# Want to get into classical.... where do I begin?



## Brofski (Jul 31, 2014)

Hi there, I'm new to the forum.

I want some advice on where to start. It's incredibly daunting. I have no idea where to begin.

I'm a huge music lover in general and love nothing more than getting into a new genre. I'm hugely excited to be doing it again, it's been a while. I'm mostly into Hip Hop (proper, musical, intellectual, poetry driven stuff, not Snoop Dogg and that radio ****) and I also rap myself. I also love thrash metal (Sepultura, Slayers, Megadeth etc). I'm 25, and been listening to those for the past 15 years a lot. I'm also into a lot of funk and jazz (especially the darker, slower stuff) as well as other heavy metal/hard rock besides thrash (Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Budgie etc) and grunge.

But the past year or so, I've been playing a game a lot, Skyrim. The soundtrack is beautiful. I've never disliked Classical, but never really been into it either. But some of the stuff I hear on this game is something completely new and amazing to my ears. Jeremy Soule is the man behind it's music. He's also done other games in the series which are also wonderful.

Some examples:




















So I went and got the soundtrack. I also go the Lord Of The Rings soundtrack. I love the soundtracks to all those epic war and fantasy films like Braveheart and Gladiator.

I think as a starting point, I want some slower, softer sort of stuff. Voices as well if possible, sort of like this:






Any suggestion would be thoroughly appreciated. I'm really excited to be discovering classical music 

Excuse me if any of this sounds ignorant, but I'm entirely new to classical music


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## Brofski (Jul 31, 2014)

Some other examples by Jeremy Soule:















Also, I'm a sucker for some beautiful piano playing (especially a nice sample in a hip hop beat). I heard a beautiful song once, and tried forever to find out who it was. Finally did. Love this song:






This one as well by Phamie Gow is amazing


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Soundtrack music is really its own kind of thing, but I'm sure that you can find some traditionally Classical music that will appeal. Why don't you check out Arvo Part's Tabula Rasa or John Adams' The Chairman Dances and Two Fanfares (not just the better-known Short Ride in a Fast Machine, but also Tromba Lontana)?










Also, for some pieces that have inspired a lot of soundtracks over the years, but are a little bit older, be sure to listen to Holst's The Planets and Prokofiev's Scythian Suite.


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

Beethoven and Bach are my favorites but with all the stuff you listed I say, try some Shostakovich particularly his string quartet no. 8, I consider it a "gateway" work if you will. I feel like a person who knows primarily modern stuff might have a better time if they didn't jump back in time too far. It was written in 1960 here it is played by the Borodin String Quartet:






You've got to be patient with it (I don't know how a.d.d you are but I know lots who'd turn it off after a minute or so) the real fire starts at 5:18 in. The whole quartet is astounding.

Welcome to absolute music my friend I envy you for all the discoveries you'll make. Enjoy the journey.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Mahlerian said:


> Soundtrack music is really its own kind of thing, but I'm sure that you can find some traditionally Classical music that will appeal. Why don't you check out Arvo Part's Tabula Rasa or John Adams' The Chairman Dances and Two Fanfares (not just the better-known Short Ride in a Fast Machine, but also Tromba Lontana)?
> 
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> 
> ...


. . . and the_ Rite of Spring _and pretty much_ any _of Bartok's music-- if you want to talk about plagiarism in music. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Speaking of which, John Adam's _Short Ride in a Fast Machine _sounds an awful lot like John Williams; which is ironic, because its usually John Williams who's taking from_ other _composers.


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## Brofski (Jul 31, 2014)

Mahlerian said:


> Soundtrack music is really its own kind of thing, but I'm sure that you can find some traditionally Classical music that will appeal. Why don't you check out Arvo Part's Tabula Rasa or John Adams' The Chairman Dances and Two Fanfares (not just the better-known Short Ride in a Fast Machine, but also Tromba Lontana)?
> 
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> 
> ...


