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    Hi! Sorry I did not answer right away..:) Better late than never. You are pretty close - I am originally from Russia.

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    I enjoy Elgar's music quite a lot, especially his Violin and Cello Concertos. I also enjoy his other orchestral works a lot like "In The South," both symphonies, "Elegy," etc.

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    Yep, it's him. A nice British-officer handlebar moustache. He's the one who introduced me into British music. No matter how cliché it sounds, it was the P&C March No.1. I think he's still among my four or five dearest favourites out there.

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    Yes, I would try and acquire that Dutoit Ravel 4-CD set on Decca. I own the one you're talking about with the butterflies on it, but that is with Claudio Abbado and the LSO. Not quite as good as the Dutoit.

    While we're on the subject of Ravel, have you heard the Jean Martinon and the Orchestre de Paris EMI set of Ravel? That's a fine set too.

    But it's like I said you can't go wrong with Dutoit, Martinon, Boulez, and Tortelier. All are master conductors of Ravel.

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    Certainly, but I would probably have to order that online, since I haven't seen it around. Although if they co-operate with Decca in a shop, and I know many which do, then I could order it from them, surely. 15-19$, you say? That's very affordable.
    I've seen a Trio box of Ravel's orchestral works, it has some nice butterflies on it. Seems interesting, too.

    Roussel is one of my French favourites. Neo-classicists with a quite personal voice, yet you can find some Debussy, Ravel, and especially Stravinsky in his music. D'Indy is also fine and dandy - Symphonie Cévenole, for example.

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    Oh yes I'm well aware of d'Indy and Roussel. I need to get more into those guys though. I like d'Indy a lot. I only own one recording of a few his orchestral pieces. I'll be getting more.

    Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra performing "Daphnis et Chloe" is a thing of beauty. I would definitely acquire that, but if you save some more money you could probably get the whole Dutoit Ravel box set on Decca for about $15-$19. That's actually the way to go, because you're getting more bang for your buck.

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    Yeah, I've seen a nice cheap recording of Daphnis et Chloe conducted by Dutoit. One more item on my list for the following month!

    Do you perhaps know the work of d'Indy and Roussel?

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    By the way if you haven't heard "Daphnis et Chloe," then be sure that is the next you buy! You will not regret it! See if you can get Boulez or Dutoit's take on that piece. You won't regret it.

    But the box sets are the way to go with Ravel. Like I said: Boulez, Martinon, Tortelier, and Dutoit are all good choices.

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    Hey Liszfreak:

    Ravel is a wonderful composer that I cannot ever get enough of. His music is like an addiction of mine.

    Pierre Boulez is regarded by critics as one of the finest interpreters of Ravel's music, but I would also check out Jean Martinon, Yan Pascal Tortelier, and Charles Dutoit's take on Ravel as they are all the top conductors for his music too.

    Do I like chamber music? Yes and no. It really depends on what it is, but generally I like larger orchestras better.

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    To JTech:

    Yes, I have heard Le Tombeau and I quite like it. The Rigadoun is especially memorable. I have it on a CD, NY Philharmonic conducted by Boulez. Is it a good recording?
    Some Ravel pieces I'd really like to get soon are Daphnis et Chloe (everyone says it's beautiful and subtle), Tzigane and L'enfant et les sortileges.

    Don't you like chamber music? I've noticed you never actually discuss it.

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    Thanks for the request. I am currently playing the Paraphrase on Verdi's Rigoletto by Liszt. With some exceptions, I've often found Liszt shallow and too flashy, but that's probably because I've not heard much beyond piano works and the concerti. I've heard some good things about his choral and symphonic works and as the Lisztfreak:D, I was hoping you could give me some suggestions?

    Oh, and feel free to reply by clicking "View Conversation" and posting there instead of posting to yourself. :p

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    I'm far from 20 my friend.

    You should definitely get into more of Ravel. Once he gets inside your skin...it's all over!

    Have you heard "Le Tombeau de Couperin"? That piece is one of the pieces that hooked me on him, then it was his ballet "Daphnis et Chloe."

    Of course when I speak of Ravel, I'm talking about his pieces for orchestra.

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    Heh, and I somehow had a feeling you were about 20. Well, take it as a compliment.

    The Pavane is a very special piece, true. Very moving. And there's that hilarious comment made by Ravel to a student, 'play it like a Pavane for a deceased princess, not like a Deceased pavane for a princess', something like that. He was a witty man. My first Ravel piece was - you guess correctly, Bolero. But it really is a good composition, no matter how overplayed it might be.
    My favourite Ravel pieces, though I haven't heard too many, are La Valse, Pavane, Left Hand Concerto (this one in particular), Gaspard and the String Quartet. As you say, everything by the man is flashing with colour and incense.

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    My age? Oh boy....let me just say I'm old enough to be your Dad.

    Sibelius is such a great composer and I think it great that you've been exposed to classical at such a young age. I remember my first classical experience. I believe it was a Ravel piece. "Pavane pour une infante défunte" was my first serious classical piece. I heard this as a kid. I loved it the first time I heard it and so my love for Ravel's music began to form.

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    A nice coincidence! One of the first classical pieces I heard was Sibelius' 7th. That is, of my own accord, when I was about 13; when I was really small my Dad used to play me a lot of Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Händel and Vivaldi. And I still love those composers, except Vivaldi.

    Beware of too much music a day! You might not remember to wash your hair at all next time... and the next. And the next. And then it'll be quite nasty.

    P.S. How old are you, if it's not impolite to ask?

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    I think Liszt is very underrated, especially his symphonic poems. I mean the music he wrote was powerful, epic, and beautiful. He wasn't all about thunder and flash. He wrote some seriously deep music.

    I changed my avatar every once in a while. The reason I changed it is because I love Berlioz so much that I felt I had to do something to honor him this week. It will change by this week. I think it's going to Debussy next.

    Yes, I do appreciate color in music. I like texture and being able to peel back the layers of sound. That's one reason why Ravel, Debussy, and Delius are so important to me. They offer an alternative to the more assertive styles of Bruckner and Mahler.

    I'm glad you're a Sibelius fan too. He's a very important composer for me. I own a ton of his music. He was one of the first classical composers I got into, so I have strong connection with him. His symphonies, tone poems, and his violin concerto are just unbelievable.

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    Thanks a lot! You appreciate colour in music, and that's probably one of the most important aspects for me, too.
    You think Liszt's underrated? Well, yeah, I'd say people think too much about his early flash-and-thunder piano pieces and neglect the two symphonies, the sonata and a lot of good choral music.

    How come you changed your avatar? I was kinda used to imagining you as a Stravinsky sitting at a computer desk. :)

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    Good to have you a friend. You have great tastes in classical. Keep the love alive for Liszt! He is so underrated.

    -JTech
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