Thread: please recommend me some good music!

hello!

I hope someone here can help me - I'm a complete newbie to the vast genre of 'classical' music, and although there's a few things that have captured my imagination, I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew.

So I was hoping to be pointed in the right direction - I guess what I could really do with is a good cd box set or collection to listen to so I can figure out my own taste. Does anyone have any good recommendations for a newbie like me?

For what it's worth - my background started in punk rock, moved onto to things like ska and reggae, and these days I'm into such wonderful things as Drum & Bass and Dubstep! I'm quite open minded though, I've always been into the more melodic side of things, and anything with an interesting rhythm (e.g. four on the floor dance music & a lot of commercial pop has always really bored me).

I'm particularly looking for music that's more dark & spooky sounding, mainly minor key. I really like when music can take one theme or idea and vary it and develop it, with different amounts of energy or subtle changes in rhythm.

I'm not too fond of long slow mellow pieces or the marchy, pompous, full orchestra 'national anthem' type music, which I think has always turned me off classical music in the past.

Sorry if that's a bit vague, my terminology is limited - but if anyone has read this far and can tell me what to look out for and what to avoid, based on what I'm describing, it would be much appreciated. Even a good book or website link so I can learn more would be great!

Cheers

- geoff

I don't think of 'classical music' as one genre, just as I don't think of 'popular music' as one genre but rather as a name under which umbrella many genres and sub-genres operate. And that's why it's impossible to say that one doesn't like popular music because one doesn't like country because one might really love soul (or vice versa - or other popular music genres). Same with classical - some people love baroque, but maybe they hate modern (or vice versa). Or some love string quartets while others are more into opera. The thing is though that once you really get into it - once you start to explore you automatically learn to appreciate more and more different styles as time goes by. It's an exciting and never ending journey of discovery.

Since classical music is so diverse it's always hard to recommend things to a newbie (or even to an experienced listener). Chances are that I get this entirely wrong just having a go...First one is a theme with variations and the Stravinsky piece definitely is spooky and mysterious, so...


Rachmaninov - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G0YvPgrYrg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2cTsDOs8xs


Stravinsky - Le Sacre du Printemps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgHMpYsv0_0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psyPlT4aZug

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfAcl7FIgNg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svA5uIsPxJQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOMt-MiI018


Website links: Check these out. They have a wealth of information.....

http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/music/index2.htm

http://www.classical.net/

http://www.classicalmusichomepage.com/home-page


Reviews of classical cd's, dvd's and concerts...

http://www.classicstoday.com/index.asp

http://www.musicalcriticism.com/

http://www.musicweb-international.com/index.htm


PS: Welcome to the forum - I hope you will like it here.

you've received excellent advice!!
welcome aboard.

dj

Originally Posted by jhar26

I don't think of 'classical music' as one genre, just as I don't think of 'popular music' as one genre but rather as a name under which umbrella many genres and sub-genres operate. And that's why it's impossible to say that one doesn't like popular music because one doesn't like country because one might really love soul (or vice versa - or other popular music genres). Same with classical...

I couldn't agree more, there's so much to delve into, its tricky to distinguish what I might like from what I might not. Thanks for the links, I'll check them out, I'm sure once I have a few more points of reference things will get easier.

cheers!

I almost envy your journey of discovery, but that feeling of biting off more than you can chew never really ends I think. With about 600 years of music (that I can comprehrend as music) there's always something different to discover.

Find out if you have any dedicated classical radio station in your area. If there are none, I can recommend the internet streams WCPE and KING (FM).

I find "accidental" discoveries much more fun. I seldom (close to never) force myself to listen to a piece that I feel/incorrectly assume is not to my taste. But one fine day I will tune into a station in the middle of an unknown piece that sounds interesting, and when I find who the composer is, if I have not already done so, it sometimes surprises me. And then I take on the task of trying to listen to as much as of that composer's work as possible. And so continues the process.

And to answer you query on dark and spooky music, there have been a few threads posted on that topic, here. A search should find some.

And, finally, welcome to TC.

Great suggestions here (and once you've been around this forum for a while, you'll realize that that is not surprising)!

For the "spooky" stuff, let me suggest a list of fifty pieces of classical music for Halloween that I compiled recently (one article, long URL):
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...or.html?cat=33

On the Internet, you can find a variety of classical music in a range of formats (and a range of accessibility for free or paid members) at http://www.classicalarchives.com.

As previously mentioned, finding a classical music station is a wonderful way to expose yourself to classical music. I don't know where you are from, but my experience here in the US is that public libraries often have a surprising assortment of classical music. If you have access to a college/university library, so much the better! There's something almost reassuring about the physical presence of the CD, which often has a lot of information in its notes.

As you notice from these recommendations, YouTube is a resource (perhaps unlikely) for classical music. If you come across the name of a composer or composition, chances are that you can find some representative music on YouTube.

Keep snooping around this forum. (Welcome, by the way.) There are people here with an amazing knowledge of and love for classical music; even more amazing, they share their love and enthusiasm freely. Happy hunting!