The first was ok. But it sounds... a bit...for a lack of a better word.... manic, I guess? It's choppy and epic. Sorry, ahrd to explain what I mean. I like that with metal music, but don't think I'm there with classical...YET. The second song though was brilliant.



Fugue Meister said:


> Beethoven and Bach are my favorites but with all the stuff you listed I say, try some Shostakovich particularly his string quartet no. 8, I consider it a "gateway" work if you will. I feel like a person who knows primarily modern stuff might have a better time if they didn't jump back in time too far. It was written in 1960 here it is played by the Borodin String Quartet:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


See, this is the EXACT sort of thing I mean. Starts off quiet, soft and gradually builds. It might be the cello I really like maybe? It's almost got a dark yet beautiful sound to it. It did get a bit crazy some 5 minutes in. I still enjoy that part, but it's the slower part I prefer. Maybe I just need to get my ears accustomed to it. One thing I 100% am with music is patient. I've learned to love almost all music (except dance and pop on the radio really).

Keep them coming guys, these were great suggestions!


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Maybe this is what you're after, Sibelius' 5th Symphony.


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

I'm also with Marschallin Blair about the "Rite of Spring" it is also very cool if your unfamiliar but sadly I feel Stravinsky never topped this early masterpiece of his:






It's only the first part but I love these animated linear videos and couldn't quickly locate a video that had the orchestra playing.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

> Fugue Meister: I'm also with Marschallin Blair about the "Rite of Spring" it is also very cool if your unfamiliar but sadly I feel Stravinsky never topped this early masterpiece of his:


The opening scene of _Star Wars _where C3P-O is ambling through the desert with R2-D2 is lifted right out of Part II of the _Rite of Spring_.


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## Brofski (Jul 31, 2014)

Winterreisender said:


> Maybe this is what you're after, Sibelius' 5th Symphony.


1:30 in and onwards is beautiful. The exact sort of thing I'm after. Thank you very much 



Fugue Meister said:


> I'm also with Marschallin Blair about the "Rite of Spring" it is also very cool if your unfamiliar but sadly I feel Stravinsky never topped this early masterpiece of his:
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> ...


This too. Lovely stuff.

So, my ignorance again. How do I go about owning these?

I don't like downloading MP3s, I like having a physical copy of the music I buy. Would there be CDs of certain pieces by a composer? Like an album? lol. Sorry, I have no idea how classical music works


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## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

I'll try and add a few suggestions of my own to the mix. First off, as some other posters mentioned, there will be a distinctive difference between video game music, like what you posted, and classical music. The main difference is that game music is intended to be listened to in the background and to set the mood for a particular environment. Classical is generally meant for more active listening, with a bit more going on musically. Anyways, here's a couple suggestions that might help to get your feet wet. I just posted individual movements here that seemed similar to some of the music you posted, but I encourage you to listen to the works in their entirety. There is an excellent thread on this forum called "Compilation of TC-Recommended Lists" - I highly recommend going through it and listening to some of the higher-ranked pieces. The lists aren't perfect, but they will give you a moderately broad perspective of classical, and expose you to some of the better-known composers and works.

Liszt: Dante Symphony: 



Ravel: Piano Concerto 2: 



Sibelius: The Bard: 



Rachmaninoff - All-Night Vigil: 



Bruckner - Symphony 7:


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## Brofski (Jul 31, 2014)

Also, I'm not plugging my own music at all, but I used a beat by a Canadian producer. The sample in it is lovely. I know it's quite a famous piece, can someone tell me what it is please?


__
https://soundcloud.com/brofski%2Fminds-alike-keep-the-ball

I'm third by the way


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Brofski said:


> So, my ignorance again. How do I go about owning these?
> 
> I don't like downloading MP3s, I like having a physical copy of the music I buy. Would there be CDs of certain pieces by a composer? Like an album? lol. Sorry, I have no idea how classical music works


Yes there are lots of Classical CDs available . Of course for each piece there are several recordings and opinions differ as to which versions are superior. If you liked the Sibelius piece, you might want to buy something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sibelius-Sy...8&qid=1406843782&sr=8-4&keywords=sibelius+5+2


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Brofski said:


> Also, I'm not plugging my own music at all, but I used a beat by a Canadian producer. The sample in it is lovely. I know it's quite a famous piece, can someone tell me what it is please?
> 
> 
> __
> ...


