[Fishing]

Hey people,

I'm looking to get some recommendations for some good classical music. I usually listen to rock, but sometimes I need to concentrate and some guy screaming into my ears kinda distracts me.

 

[Asr]

There are some other threads here on the subject, try a search.

And no offense but it seems like you know squat about classical music. What exactly are you looking for? Ensemble? Chamber? Symphonic? And there are multiple periods as well - Baroque (1600s), Classical (1700s), Late Classical (late 1700s/early 1800s), Romantic (late 1800s), 20th Century, Avant-Garde...for all I know you might be thinking as early as Bach to as late as Leonard Bernstein.

And of course you have modern media composers (like the well-known ones in the film industry) who score very classical-type soundtracks, like John Williams...

 

[roadtonowhere08]

For your first trip into classical, I would honestly recommend the soundtrack for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". It is brilliant. Also, for my homework, I downloaded 99% of the songs on http://billbrownmusic.com/. Simply outstanding music that incorporates classical with synths and some rock. No lyrics and very catchy music. Best of all, it is free. Go there..... NOW

 

[Bunnyears]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento K. 563; Gideon Kremer (violin), Kim Kashkashian (viola) and Yo-Yo Ma (cello) (CBS recording) I cannot recommend this recording too highly, it is so superlative.

Johann Sebastian Bach: "Double" Concerto for two violins in D minor ("Great Performances" series) with Isaac Stern and Yitzhack Perlman on violin. Dueling Strads!

Franz Schubert : Sonata in g major,k op. 78, D 894 and sonata in B flat major,k D960: Grigory Sokolov, piano (Opus 111 recording)

Franz Schubert: Impromptus D899, D935; Lambert Orkis, fortepiano (Virgin Classics, digital). Contemplative without being depressing.

Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations; Rosalyn Tureck, piano (Deutsche Grammophon) Rosalyn Tureck is the greatest Bach keyboardist playing today, bar none!

Johann Sebastian Bach: the Art of Fugue BWV 1080; the Emerson String Quartet (DG). Bach wrote this for the organ, but this transcription for string quartet highlights the intellectual complexity, leaves the majesty intact, while adding warmth.

Johann Sebastian Bach: Cello Suites; Pierre Fournier (DG) It's a wonderful recording, but if you can find a Yo-Yo Ma recording or Janos Starker's recording, they are also terrific.

Hector Berlioz: Requiem and Te Deum; London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis conducting (Philips) give your speakers or headphones a real workout! This work goes from pianissimo to fortissimo, and is always breath-takingly beautiful.

Hector Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique; Concertgebouw Ochestra, Sir Colin Davis (Philips) This symphony still sounds new.

Beethoven's trios for piano, violin and Cello.
Beethoven Piano Concertos: Look for recordings by Murray Perahia. The Wilhelm Kempf recordings have been remastered and released, but the sound quality is a little lacking in the recordings I have heard.

Beethoven Sonatas: Look for recordings by Peter Serkin, just remastered and re-released.

Frederic Chopin: 4 Balladen; Krystian Zimerman, piano


For quiet concentration, try to find a remaster of Julian Bream playing baroque music on guitar.

 

[stuartr]

I am actually go out on a limb here and recommend music for concentrating, not specifically classical music. If you want music that you can listen to while studying that is brilliant music as well as blending beautifully into the background once you have heard it a few times, try these artists:

Bach: The cello suites. Get the Rostropovich version on EMI. These are among the best works ever written for any instrument. Rostropovich has the authoritative performance.

Anouar Brahem. Le pas du chat noir. It's on ECM new series. (It's beautiful Persian/French chamber music for piano, accordian and oud. Don't let the accordian scare you off, it is a hypnotically beautiful work.)

Rachmaninov: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Russian Orthodox choral music that demonstrates the incredible range and power of the human voice. I like the Nikolai Korniev version on philips.

Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works, Vol II. Electronic, Ambient music with interesting beats that is great to work to.

Windy & Carl: Consciousness and/or Antartica: Both these are droning style ambient music that is perfect to work or sleep to.

I have some more that I like, but those are all excellent for working to.

Edit: I just saw that Bunnyears had the cello suites down as well. I also like the Fournier version of the suites. Another good choice. I guess my order of preference would be: Rostropovich, Casals, Starker, Fournier, Ma, with 2-4 being fairly interchangeable depending on mood. I am not much of a Ma fan.

In general, for music to work to, I would suggest chamber works (just a few instruments or people singing) because they tend to have a smaller dynamic range. Huge dynamic swings in a recording may be impressive when you are listening as an audiophile, but to work to you want something that will not jolt you out of what you are doing. Of the ones I listed above, the only that has a very large dynamic range is the Rachmaninov choral work, which can go from very quiet voices to very loud moments of exultation.

 

[MattKT]

Bruckner has some great symphonies to pass loads of time with!