Paging Prager: The Classics
I'm a bit of a YouTube music dilettante. I go to YouTube, I type in a composer's name, and listen to the music that comes up. It's a lot of school bands, but there are also professionals.
Alas, while I know I like Bach, Mozart, Mahler, and Stravinsky, I know nothing about them. And for that matter, it isn't that I like them in the abstract -I like certain parts of their bodies of work. I tend to like their keyboard pieces more than their strings for example. It would be nice to actually understand a little of what I'm listening to. And, well, the only Stravinsky piece I can reliably recognize is Firebird Suite and that's entirely because of Fantasia.
This seems like a golden opportunity for someone who knows a lot more about the subject than me to do a real service to the public's general education level.
In the interim, feel free to enlighten me in the comments below.
- Comment (76)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (7)
Comments:
Dec '11
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
Everybody lauds Mahler's Symphony #2, but I would argue that Symphony #1 is his best and most poignant. I'd recommend the version conducted by Riccardo Muti or George Pretres. (I was unbelievably fortunate to witness both concerts in the flesh!)
My second and third choices of "must hears" would be Sibelius #1 and #4.
I didn't mention Bach because I know the Richochetti will have much to contribute here.
Enjoy!
Aug '11
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
(Okay folks! Who's going to be the rude person who informs him that the Stravinsky piece in Fantasia is actually The Rite of Spring?)
Mar '12
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
Surely, you've seen Amadeus. It isn't completely acurate historically, but it does give you a feel for the man and the period. The acting is superb and the music multa bene.
Aug '12
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
DrewInWisconsin
(Okay folks! Who's going to be the rude person who informs him that the Stravinsky piece in Fantasia is actually The Rite of Spring?) · 5 minutes ago
Fantasia 2000. It's the final piece. I should have been more specific. But I'm not actually old enough for the original Fantasia to have made an impact. I keep slipping into "Hall of the Mountain King" every time I try to hum "Night on Bald Mountain."
Mar '12
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
If you are of a geekish nature in a logical and mathematical way, read Godel, Escher and Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. You will get a whole new perspective on fugues.
Feb '12
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
I love Romantic-era orchestral music, particularly the ones that seem so perfectly grounded in the homeland of the composer. "Ma Vlast" by Smetana for Czech, "Finlandia" for Finland, "Hall of the Mountain King" for some great Norwegian bombast, pretty much anything by Tchaikovsky or Mussorgsky or Stravinsky or Rimsky-Korsakov for the Russians. Holst's Planets for the war of "Mars" and the British peace of "Jupiter"; Liszt for Hungarian Dances and Offenbach's French Can-Can. Saint-Saen's French Carnival of Animals and Chopin's French/Polish fantasies.
And the fun part is to set up a Pandora station that plays all this, but also great film soundtracks of Bernstein, Horner, Williams, and Shore. It's a great transition to go from the trackless depths of the Finland forests to those of Middle Earth; from the watery Aquarium to a Hymn to the Sea from Titanic; from Orff's "O Fortuna" to the "Duel of the Fates" from The Phantom Menace. (Quite possibly the best thing in that mess of a movie)
Feb '12
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
Sabrdance
DrewInWisconsin
(Okay folks! Who's going to be the rude person who informs him that the Stravinsky piece in Fantasia is actually The Rite of Spring?) · 5 minutes ago
Fantasia 2000. It's the final piece. I should have been more specific. But I'm not actually old enough for the original Fantasiato have made an impact. I keep slipping into "Hall of the Mountain King" every time I try to hum "Night on Bald Mountain." · 7 minutes ago
Dude, I'm younger than you, and the original Fantasia is how I learned to love classical music ...
Mar '11
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
You can pick up a lot on the music by reading about the lives of the composers. The occasionally maligned Wikipedia is usually pretty good for a thumbnail sketch, and The Lives of the Great Composers is supposed to be pretty good (I haven't read it all the way through). Many of the pieces themselves have an entry. The general format for symphonies is "Symphony No. X (composer)," for instance Symphony No. 5 (Shostakovich).
An aside for any fans of No. 5 out there: is Shostakovich lauding Stalin, or mocking him?
Dec '11
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
I would only add Prokofiev here; perhaps Classical Symphony?
Dec '11
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
Neither. His music rages against the death and destruction instigated by Stalin.
