Hi everyone, glad to finally find others who enjoy classical music. I have been eagerly finding classical music khakis for quite some time (although with extremely limited success since most others in my age group are interested in far more modern music) ever since I took my first step into the classical realm with the purchase of Decca's "The very best of Relaxing Classics". I'm hoping that from here I can meet others with similar tastes in Classical music and share some reviews on different CDs.
I mainly prefer exciting pieces, especially those with Piano. I have tried Beethoven with limited success, and although I like several of his more exciting symphonies (3, 5, 9), I still find myself unable to last through all the movements at one go without my mind wandering off. Perhaps it is being young that does not allow me to sit down for extended periods of time without being distracted. Also, it is my strong belief that to enjoy music, one must be able to imagine scenes related to what the composer or artist had in mind at the time of work. I believe that restricts my ability (and possibly everyone else's) to enjoy classical music as being young and not yet well travelled, I am unable to imagine the European environment and terrain Beethoven so loved in his 6th Symphony, "Pastoral". This may also explain why my tastes gravitate to more "spontaneous" works such as Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, and Tchaikovsky's 1812, both of which were made in a very short period of time. Perhaps due to the time limit, it would be difficult for the composers to experiment and research into how to play parts of the work to portray images, and thus they put into play more "raw" energies like feelings and emotions.
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At the beginning of my interest in Classical, I purchased this CD set from HMV. Rachmaninov remains my favourite composer, largely due to the excitement of his pieces. Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto remains my favourite classical work to this date.
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Recently I have taken a liking to Gershwin. His light almost jazzy pieces are new and a refreshing change from listening to too much Piano.
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Honestly, I only bought this for 1812, but upon listening to the other works on the CD, I realised that Tchaikovsky seems to be a rather quiet and sensitive man. I think I might want to explore further into his other works in the future.
I hope that I can find others who share my tastes. I would also like to ask members of this thread on alternative places to purchase music. HMV presents a rather small selection from what I have seen online. I am also looking to online shops to purchase my music (such as Amazon) thanks to a new Debit card and the weakening of the US Dollar. Thanks to the thread I will also look into the works of Lizst. Are there are recommendations to start out with?
