Nice classical pieces

[cmk 0]

I've noticed there are a couple of classical fans here. I've collected some pieces but want to expand the collection further and so would like to have some recommendations for nice classical pieces. Sometimes listening to 92.4 on the radio, you can pick up a piece of two. I would like this to be just "popular" classics to start with, then slowly expand it to more serious listening, but not too heavy stuff.

 

I'll start out with what I've recently picked up :

 

Mozart Piano Concerto #21

played by Vladimir Ashkenazy Decca

 

Beethoven Piano Sonatas Waldstein, Appassionata

played by Mari Kodama

 

Paganini Violin Concerto #4

played by Salvatore Accardo

 

[cmk 0]

Calling Aaron & Fuwen, any other "popular" classical pieces to recommend. Just list a couple.

 

Here's another :

 

Beethoven Moonlight sonata by Emil Gilels

[cmk 0]

And another...

 

Beethoven Piano Concerto #5

[red_ryder 0]

For a classical newbie, I would recommend Tchaikovsky's pieces. Very melodic and tuneful, easy to enjoy. Examples: Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Violin Concerto, Romeo and Juliet. But I don't know which are the better recordings or better performances.

 

 

[fuwen 0]

Hi! cmk, you can try Mozart. His music are always happy and cheerful and very listenable for beginers. However looking at what you already have I think you are far from beginer already; for example Beethoven Sonatas IMO not easy to digest for people dun like or new to Classical music.

 

Mozart:

try his serenade, esp night music.

 

Beethoven:

Symphony no 3, 5, 6 and 9. No 6 is really a nice piece and easy to listen. Try 1960s or 1970s versions by Karajan. No. 9 is very long and is what originally determined the recording capacity of CD with chorus join in the last movement. Very touching last movement!

Violin concerto in D

 

Tchaikovsky:

Symphony no.6, the Karajan version is real good.

Piano concerto no 1.

Violin concerto no1.

 

Dvorak

Symphony no. 9 'New World' the version by Konsdrashin

 

Mussorgsky

Picture at an exhibition (orchestra version arranged by Ravel)

 

and I can give you a long list of composers and music so maybe when you are done with what I have suggested let me know and I will suggest some more lah!

 

Personally I would prefer artists from DG or Decca label. I like DG artists but Decca recordings are very good.

Edited April 14, 2004 by fuwen

[ahgoh7 0]

Does this belong here??

 

Maksim - The Flight of the bumble bee

 

His is more like classical pop, something like vanessa mae. Quite nice.

Maksim

[cmk 0]

For a classical newbie, I would recommend Tchaikovsky's pieces. Very melodic and tuneful, easy to enjoy. Examples: Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Violin Concerto, Romeo and Juliet. But I don't know which are the better recordings or better performances.

Yup, Tchaikovsky is good, quite nice ballet music. Most of his works that I have are Karajan's performances, except for the volin and piano concertos. Must look around for some good ones.

[cmk 0]

Hi! cmk, you can try Mozart. His music are always happy and cheerful and very listenable for beginers. However looking at what you already have I think you are far from beginer already; for example Beethoven Sonatas IMO not easy to digest for people dun like or new to Classical music.

 

Mozart:

try his serenade, esp night music.

 

Beethoven:

Symphony no 3, 5, 6 and 9. No 6 is really a nice piece and easy to listen. Try 1960s or 1970s versions by Karajan. No. 9 is very long and is what originally determined the recording capacity of CD with chorus join in the last movement. Very touching last movement!

Violin concerto in D

 

Tchaikovsky:

Symphony no.6, the Karajan version is real good.

Piano concerto no 1.

Violin concerto no1.

 

Dvorak

Symphony no. 9 'New World' the version by Konsdrashin

 

Mussorgsky

Picture at an exhibition (orchestra version arranged by Ravel)

 

and I can give you a long list of composers and music so maybe when you are done with what I have suggested let me know and I will suggest some more lah!

 

Personally I would prefer artists from DG or Decca label. I like DG artists but Decca recordings are very good.

Hi fuwen

 

You are right, I'm not exactly a beginner, but just want to pick up those popular pieces which I've not collected yet - there are lots. I'm still waiting for the previous Pentatone you recommended - Stravinsky.

 

Ok, let's see :

Mozart - I have the night music played by ASMF.

