# The Recommendations Thread!



## Jobis (Jun 13, 2013)

In this thread you name a piece, or several (within reason) and the next poster has to recommend a piece in a similar vein. You're welcome to post without giving recommendations, but it would be nice if you did!

Hopefully this will help people tentatively trying out new genres, such as those interested in getting into contemporary music but without knowing where to start.

I'll start with Anton Webern's Op. 21






Looking for pieces with some stylistic similarities, not necessarily serial.


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

Logically, with this sort of beginning, you should only expect people to recommend and mention Webern-like music until the ends of time.

You may want to fine tune the algorithm.

edit: unless you mean the person who recommends one can then mention an entirely different styled piece.


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## Jobis (Jun 13, 2013)

Its not meant to generate a chain of similar pieces.

Ideally a post would go :

'the above poster might like x,

can anyone recommend me something like y?' 

to clarify.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Chordalrock said:


> Logically, with this sort of beginning, you should only expect people to recommend and mention Webern-like music until the ends of time.
> 
> You may want to fine tune the algorithm.
> 
> edit: unless you mean the person who recommends one can then mention an entirely different styled piece.


That is NOT logical -- the idea is 'like to' not exactly in the same vein. There is room for each participant's imagination to make a musical link about some similarity they hear, which could jump from the Webern to about any other composer.

Ever heard of making a choice, where there is no right answer, and all that might be expected is your making a good case for it? Try it, you might like it.


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

PetrB said:


> That is NOT logical -- the idea is 'like to' not exactly in the same vein. There is room for each participant's imagination to make a musical link about some similarity they hear, which could jump from the Webern to about any other composer.
> 
> Ever heard of making a choice, where there is no right answer, and all that might be expected is your making a good case for it? Try it, you might like it.


You first......


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Jobis said:


> In this thread you name a piece, or several (within reason) and the next poster has to recommend a piece in a similar vein. You're welcome to post without giving recommendations, but it would be nice if you did!
> 
> I'll start with Anton Webern's Op. 21
> 
> ...


This is music very heavy on making a linear presentation of intervals for the listener to 'put together' in memory and perceive as a sort of line.

Then, to 
Irving Fine ~ _Notturna_, (from 1951) for Strings and Harp, which is 'tonal,' and in the first half very much about hearing in a similar manner. The second half is more directly in a neoclassical style, with more readily familiar configurations and activity.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Chordalrock said:


> You first......


Done. (above post.)

If you aren't familiar enough with the general repertoire of an era, or just plain don't care for it, wait for these overlapped associative entries to get to some area where -- perhaps without the dour tone, face, and grumbled mutterings of one who is being made to eat a dish the taste of which you don't at all care for -- you are comfortable and happy enough, to jump in.


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

PetrB said:


>


The beginning reminds me of the beginning of Beethoven's op 131.






I think this will start a mood loop unless we get an unconventional thinker next.


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

Chordalrock said:


> The beginning reminds me of the beginning of Beethoven's op 131.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


As I listened to this, I was waiting for a piano to enter lol. Even though yours was in a minor key and less "energetic", it made me think of the Andante from Brahms' c minor piano quartet.


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

Cosmos said:


> As I listened to this, I was waiting for a piano to enter lol. Even though yours was in a minor key and less "energetic", it made me think of the Andante from Brahms' c minor piano quartet.


This is awesome. Brahms is still somewhat unexplored territory for me -- he's a composer who is obviously superbly skilled but for me, and I hear, for many, rather difficult to appreciate. This was on a list of Brahms pieces somebody recommended to me but this is the first time I got around to listening to it. I think it's safe to say it's one of Brahms's best pieces. This sort of superb and intricate polyphony was rather rare during the Romantic period so I wonder what the next recommendation could be if Brahms is excluded.


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## randomnese (Nov 30, 2013)

Brahms C minor quartet is absolutely gorgeous. Up until now, only Brahms has truly explored the bass regions of the piano in terms of drawing a rich and developed sound.

If we're talking about Brahms C minor quartet, I'll swing the discussion over to Shostakovich 11. The descending melody in Brahms's Andante reminds me of the flute duet in the opening movement. A very straightforward melody in both pieces, with a little bit of bite from an unexpected chord.






The duet starts at around 11:30. I recommend you listen to the entire thing. It makes for great background music!


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