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My personal all time favorite: Busoni Piano Concerto - Marc Andre-Hamelin and the Lahti Symphony Orchestra Mvt 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rFV_g6T5lM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhn7wN-CKCs&feature=related Mvt 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXl7L-w_GsA&feature=related Mvt 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RIiooS1U-U&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqGwpCGGSfo&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5JnMSaaNnI&feature=related Mvt 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zEZc5O00v8&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7DDQbkjZ1Q&feature=related Mvt 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q9yBa6seD0&feature=related Dozens of people dedicating their lives to their art and then coming together for one special moment. It makes me so sad that it is going, and will be soon be gone forever. This concerto feels over the top but not over the top at the same time - because it is so beautiful I am so happy Busoni decided to go ahead and do whatever the hell he was trying to do here. edit: still like 5000 views, god damnit. Tell your friends to watch it because it's probably a leading contender for the most difficult piano piece that can actually be played without major flaws by humans. What better way to entrap some new classical fans than showing Hamelin's blurred hands playing apreggios and 5-note chords faster than most popular musicians can play sixteenth notes CowOnCrack fucked around with this message at 04:56 on Feb 20, 2011 |
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Feb 20, 2011 04:50
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My piano instructor just introduced me to the modern composer Alfred Schnittke and I'm really, really starting to like this guy and his boldness. He is the inventor of 'polystylism' and makes use of just about everything from every era of classical era to create strange and beautiful music. In addition to sounding just like classical music should, it's music that reflects the backdrop of the mid-late 20th century - the disconnected, jaded, and terrible era that it was. Also, for those interested in musical history, Alfred Schnittke might end up being the last great classical composer. His works are mostly from the 60s/70s and are featured heavily in television and cinema. There hasn't been a composer in the 40 year gap since then who has been prolific enough to have written works for every instrumental arrangement and style (Orchestral, Concerto, Choral, Chamber, Opera, Ballets, and Solo Instrumental). A lot of of Alfred Schnittke's music is hyper-intellectual in its how it is composed, and therefore can be an acquired taste appealing to experienced classical music listeners, but much of it also AT THE SAME TIME attempts and succeeds at being great for casual listening as well! For starters, I would check out his Piano Concertos - his first is recognizable and enjoyable by anyone with any background, while his second and third are more an acquired taste. His Viola Concerto is the clear winner for the best of that kind with incredibly lush and dark melodies that explore the darker character of this instrument (which is rarely featured as the center-stage instrument in a concerto). Finally, his Concerti Grossi (especially #1) are some of the strangest and most beautiful pieces in modern music, and it's in these compositions especially where the music wears its eclecticism, intellectualism, and anachronism proudly. Schnittke is might just be the incredibly rare musical genius of his time who will only later be appreciated as a towering figure in classical music. Or he may just be a composer with limited popular appeal who will fade into obscurity. In any case, his style of music is idiosyncratic in the truest sense of the word - totally and uniquely his. Structurally, it is extremely intelligent and innovative which makes him quite popular with other composers and hardcore classical music buffs. Yet, at the same time it has had the appeal to become soundtracks for many famous movies. As he put it, "The goal of my life is to unify serious music and light music, even if I break my neck in doing so." I think this music has wide appeal to anyone who loves music and loves something different. I hope that he will exert his influence much more broadly in years to come and his works will become more widely appreciated outside of his contributions to cinema.
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Oct 7, 2011 11:36
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Although a contemporary of Chopin and Liszt, Charles Valentin-Alkan's piano works are less widely known mostly because of their spectacular difficulty and partly because he himself was a reclusive sort who was not popular in his day. Alkan was an eccentric guy who Liszt famously (and unironically) remarked "had the best technique he had ever seen." He did not remark on Alkan's compositions however. Nevertheless the two (three, with Chopin) co-existed and were well aware of each other's music. For example, Alkan's Grand Sonata has similarities with Liszt's B Minor Sonata in that both invoke themes from the myth of Faust. Alkan's music is less significant compositionally than Chopin or Liszt, however I feel that his music is also probably underrated and under appreciated because of the lack of any proper interpretations. Alkan himself is to blame for the difficulty of his music, but thanks to the work of the pianist Marc Andre-Hamelin and his ludicrous technique, his works are finally revealed to us the way they should sound. And because of this I think one is forced to concede that there is a great deal of musical worth in Alkan's compositions. In his Grand Sonata, he depicts the four ages of a man, at 20 years (young man), 30 years (Faust), 40 years (happily married man), and 50 years old (old man marching to death). In the middle of the second movement (30ans), there is a brief 8-voice romantic fugue. Alkan's Grand Sonata 'Les Quatres Ages' (The Four Ages), perf. Marc Andre-Hamelin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRFGIUN2MLA&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL2F636FDFC627382B In this Concerto for Solo Piano, Alkan takes 3 etudes from his cycle of etudes in minor keys and creates a work of staggering breadth. With Tutti, Piano, and Solo sections, the pianist attempts to replicate the sound world of an entire orchestra for nearly 1 hour of music. Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano, perf. Marc Andre-Hamelin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TBAouelk8U&playnext=1&list=PLE82B1B66AA12309D&feature=results_main My opinion: Although technically astounding, thematically the music feels quaintly innocent, naive, maybe even immature. You might say Alkan had a child-like musical soul. They also have this intense, almost manic-depressive joyful exuberance followed by brooding depression. I don't see this as purely negative however - to me his music feels like simplicity and loveliness cloaked in layers of melodic octaves and seventh chords. edit: I should also warn that it is very easy when listening to Hamelin playing Alkan (and lots of other things) to get so blown away by the hyper-virtuosity of Hamelin (unlike anything you have heard or ever will here) that it's very hard to get past that and evaluate the music. That's why I made this post close to a year after discovering this particular music. To anyone who hasn't listened yet, the virtuosity certainly makes this music thrilling to listen to. CowOnCrack fucked around with this message at 06:02 on Nov 5, 2012 |
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Nov 4, 2012 21:15
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I am looking for recordings of the Well-Tempered Clavier. So far I've listened to Andras Schiff, Sviatoslov Richter, parts of Glenn Gould, and snippets of others (Edward Aldwell, Jeno Jando, etc.) For me, Schiff is the best I've heard. I hesitate to say by far, because obviously there are so many great things to say about Richter and Gould (and I haven't heard all of Gould yet), but there's something just unique about his playing. Who else should I check out? Here are some links to share: Andras Schiff, Prelude and Fugue in E Major, Book 2 (First recording): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEgMf17ttTs Sviatoslav Ricther, Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, Book 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAEhX4lQLNg I feel that Richter often plays his preludes and fugues too fast, but in this case his rendition is simply stunning.
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Mar 11, 2013 05:43
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80k posted:Any lovers of Shostakovich's preludes and fugues? They have been a favorite of mine since high school. Anyway, I recently discovered a modern performance by David Jalbert of the number 7, which could be even better than my previous favorite performances (Scherbakov, Ashkenazy). Look for Keith Jarret's performance of the whole book. I love these and I agree that the A Major one is wonderful, to compare with any other work of its type. I am also a big fan of the C Major, E Minor, and C-Sharp Minor ones
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Mar 15, 2013 07:32
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One of my favorite gems of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IPyVMDgcjxw#t=28s Prelude in B Minor, a transcription from the Clavier-Büchlein by Alexander Siloti.
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Jul 4, 2013 06:03
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWniulQKw68 I love this piano concerto. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGfoyEXZV3A Which one's better? Imo, the first one (as much as I love Hamelin).
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Aug 19, 2013 09:29
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Kytrarewn posted:Does anyone have any suggested recordings of the Beethoven? I truly loved Richard Goode's performances of the Beethoven Sonatas, if that gives any of you a hint as to my tastes in piano interpretations. Have you heard András Schiff's recordings of the entire Beethoven Sonata cycle yet? Absolutely phenomenal - excels brilliantly in the big titles and shines new light on the lesser heard / known ones. He also gave lectures on every Sonata while he was performing and recording them. They are here: http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/page/0,,1943867,00.html
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Aug 22, 2013 18:57
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regulargonzalez posted:I know there's not many opera fans even in this thread, but if you have any interest at all you should check out this Lucia mad scene that was recently uploaded. It's absolutely spectacular. That WAS amazing. I'm always blown away by operatic singers - masters of so many arts besides their instrument. She must be a brilliant coloratura if she can sing notes that high (the highest note according to my sub-mediocre pitch skills sounded a lot higher than C6). Thanks for this. I am interested in exploring more opera but the obstacle for me has always been accessibility. I'm wondering what good options there are if watching it live isn't a possibility? This convinced me that YouTube is a good place to go looking, which is something I hadn't considered before.
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Sep 7, 2013 10:38
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I will definitely check out those links but it will take awhile as I am consumed in music stuff at the moment. I thought I'd share this one though. It's one of the first arias I heard and was totally enchanted by it. I also heard an almost identical melody later in a Beethoven Sonata - so similar I am almost certain Beethoven must have appropriated it, however no one who has talked about that sonata has mentioned it! It was included in a CD of piano music by Hélène Grimaud who also is a chamber player. Judging by the comments, it seems to have an interesting history behind it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zZ3vdXIl1o
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Sep 8, 2013 09:25
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Black Griffon posted:One of my friends sing in a choir and I usually think they have absolutely phenomenal music, so now I'm looking for something similar to, say, Paul Mealor and James Whitbourn. Something like this: Alfred Schnittke - 3 Sacred Hymns https://youtu.be/5QOLhOaf6ok
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Jan 6, 2016 08:07
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| # ¿ Apr 19, 2024 22:44 |
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CowOnCrack posted:Alfred Schnittke - 3 Sacred Hymns Alfred Schnittke - Choir Concerto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGc-Tu_1yGw
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Jan 12, 2016 03:29
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