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Under-appreciated or little known classical music? - Page 3

post #31 of 321
12/4/04 at 7:16pm
Sorry for misspelling his name. As for your other suggestions, I really appreciate them and will follow-up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 00940
I suppose you meant Palestrina ? Great stuff.

Mahaut is also interesting, a bit in the same vein as Charpentier or Couperin. But it is not classical musique, it's French Baroque.

I think Scarlatti doesn't get the attention he merits. But he's known at least. Other Italian componer of the mid XVIII don't have that chance. Tartini, Gasparini or Abos are names one shouldn't overlook. Stradivaria produced a cd with their respective Stabat Mater, it's one of the best cds I have.

Early polyphonic music is often overlooked while some gems are to be found. The "Messe de Tournai" by Guillaume de Machaut is a very nice piece of the XIV century.
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post #32 of 321
12/5/04 at 3:30am

Francesco Maria Veracini

Let me suggest Francesco Maria Veracini (1690-1768)
I first heard his violin sonata accidentially. After a few notes I decide I will get them. The sonata is like an Etude with very beautiful melody. It's in way mathematic-related by far less complex than Bach and you don't need to analyse hard. Sometimes you can even tell what notes will follow. If Bach's complex equation system, Veracini is very simple suit of natural numbers. While 1 3 5 is playing, you guess "7 9 11 will follow", and indeed 7 9 11 are right there after...

I recommend one of the albums for another reason which is amazing for you audiophile. In this album a same small piece of Bach (sorry) is played on 7 different violins for their comparison. You who are used to review audio gears will have a chance to "review" the violins for once. This sounds amazing isn't it.

Ok let me give you the reference to the album:
What about this Mr. Paganini This is a link to hybrid SACD but there is plain CD version available.

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post #33 of 321
12/5/04 at 12:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnFerrier
Here's a chick that knows how to compose orchestral music.

Kaija Saariaho (conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen)

credit: Amazon.com
I'll have to check this out, thanks for the suggestion!
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post #34 of 321
12/5/04 at 9:26pm

Little known or unappreciated composers?

Lately I've been on a Scandinavian Romantics binge.

Hugo Alfven

Kurt Atterberg

Franz Berwald

Wilhelm Peterson-Berger

Ture Rangstrom

Wilhelm Stenhammar

All writing tuneful music in a familiar idiom spread across the symphonic, chamber and concerto genres.

If you like music in that vein, I would also suggest a couple of other also-rans in the composer sweepstakes:

Karl Goldmark

Joachim Raff

Robert Volkmann

And I might also toss in the wind quintets of Antonin Reicha

All composers I find pleasurable and hear rarely played even on our local PBS affiliate.

BW
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post #35 of 321
12/5/04 at 11:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Ward
Lately I've been on a Scandinavian Romantics binge.
BW
As have I. Two notable absences are Gustav Allan Pettersson and Geirr Tveitt. I encourage you, and others to look into these composers if you have not already done so.
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post #36 of 321
12/7/04 at 1:25am
Quote:
For myself, I never talked to anybody who shared my enthusiastm for Alban Berg's opera 'Wozzeck", that is IMO one of the best introductions to contemporary opera.
I've taken umpteen music history classes, both lower division and upper division, both general and opera specific and they ALL cover Wozzeck without fail. It's very well known.

Hm, all of these guys you guys mention are covered in standard music history classes. Except Boulez who is kinda a joke and the Scandinavians whom I know nothing of, most likely because they don't figure prominently into any particular history. I guess I don't really know what most people know and don't know.
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post #37 of 321
12/7/04 at 2:09am
I just found a cd of Albinoni. Everyone has probably heard his Adagio, but this recording, Baroque Albinoni, by EMI, has his Concerti and Sonatas. It is filled with simply splendid music.

I also have had numerous recordings of Heinrich Schütze's music as well. His most famous work is probably "Die sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz" SWV 478. It is a short piece, but it is heartbreakingly beautiful. I like the recording by Dresdner Kreuzchor under the direction of Rudolf Mauersberger.

