more widely through conductor (and confirmed Wagnerite) Anton Seidl's full-force orchestration, which prompted Grieg to issue his own full-orchestra version, dismissing Seidl's effort as a too-heavy application of "the whole Wagnerian apparatus." We should remember, though, that Grieg held Wagner's music in sufficient regard to have joined Liszt, Bruckner, and Tchaikovsky in attending the first Bayreuth Festival.

Probably the most famous full-length Grieg piece is his Piano Concerto, which of course is to be enthusiastically recommended to all fans of Romantic pianism. However, a piece far more like "Mountain King" is the "Homage March" from _Sigurd Jorsalfar_. If not as famous as Wagner's best known "bleeding chunks," it at least presents a more wholesome picture of sibling togetherness than that found in Wagner's *Die Walküre*.


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## YsayeOp.27#6 (Dec 7, 2007)

Cpt. Sweet said:


> Rachmaninoff - Adagio Sostenuto


I suppose that's the Adagio Sostenuto from the second piano concerto. I suggest you to listen to the complete work: *Concerto for piano and orchestra Nº 2 in d minor Op. 18*. You will also enjoy the *Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini, Op.43*, by the same composer.



Cpt. Sweet said:


> Tchaikovsky - Anything from The Nutcracker


Get Tchaikovsky's *Piano concerto Nº 1, in b minor Op. 23*, and his *Violin concerto in D major Op. 35*. They never fail to impress the listener.
Regarding the "pieces with a strong string section" comment, you should then go for Tchaikovsky's *Romeo and Juliet overture*.



Cpt. Sweet said:


> Paganini - Concerto Pour Violin No. 1


Get Paganini's Violin concerto Nº 2 "La campanella"-


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## tenor02 (Jan 4, 2008)

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Probably the most famous full-length Grieg piece is his Piano Concerto, which of course is to be enthusiastically recommended to all fans of Romantic pianism.


a-minor is a beast and is awesome to listen to as a beginner. also, try to get into some vivaldi- the four seasons are amazing and wildly popular as well, he's a great intro into baroque. dont be afraid to try new things, some you'll like, some you'll dislike, and eventually that will reverse lol.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I would highly recommend Robert Schumann's piano concerto. It's almost always paired with the Grieg piano concerto on recordings so you're likely to get that one too. Both are good, but I prefer the Schumann. It's got some crazy impossible rhythms in the final movement. I don't think he was great with strings compared to some, but certainly adequate.


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## Ramamaiden (Aug 25, 2008)

I recommend the 5 mozart violin concerto and the 6 brandenburg concertos of bach.
All lovely pieces of art and easy to hear.


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

What a cool post. I started listening to classical music when I was about 16, and I will be 30 in a few months. Admittedly, I didn't start getting into classical "hard and heavy" until about 3 years ago, but I've now fully arrived.

It's hard for me to suggest music to a fairly new listener, especially since my tastes are pretty much not in the mainstream. I am not a big Mozart person, so I won't (I can't) suggest anything there, and Mozart is usually safe for most beginners. But I'll give this a try, anyway:

Finlandia by Jean Sibelius
Alexander Nevsky by Prokofiev
Symphony no. 9 by Beethoven
Gayne by Khachaturian
Symphony no. 2 by Borodin
Ma Vlast by Smetana
Toccata and Fugue by J.S. Bach
Music for the Royal Fireworks by Handel

That's just off the top of my head, and quite and imperfect and personal list. But these are all pieces that I like and have, I suppose, a universal appeal to anyone who is just now dipping their toes.

One word of sage advice, though...there is this composer named Schonberg...stay away from him.


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## fox_druid (Feb 12, 2007)

> Toccata and Fugue by J.S. Bach


There are so many of the same title. Maybe you could specify it by the BWV catalog number?


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

THE Toccata and Fugue BWV 565.


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## Ashira (Aug 30, 2008)

Tapkaara said:


> Ma Vlast by Smetana


Agree here, especially the most well known part of this, La Moldau. Gorgeous piece.



> One word of sage advice, though...there is this composer named Schonberg...stay away from him.


lol! Be careful being so general though, you end up leaving out a large chunk of a composer's material that may surprise you. 

Elly Ameling singing Schoenberg's "Gigerlette"





(While Ameling is not one of my favorite sopranos, it's the only easily accessible performance I could find. I remember first time I heard this, it was not what I would ever have associated with Schoenberg. )

My suggestions, for someone newer to classical music - start with pieces that you probably know and yet don't realize you do. Things like Holst's _The Planets_, the theme in "Jupiter" that is used for "I Vow to Thee, My Country" as well as the main melody of the pop song "World in Union," and has been used as theme music for news programs; or other songs that became the base for pop songs - Albinoni's "Adagio in G Minor" that fox_druid mentioned, Chopin's "Prelude in C Minor," Beethoven's "Pathetique" Sonata. Familiarity can make one feel more comfortable with something new.

Another way to approach is to perhaps do some research on a composer and their works, see if the idea of what inspired a particular piece makes you want to listen to it. I know Schubert's "Gretchen am Spinnrade" is a piece like that for me, being fond of the _Faust_ tale, for one, and just loving that the whole lower line in the accompaniment is the rhythm of the spinning wheel while she's thinking.. that sort of thing is what catches my attention, the drama of the piece.

With that, though, I'll just give my list of suggestions of some of the lighter pieces that I like that I don't think would scare anyone away:

-Elgar: _Enigma Variations_, "Nimrod" being particularly well-known
-Vivaldi: _Gloria_ (have always loved this, especially the "Et in Terra Pax")
-Poulenc: _Gloria_ (particularly directed by Ozawa) - the "Domine Deus, Agnus Dei" always gives me chills 
-Fauré: "Pavane," "Cantique de Jean Racine," and from his _Requiem_ - I love the whole thing, but always appreciate a really good "Libera Me"
-Bach: I love "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," but typically I prefer a nice orchestral version to many choral arrangements I've heard.
-Massenet: "Meditation," from _Thaïs_
-Bernstein: _Chichester Psalms_ - only three movements, and spans such an array in those.
-Schubert: _Mass in G_, have always loved the "Kyrie."
-Rachamaninov: _Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini_
-Vaughan Williams: _Fantasia on "Greensleeves"_

Mm, I think that's a fairly decent spread, and nothing too overwhelming. Hopefully it's more of the taste of things that make one want to try more.


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

I knew the Schonberg comment would grab someone's attention...hehehe...  

The Planets in an EXCELLENT suggestion. "Mars" and "Jupiter" in particular are highlights.

It will be interesting to see who will become this young man's favorite composers.


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