CaptainD's "Favourite Classical Music" write off...
Feb 07 '07 (Updated Mar 03 '07)
The Bottom Line Some of my favourite pieces of classical music, and an invitation to share yours in this write off.
Favourite Classical Music Write Off
The idea of this write off is to describe some of your favourite pieces of classical music, not necessarily a “top ten composers” list (though you can do that if you want). If you’re anything like me you will have composers that you enjoy that no particular piece really stands out (in my case Bach, Liszt, Mozart, Chopin, Dvorjac, Elgar, Mahler, Wagner, and some others). The ten composers I’ve chosen are for the individual pieces of music that I mention (though I like each composer in general as well.) This isn’t necessarily a write off for classical music buffs – I’m certainly not one. I just know what I like.
Leave a comment if you enter the write off and I’ll list the entrants at the end. A link back to this page would be appreciated but is not a requirement if you want to enter. My list is below:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Russian
Romeo & Juliet
Sleeping Beauty
Simply, these are two of the most beautiful compositions I’ve ever heard. Swan Lake and Pathetique are also superb.
Segei Rachnmaninov - Russian
Piano concerto 1&2
The power and majesty of the concertos is awesome, I could never tire of listening to them.
Ludwig van Beethoven - German
5th Symphony, 9th Symphony
I admit that I probably haven’t heard a great deal more of Beethoven’s works than these, two of his most famous symphonies. On their own though they are enough to make my love his compositions, and eventually I will get round to searching out some more of them.
Felix Mendelson - German
Hebrides Overture
If I had to pick only one piece of classical music that I love above all others, this would be it. The fact that I’ve heard it in a live concert probably reinforced that feeling.
Edward Grieg - Norweigan
Pier Gynt Suite
There’s not much I can really think of to say about this one apart from that it’s wonderful, expressive, and infinitely pleasing to the ear.
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev - Ukranian
Montagues & Capulets from Romeo & Juliet, Peter and the Wolf
The first piece has always struck me as amazing, not only ahead of its time but ahead of everyone’s time. It sounds like it shouldn’t work at all but somehow it’s marvellous. The rest of the music from his Romeo Juliet is great too but that one piece has always impressed me. As for Peter and the Wolf… has there ever been a better, totally accessible yet at the same time wonderful piece of classical music for introducing children to classical music in general?!
Aram Katchachurian - Russian
Masquerade Ball
I can never work out why I don’t find this piece too repetitive to like, but something about it makes me love it. There’s such an internal flow of energy and harmonics in it that I can’t help but be caught along in its melody.
George Frideric Handel - German
Creation., Messiah, Water Music
Creation and Messiah contain some of the most majestic music ever written. I was introduced to The Water Music originally through the Atari ST computer game “Pirates” (one of my Top 100 Computer / video Games of All Time, and it’s remained a piece of music that I’m very fond of. (That game also taught me all about the history and geography of the West Indies – who says computer games aren’t educational?!?!? :-D)
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi - Italian
Four Seasons
Some of the most beautiful violin music ever can be found in the Four Seasons.
Richard Strauss - German
Alpine Symphony
Now as well known as his Johann (Blue Danube Waltz, etc - not his brother as I erroneously stated before, thanks to Stephen Murray for pointing out my error!), but this symphony really captures the essence of the alps extraordinarily well, and brings back many good memories for me of holidays in Austria etc.
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I didn’t consciously pick mainly Russian and German composers (admittedly I knew there would be a few Russian ones but most of these I hadn’t even been aware of their nationalities before looking them up), but I feel a little sorry that I didn’t find room for an Austrian composer in my list. Still, I’m sure Mozart will feature on at least a few other entries – providing I get any of course!!
Ooh… forgot one that I must include!
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka - Russian (yes, another Russian…)
Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla
This was one of the first pieces of classical music that I ever heard at a live performance, and it has always stayed with me. Wonderful. But only the overture – the opera is dirgy and depressing as hell (and I could only bear to watch / listen to about ten minutes before I gave up!!) That was probably when I knew beyond all doubt that opera wasn’t for me… light operettas I can handle, but not full-blown operas, and certainly I could never bear the whole 16 hours or so of Wagner’s “Ring Cycle”!!
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Other Entrants:
Telynor
Stephen Murray
JacobEiserman
Smorg
Befus
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