Sounds like an upbeat, cheerful version of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Piano Sonata:


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## Brofski (Jul 31, 2014)

Winterreisender said:


> Yes there are lots of Classical CDs available . Of course for each piece there are several recordings and opinions differ as to which versions are superior. If you liked the Sibelius piece, you might want to buy something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sibelius-Sy...8&qid=1406843782&sr=8-4&keywords=sibelius+5+2


Yeh, that was more my query. Can I buy a collection of pieces by artist or is it usually CDs of a certain orchestra playing compositions from various composers?


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## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

Winterreisender said:


> Yes there are lots of Classical CDs available . Of course for each piece there are several recordings and opinions differ as to which versions are superior. If you liked the Sibelius piece, you might want to buy something like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sibelius-Sy...8&qid=1406843782&sr=8-4&keywords=sibelius+5+2


I should add, because I've run into this recently, that searching for classical CDs is quite non-intuitive. Most places that I get CDs from categorize music by artist/album, but for classical it lists the performers as the artists.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Brofski said:


> I don't like downloading MP3s, I like having a physical copy of the music I buy. Would there be CDs of certain pieces by a composer? Like an album? lol. Sorry, I have no idea how classical music works


Of course. The problem is that for every single piece, you can find about 5 or 6 recordings, all of which are a little different in terms of the exact expression and playing. One of the things that separates classical music from other kinds (and confuses the hell out of those approaching it from other genres) is that the notes remain the same from performance to performance (unlike a more improvised music like Jazz), but their exact interpretation can differ wildly (as in, you can find versions of Beethoven's Ninth that last under an hour, and versions that last nearly 80 minutes). Classical fans can be very enthusiastic about which performances are the best.

Of course, as much as this is a problem, it's also a solution. Hearing a new take on a familiar piece can bring new things to light.


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## Brofski (Jul 31, 2014)

Winterreisender said:


> Sounds like an upbeat, cheerful version of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Piano Sonata:


Yeh, of course it is. I actually knew that somewhere in the back of my mind. As soon as I read the name it I knew the first few minutes of it. Beautiful song. Thank you


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## Brofski (Jul 31, 2014)

Mahlerian said:


> Of course. The problem is that for every single piece, you can find about 5 or 6 recordings, all of which are a little different in terms of the exact expression and playing. One of the things that separates classical music from other kinds (and confuses the hell out of those approaching it from other genres) is that the notes remain the same from performance to performance (unlike a more improvised music like Jazz), but their exact interpretation can differ wildly. Classical fans can be very enthusiastic about which performances are the best.
> 
> Of course, as much as this is a problem, it's also a solution. Hearing a new take on a familiar piece can bring new things to light.


Yeh, that doesn't sound like a problem. That sounds like something wonderful I didn't even think about. I was excited about getting into classical before making this thread, I'm a lot more now


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Brofski said:


> Yeh, that was more my query. Can I buy a collection of pieces by artist or is it usually CDs of a certain orchestra playing compositions from various composers?


Although some CDs put together compositions by different composers, the majority will stick to a single composer. Indeed, if you are particularly taken by a single composer, there are lots of "complete works" box sets on the market. If you like the Shostakovich piece, for example, you could do a lot worse than this set: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shostakovic...6844814&sr=8-1&keywords=shostakovich+complete


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## muzik (May 16, 2013)

I don't know if it has been suggested yet but try this: 




edit: ah I forgot, in classical music it is common to listen to different "versions" of the same piece so here is the same piece played by Ashkenazy,


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Brofski said:


> I want some slower, softer sort of stuff.


