Classical music discussion, what do you like?

[Quinto]

Too bad I can't read scores..There must be some interesting scores out there, including the ones with Mengelberg's notes and remarks on it..

 

[Christer]

Too bad I can't read scores..There must be some interesting scores out there, including the ones with Mengelberg's notes and remarks on it..

To be quite honest.
I am not particularly good at it either.
The scores I can most easily read are the works I already know very well.

When I see the first page of say Mahler's second I can hear it in my inner ear. Or seeing for example the first bars of Sibelius' second and many other works always helps me remember them.

Listening to music with the score running on screen as with some videos on Youtube is a great way to start learning to read a score and great fun imho.

But talking conductors like Mengelberg and their own markings in scores ,Wagner for example is rumoured to have coloured instrument sections in different colours in some scores to make reading easier.

I have also seen some such examples on Youtube videos and they can be very helpful indeed.

But one of the conductors I have observed at close range during recordings, Ivan Fischer, had made no markings of his own as far as I could see browsing though his score of Mahler's 5th symhony during intervals and sometimes following the music from his score at playback.
During one such playback session he left his score at the playback desk, when leaving the monitoring room and the producer said " Ivan your score is still there" just before Fisher got out of the door,adding "but maybe you don't need it"?
Fischer responded" Oh I still do".
Judging from Mahler's own very meticulous markings and indications in his scores any extra markings made seem a bit superfluous apart from marking beats maybe?

Mahler's handwritten score in the video looks almost as beautiful as the music itself sounds to me.

I have been priviliged to see and also photograph parts of the handwritten score Mozart himself used performing Don Giovanni in Prague and it was almost a holy experience for me to browse through with gloved hands.

I have also seen,but not photographed Beethoven's original manuscript of the Eroica. But that was to me mostly an illegible mess that I could not really read at all then.
But what a symphony!!!!
An easier entry into score reading is Beethoven's 5th, especially the first movement.
Cheers CC

 

[some1x]

This channel has easy to understand visualizations of Beethoven masterworks.

 

[Peter Hyatt]

Christer, the posts of personal experience are fascinating to read. You have a wealth of knowledge. I look forward to more. Thanks.

 

[castleofargh]

this year I've been on an adventure to get back some of the musics I grew up with, which does involve mostly classical music. because of moving a lot, robbery, angry GFs, and just those damns CDs starting to skip so I threw them away, I basically have nothing from my youth. TBH it has been very fun and also very frustrating so far. all went well for the stuff I remembered clearly with name of the piece and the conductor. also generally not too hard to find something just by the look of the cover when scrolling through catalogues if it was a pretty famous version and I remembered the record label from its logo. but after that cruising period with my best friend google, it went downhill really fast. I guess some stuff were completely obscure versions from slaves in a cave so the albums would be cheap, but if that's the version I had, then that's the one I'm looking for. I've started looking for Bach in the last weeks, OMG! I have found 2 organ stuff so far. hours and hours on youtube and various streaming sources to demo everything and try to remember how it sounded in the version I knew. I will end up hating Bach for life if I go on like this. it's excruciating and saddening in a way, to think that I probably won't find much more stuff from now on. at least with the successful findings so far, I've quite enjoyed bathing in nostalgia. it brought back scores of cool memories. but man, what a PITA.

 

[Peter Hyatt]

castle, I am a few years removed from a similar experience. I, too, grew up w classical (mostly orchestral & a few opera) but also the influence of older siblings -in descending chronology from 50’s thru 70’s pop.

A few years ago, I began to listen to more orchestral and began attending live performances —today, classical almost exclusive for my wife and me.

This week, we’ve had a lot of fun with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons—in the car & home, streaming and Berliner.

We have been playing & enjoying the “recomposed by Max Richter” versions side by side with Itzhak Perlman & Rachel Podger— The performance on Berliner app with Berliner Barock Solisten is electrifying.

I’m curious as to the hows & whys of the Richter recomposition.

We are enjoying the Fenella Humphrey new release even more than the Daniel Hope release.

Anyone w insight, recommendations &
opinions?

 

[gerelmx1986]

I also grew up with classical music, fortunately I digitized all my CD to flac, before.moving to Germany

 

[Christer]

This channel has easy to understand visualizations of Beethoven masterworks.

Thanks.
Although the sound here was pretty bad I strongly agree with Stravinsky!!

Timeless music for the ages imho.

And the colouring makes it very easy to follow the action.

And what a lot of action there is in Die Grosse Fuge!

There are lots of recordings of Beethoven's late string quartets.

On LP or cd I would recommend either the Amadeus Quartet early 60s and a later mid 70s set on DGG, or Quartetto Italiano on Philips.
Good modern digital sets of both the middle quartets,the Razumovsky Quartets, and the late Quartets are the ones from The Tokyo Quartet on Sony, imho.
For any newcomers, possibly scared away by the fierce Grosse Fuge both the middle quartets and the late ones apart from complex counterpoint and tunes jumping from one instrument to another in mid tune, also contain some of Beethoven's most inspired and heavenly beautiful tunes. Absolutely essential Beethoven music for anyone who wants explore beyond the symphonies.
But string quartets can easily sound thin scrawny and bad via less than good recordings and equipment.

Cheers CC

 

[castleofargh]

We have been playing & enjoying the “recomposed by Max Richter” versions

had a listen and I really don't know where to stand on that one. on one hand it is almost surprisingly fresh and enjoyable considering how even people who don't listen to classical feel like they heard the 4 seasons their entire life. on the other hand, some of those timing games really rubbed me the wrong way(from this you can already guess that I'm not much of a jazz guy ^_^).

I also grew up with classical music, fortunately I digitized all my CD to flac, before.moving to Germany

wait a sec. I thought you lived in ... I'm gonna say Mexico, and that your lover was German. when did you get kidnapped out of your country? I feel like I missed the best part of a soap opera.

 

[The Socialist Nerd]

I like classical music.

 

[gerelmx1986]

had a listen and I really don't know where to stand on that one. on one hand it is almost surprisingly fresh and enjoyable considering how even people who don't listen to classical feel like they're heard the 4 seasons their entire life. on the other hand, some of those timing games really rubbed me the wrong way(from this you can already guess that I'm not much of a jazz guy ^_^).


wait a sec. I thought you lived in ... I'm gonna say Mexico, and that your lover was German. when did you get kidnapped out of your country? I feel like I missed the best part of a soap opera.

Since Dezember last year

 

[Peter Hyatt]

https://www.prestomusic.com/classic...-round-up-new-release-round-up-28th-june-2019

 

[Peter Hyatt]

https://www.hifinews.com/content/daniel-barenboim-conductor-and-pianist

 

[CanadianMaestro]

Karajan once responded in an interview when he had been accused of Elitism.
"I am not an Elitist I am a Super Elitist"

When you strive really high not everyone will be able to follow you all the way. And those who fail to do so may feel personally hurt and resentful, when in fact and musical terms,it was maybe they themselves who where not capable enough?

Cheers CC

Karajan also said:

"Those who have achieved all their aims probably set them too low".
-- HvK

 

[gerelmx1986]

CPE Bach the solo keyboard music volume 38 has been released now