And surprisingly, since I've been at Head-fi, I've never seen anyone post about any of Schubert's works, except once a passing mention of the Lieder. I guess I might be lead to think that he's under appreciated here. I don't mean to offend anyone if I've missed it.
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post #38 of 321
12/8/04 at 1:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunnyears
And surprisingly, since I've been at Head-fi, I've never seen anyone post about any of Schubert's works, except once a passing mention of the Lieder. I guess I might be lead to think that he's under appreciated here. I don't mean to offend anyone if I've missed it.
There are certainly many wonderful things to found in Schubert's works, I'll just mention a few favorites:

Piano Trios, Op. 99 and Op. 100
String Quartets No. 14 ("Death and the Maiden") and 15
String Quintet, D. 956
Piano Sonata in B-flat, D. 960

and much more.
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post #39 of 321
12/8/04 at 2:45am
Not to mention the Trout Quintet (Op. post. 114,D.667), his impromptus, sonatas, and the german dances. And best of all his masses in C and A!

I also would like to recommend the music of Gabrieli and Monteverdi. and not to forget Telemann, Praetorius, Buxtehude as well. All pre baroque. (well not Telemann)
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post #40 of 321
12/8/04 at 2:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ooheadsoo
I've taken umpteen music history classes, both lower division and upper division, both general and opera specific and they ALL cover Wozzeck without fail. It's very well known.

Hm, all of these guys you guys mention are covered in standard music history classes. Except Boulez who is kinda a joke and the Scandinavians whom I know nothing of, most likely because they don't figure prominently into any particular history. I guess I don't really know what most people know and don't know.
Well, with that, you can say you upped your post count by one.

---

I'm going to try Philip Glass's Symphonies 2 and 3...


JF
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post #41 of 321
12/8/04 at 3:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnFerrier
Well, with that, you can say you upped your post count by one.

---

I'm going to try Philip Glass's Symphonies 2 and 3...


JF
Why, thank you very much. Did you mean to say that Philip Glass is under-appreciated or little known? Cuz he's not. Or am I wrong again? Hey, can I say that I just upped my post count by one?
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post #42 of 321
12/8/04 at 7:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by XXhalberstramXX
has any one heard any peices by the (British) composer Arnold? i read a review of some of his symphonies on www.musicweb.co.uk and they seem to be very highly regarded.
I guess you mean Sir Malcolm Arnold. Some of his stuffs really very very good. Bit of a character, had an interesting life ....
There was a really good documentary on the BBC about hime a few months ago.
He was not a favourite with the UK critics for a long time but I guess he is being re-evaluated these days.
Naxos do a really good box set of his symphonies that I keep meaning to pick up. See here for more info:

http://www.musicweb.uk.net/arnold/
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post #43 of 321
12/8/04 at 11:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnFerrier
I'm going to try Philip Glass's Symphonies 2 and 3...
Good stuff. If you have any interest in opera, try "the CIVIL warS - Act V" - it is spectacular!
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post #44 of 321
12/8/04 at 11:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ooheadsoo
Why, thank you very much. Did you mean to say that Philip Glass is under-appreciated or little known? Cuz he's not. Or am I wrong again? Hey, can I say that I just upped my post count by one?
Philip Glass has only recently written symphonies. If one is familiar with and likes Philip's previous work, you will probably like his relatively new symphonies. I liked his CD titled "Glassworks" and the video "Koyaanisqatsi"--both are very moving. His music is very fluid and rhythmic (the opposite of Pierre Boulez, who I like for the sound textures). I liked both symphonies 2 and 3, which are both on a Naxos CD (at about $7). I wanted to try his symphonies before I spent more. As it turns out, this Naxos recording is very good. I recommend Philip Glass's music and will include more of his CDs in my collection.


Quote:
Originally Posted by jamont
If you have any interest in opera, try "the CIVIL warS - Act V" - it is spectacular!
Sure, I'll check it out...


JF
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post #45 of 321
12/8/04 at 11:47am
re: stenhammar. heard one of his symphonies last year in gothenburg, can't remember which one, though. very nice music!

another scandinavian is arne nordheim. i have only heard some of his electronic work from the 70s which is very nice, however it's not "easy listening" at all . a link: http://www.runegrammofon.com/v2/catalog.php?shownews=4
he has wrote alot for acoustic instruments aswell, check it out!

another composer that comes to mind is gubaidulina. i heard her symphony in 12 parts: Stimmen. Verstummen. With a giant-orchestra, it was an amazing experience!
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