Try this


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

*Claude Debussy:
Nocturnes; III - Sirènes* for orchestra and wordless female chorus.




_Recommended recording: complete orchestral music of Debussy. New Philharmonia Orchestra; Pierre Boulez, conductor._
_*String Quartet in G minor; III. Andantino, doucement expressif*_ 




_*Préludes*_, Book I no. 6, _*Des pas sur la neige*_ (footsteps in the snow) for piano




Likely already known to you, or recognized when heard...
*Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune*





*Maurice Ravel:
Daphnis et Chloe*, for large orchestra with wordless full chorus




the second half starts with solo chorus @ 25'25''
-- the very famous segment, _sunrise_ starts @38'40'' - I suggest perhaps starting there and listening through to the end.
_Recommended recordings: 
Boston Symphony & Chorus, Charles Munch, conductor
Berlin Philharmonic & Chorus, Pierre Boulez, conductor_
_*Piano Concerto in G Major, II, Adagio assai*_





*Arthur Honegger ~ Pastorale d'été*





[This may be completely off your scale, or not For orchestra, piano, Ondes Martenot, percussion, and female chorus. The work _is_ 'over the top' and may also be that to any number of listeners: I love it, but you'll have to see if it holds your interest, pulls your ear, etc.
*Olivier Messiaen ~ Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine*]












_Recommended recording: New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, conductor._

*Bela Bartok ~ Cantata Profana*, for orchestra, double chorus and tenor solo.













More currently written and 'ambient' like: 
*David Lang ~ The Passing Measures*, available only in its sole recording, you can audition a good bit of it here (it is on my wish list):
http://bangonacan.org/store/music/the_passing_measures

*Arvo Pärt: 
Spiegel im Spiegel*, for violin and piano




*Fratres,* in the composer's version for a small orchestra of 12 'Cellos.




*Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten* for string orchestra and tubular chime





*John Adams:
Common Tones in Simple Time*, for orchestra




*Harmonium*, for large orchestra and full chorus
here are the first two of its three movements...








_Recommended recording: John Adams conducting the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus._

*Terry Riley ~ Requiem for Adam* (link is part 1 of 4)





*Morton Feldman: 
Piano and String Quartet*. 'Static' and 'ambient-like,' slow, with repetitions of the melodic and harmonic material are constantly transformed by being in different contexts in time, like watching the objects at the ends of a mobile, seeing them in different perspectives, or 'kaleidoscopic.'




_*Between Categories*_, for octet of 2 each, 'cello, piano, violin, percussionist.


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## Brofski (Jul 31, 2014)

Der Leiermann said:


> Try this


Sorry for the late reply, not had internet for a while.

This is perfect. Exactly what I'm after.


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## Brofski (Jul 31, 2014)

PetrB said:


> *Claude Debussy:
> Nocturnes; III - Sirènes* for orchestra and wordless female chorus.
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the in depth response. Again, hit the nail on the head. The Debussy ones are awesome.


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## Serge (Mar 25, 2010)

Start with any music. Get bored in 20-30 years. Get into classical eventually anyway.


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## DrMuller (May 26, 2014)

If you like soundtrack music than you should check out Hols' "The Planets".


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## Giordano (Aug 10, 2014)

There were too many videos on the first page of this thread, I had to force-quit my browser. So, I have not seen the first page, other than the OP.

I recommend Beethoven Symphonies:

Symphony No. 5 - Carlos Kleiber, Wiener Philharmoniker (1975) 





Symphony No. 7 - Carlos Kleiber, Wiener Philharmoniker (1976)





Symphony No. 9 - Georg Solti, Live Performance at BBC Proms 1986





Symphony No. 3 - John Eliot Gardiner, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique 





The BBC film on the first performance of the 3rd symphony is entertaining & educational:




"It is 9 June 1804. At the palace of Prince Lobkowitz, Beethoven is conducting the first performance of his Third Symphony, the Eroica. And through this film we attend the performance. Through the exchanges between the characters represented, their words but also their expressions, we are reminded of the complete novelty of this symphony: its length, its unusual accents, its intense emotion and, of course, the disrupted musical rules. During the interval, Beethoven takes the advantage to speak privately with Josephine von Deym. The romantic life of the master is then presented. Haydn has the last word. When speaking of the music, he concludes: "From today, everything is different". The camera moves through the orchestra, lingering on a detail, that we may participate in the music together with the musicians."