Beethoven - I've collected a couple of the symphonies by Hogwood, AAM. Good recordings and I like the period instruments. Violin concerto - I've got a couple of versions, Heifetz, Pearlman, Kwung Wah Chung.

 

Tchaikovsky - 6 - I don't have this one yet. Do you have the catalog #?

Piano and violin - I've got, need to check.

 

Dvorak Sym 9 - Label #?

 

Mussorgsky - Pictures got this on CD and LP. I really like the Great Gate of Kiev. Actually the whole piece is a masterwork. I have the version by Riccardo Muti conducting the PO.

 

Say, which are your favorite violinist? Pianist?

Edited April 16, 2004 by cmk

[augustineRS 0]

I'm quite new to classical music but I've being following, and Rachmaninov lately being listen to Vivaldi's works.Religiously.

I'm actually more into strings, ie violin.

Rach's pieces ,IMHO, are very mellow.Sort of attract me to it.

Vivaldi's baroque(are all his pieces in this style?) pieces is light and easy listening.

 

Great to see this thread

 

Augustine

[cmk 0]

Augustine

This is a very nice piece and a good performance for violin :

 

[cmk 0]

This is a nice collection of violin pieces by Kyung Wha Chung :

Composers: Beethoven/Mendelssohn/Sibelius/Tchaikovsky

Title: Violin Concertos (2 CDs)

Artists: Kyung Wha Chung, Dutoit/Kondrashin/Previn, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal/Wiener Philharmoniker etc.

International release date: September 1996

Catalogue number: 452325

 

[fuwen 0]

Hi! cmk, pardon me I forgot had talked to u before in the lounge on the Pentatone SACDs. Ok, so have to recommend more challenging stuff for you already. Give me some time to get those catalogue number for you.

 

BTW, I guess u should have some versions of the New World Sym already, right? Is so u may not need the get the one I recommended.

 

Are u Anne Sophie fan? She, by now, IMO is a fantastic and wonderful voilinist of our time, and getting prettier some more (or the DG photographers have done a wonderful job). I quite admire her that she managed to push through with 2 very young kids when her husband died (fairly young then). No wonder at a point of time she was wearing black in her CD cover photo. Now she is married to Andre Pelvin, a surprise to me actually. Have u try her violin recording on contemporary Classics? If u can take those 'melodiless' thing do try her recordings, to me is fantastic and those are actually her works that brought my attention back to her again, after I was kind of disappointed on her Beethoven with Karajan when she was about 18.But now listen again her that version of Beethoven was quite well recorded, with Karajan, IMO a very good accompany conductor for soloist, and in that recording her violin sounded very airy.

 

Since u need specific details, I will slowly dig out my Classical collections and give u the CD title and cat number.

 

I used to play violin so I am more into violin pieces than piano. My favourate voilinists are: Anne Sophie, Heifetz, Ferras, Arthur Grumiaux, David Oistrakh, Isaac Stern, Nathan Mustein, Takako Nishizaki (specifically for her butterfly lover). Actually Vanessa Mae is very good after listening to her Beethoven (I have about 80+ versions of Beethoven) but she is not into serious classics so do not have her recordings.

 

Pianists my favourates are: Pollini, Ashkenazy, Argerich, Alfred Brendel, Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Ritcher, Wilhem Keff.

 

Worth to mention are also my favourate cellists: Jacqueline Du Pre, Janos Starker, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pierre Fournier, not really a fan of Yo-yo Ma but he is definitely very good.

 

Cheers!

Edited April 15, 2004 by fuwen

[fuwen 0]

BTW, if you like piano u can grab everything by Pollini, Brendel and Argerich. I felt that their interpretations always have sparks!

 

As for Anne Sophie Mutter, her playing style has grown from conventional to today where she is very dynamic. I would say she is very good but her recent interpretations can be so stretch and dynamic that old school classical fans may not be able to take it.

[fuwen 0]

If u like String Quartet grab everything by Emerson Quartet of DG label.

 

But if you are getting their Batok and Shostakovich make sure you can take the music (not the performance, Emerson is very good).

[Mackie 0]

Well, U'll know how deep U've gotten into classical music when U start to understand and enjoy Mahler.

 

IMHO, I always find Baroque music generally pleasing and tuneful, be it serenades, concerto or symphony.