Aug '12
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
Amy Schley
Sabrdance
DrewInWisconsin
(Okay folks! Who's going to be the rude person who informs him that the Stravinsky piece in Fantasia is actually The Rite of Spring?) · 5 minutes ago
Fantasia 2000. It's the final piece. I should have been more specific. But I'm not actually old enough for the original Fantasiato have made an impact. I keep slipping into "Hall of the Mountain King" every time I try to hum "Night on Bald Mountain." · 7 minutes ago
Dude, I'm younger than you, and the original Fantasia is how I learned to love classical music ... · 43 minutes ago
I saw Fantasia 2000 in Theaters. While I question to utility of flying whales as appropriate imagery for "Pines of Rome," and I'm not sold on "Pomp and Circumstance" as music for the Flood, it was still something I saw in theaters -and it was therefore an event. The original Fantasia was something I watched in school when the Music teacher was out sick. Sourcerers Apprentice makes its impact through pop culture. The rest, not so much.
Aug '12
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
Which is not to say I don't like the music, just that I associate Pastoral Symphony with my dad's old vynles, not with Fantasia.
Aug '12
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
Amadeus is a fine movie. Earlier today, I was talking about a piece of writing, and how I wished I could write that well. I compared myself to Salieri. I like to think that would make the character smile.
Aug '12
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
EThompson
I would only add Prokofiev here; perhaps Classical Symphony? · 41 minutes ago
My first, last, and so far only experience with Prokofiev was his scoring of Alexandyr Nevski. Perhaps I am a great philistine, but I was deeply underwhelmed by it. But then, I'm deeply underwhelmed by everything Sergei Eisenstien did. Yes, I get it. Montage. Very cool. Could you maybe try directing your actors to emote like they don't have 6 pounds of makeup caked on their faces? Hype Backlash will do this to you.
Feb '12
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
Sabrdance
Amy Schley
Sabrdance
Fantasia 2000. It's the final piece. I should have been more specific. But I'm not actually old enough for the original Fantasiato have made an impact. I keep slipping into "Hall of the Mountain King" every time I try to hum "Night on Bald Mountain." · 7 minutes ago
Dude, I'm younger than you, and the original Fantasia is how I learned to love classical music ... · 43 minutes ago
I saw Fantasia 2000in Theaters. While I question to utility of flying whales as appropriate imagery for "Pines of Rome," and I'm not sold on "Pomp and Circumstance" as music for the Flood, it was still something I saw in theaters -and it was therefore an event. The original Fantasia was something I watched in school when the Music teacher was out sick. Sourcerers Apprentice makes its impact through pop culture. The rest, not so much. · 5 minutes ago
I like the Noah's Ark/Pomp and Circumstance piece as a match -- if anything, it matches too perfectly. Luckily, my husband understands why I burst out into giggles when I'm at graduations ...
Jun '12
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
How about Brahms? I don't know "a lot more about the subject," but I have heard Pablo Casals play Bach's cello suites. I accept Biblical infallibility, most of Reformed Theology, and I consider listening to Maestro Casals play Bach a religious experience. While totally depraved, Bach (and Casals, for that matter) in these solos glorifies the Divine most gloriously.
I assume you've heard them by now, but if not, you are in for a real treat.
Mar '11
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
EThompson
Neither. His music rages against the death and destruction instigated by Stalin. · 8 hours ago
That would be "reproaching" rather than "mocking" then. I like the answer. Dmitri was on the knife's edge.
May '11
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
I've been listening to a lot of Glenn Gould playing Bach. I especially love the Goldberg Variations. The only way I can describe it is: Ahhhhhhhhhhhh Bach.
You tube is awesome. Often you can find 2 or 3 hours of play in one longplay session of a particular composer. I think that's the best way of finding out what you like.
Aug '10
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
Sabrdance
Amadeus is a fine movie. Earlier today, I was talking about a piece of writing, and how I wished I could write that well. I compared myself to Salieri. I like to think that would make the character smile. · 9 hours ago
In a conversation with several very talented studio musicians once, we all agreed we would be happy to be merely as talented as Salieri. What most folks don't understand watching "Amadeus" is that Salieri was very, very good. He had to endure working next to one the great musical geniuses of all time. Not an easy thing to do.
Jan '11
Re: Paging Prager: The Classics
This seems like a good opportunity to plug The Teaching Company.