Generally, I recommend documentary films about composers as starting points for further exploration.

BBC Great Composers Series, short and good enough:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bbc+great+composers

Bach: A Passionate Life





The Genius of Mozart
Part 1 



Part 2 



Part 3 




The Genius of Beethoven
Part 1 



Part 2 



Part 3


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

DrMuller said:


> If you like soundtrack music than you should check out Hols' "The Planets".


Yes, the movement "Venus" is exactly what you're looking for, but check out the whole thing, it's great.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

PetrB said:


> *Claude Debussy:
> Nocturnes; III - Sirènes* for orchestra and wordless female chorus.
> 
> 
> ...


Well you covered his morning. But what about afternoon and evening?


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## Jobis (Jun 13, 2013)

More general advice:

Find a genuine piece of classical (not soundtrack) music that you like, even if you only like certain parts.

Listen to it multiple times and focus on appreciating the whole over the small sections that really grab you.

Increase your listening habits by adding new pieces incrementally, start with pieces by the same composer, and then add music from the same era/style.

Continue to widen out your tastes gradually and remember: focus on listening actively with a discerning ear, not just having it on in the background, although part of the time listening passively to CM can build up a liking of it and instil interest.

Generally though, CM is music that commands attention and requires you to put a bit of work into it, but you will get so much out of it it is totally worth it!

I recommend a Beethoven symphony, his 5th or his 9th are good places to start because they're so famous, then you could look into his piano sonatas, the pathetique and the moonlight sonata to begin. Once you are better acquainted with these ones you can look into his other work, and then perhaps similar composers, or those of equal renown (Bach, Mozart et al) until you really catch the CM bug and just go on a binge of finding new music, listening in rapture to the great major works and more!

You might like to listen to some of Wagner's great orchestral passages, too:


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## Igneous01 (Jan 27, 2011)

I'll also suggest some slow movements.

First, Beethoven's Late string quartets op.131 and op.135 have deeply profound slow movements.






I would also recommend you listen to Bernsteins arrangement of this work for string orchestra, the effect is compounded almost exponentially.

Now onto my personal favorite slow work from Beethoven, this is the Bernstein arranged one:






Actually on second thought, this is good enough for now. I could easily spam 10 pieces but that would be too much.


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## kperreurlloyd (Aug 13, 2014)

put on some HEADPHONES, and try this: http://www.scoreexchange.com/scores/157794.html

or, the first part of it, on YouTube: 




[On YouTube, for viewing the score, select HD or highest quality plus full screen].

p.s. I have the original Sibelius files.


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## jtbell (Oct 4, 2012)

Brofski said:


> I don't like downloading MP3s, I like having a physical copy of the music I buy.


Consider using a dealer that specializes in classical music. They have web sites that (IMO) are easier to browse or search in the ways that classical-music fans tend to search for recordings. Here are some that I've bought CDs from:

In the US:

http://www.hbdirect.com/
http://www.arkivmusic.com/

In the UK:

http://mdt.co.uk/
http://prestociassical.co.uk/

I've also bought many CDs from amazon.com. If you're looking for a specific recording, you can usually turn it up quickly with a search on the composer, title, and performers, and the price is usually good. Amazon is not so good for browsing. The other sites have menus and search engines that are structured so you can drill down or search by composer, performer, orchestra, label, etc.


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

Marschallin Blair said:


> Speaking of which, John Adam's _Short Ride in a Fast Machine _sounds an awful lot like Petrushka; which is ironic, because its usually Stravinsky who's taking from_ other _composers.


Just to keep it in the classical realm. :lol:


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