!!Classical!! Thread

Electronic classical music just doesn't do it for me. It seems so passionless most of the time. I say this as I am listening to Charles Wuorinen's Pulitzer Prize winning piece "Time's Encomium."

Some of my least favorite mayterial by Zappa are his synclavier works (Jazz From Hell), and John Zorn's acoustic soundtracks appeal more to me than his more electric ones. Stockhausen and Xenakis also fall into this category. Varese's Concrete music is cool, but his orchestral material is the real shit.

So what I'm getting at: Does anyone have any reccomendations for modern, electronic classical music that I might like, or should at least hear once in my life?

Specific recordings would be much appreciated.

I can't say that I know all that much about classical music, but I definitely like opera. The only two I have recordings of are Bizet's Les Pecheurs de Perles and Carmen. If anyone wants to recommend me more that wo
d be appreciated. This stuff is a lot harder to digest than pop music...

Classical guitar is great too. Especially anything by Villa-Lobos.

I only really listen to Reich, Riley, Glass, Part, Cage and all that lot. And not even that often. I was working through a list of recommendations but I kinda lost interest ages ago (this thread reminded me to update it actually)

trombipulation said: So what I'm getting at: Does anyone have any reccomendations for modern, electronic classical music that I might like, or should at least hear once in my life?
I'd like to know too (and totally agree about Varese). I was talking to a friend on last.fm about it who studies this stuff, and he recommended www.sonus.ca as a source. Trouble is it doesn't have much of an index function and it's hard to know where to start.

knkwzrd said:
I don't know if people here have seen the new Bond film yet, but there's one scene at an opera house, and the opera being performed has the most ridiculously fucked up, psychedelic staging.
That was clearly the best scene in the film.

You should try D.'s 12th string quartet, "The American".

Then maybe Borodin's second symphony.

Connor, you got any Penderecki? You would like him if you don't.

StDionysus said:
I've been listening to the Dvořák 's New World Symphony intermittently for the last month. Vera nice. anyone know any other Romantic pieces (or otherwise) that are similar?

My favorite Dvořák piece is his Cello Concerto in B Minor. Branching out from Dvořák, Brahms's Violin Concerto in D and his Doubel Concerto for VIolin and Cello are great. And if you've never heard Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, you should check that out as well. All basic classical choices, but popular for good reason.


All I have by Penderecki is his Violin Concerto and 2nd Symphony. I listened to them way back, will listen to them again right now. Good idea. What else, though? I thirst for more.

Erkki-Sven Tüür

Whoa, that's a cool name. I'll get around to him soon.

Elliott Sharp's string quartet works are really sweet.

I was browsing through some old threads (http://www.last.fm/group/The+Musical+Elitists/forum/27000/_/398873/16#f7393316) and realised I probably shouldn't have posted samples from the above CD, even though my intention was to drum up business for the guy. I apologise, disavow, renounce the devil, and beg mercy.

Anyhow: listen to him, he's amazing. Did I mention he wrote a symphony for orchestra, big band and improvised electric guitar?

edit: That doesn't mean he made the guitar himself out of whatever was lying round.

I was able to find This album by Erkki-Sven Tüür, and will isten to it later today.

Over thanksgiving break I found a vinyl copy of Luciano Berio's Sinfonia, with the composer himself conducting the New York Philharmonic and the Swingle Singers through the piece. I had been told that this was the best version, and although this is better at certain moments, overall I still like Pierre Boulez's performance with the Orchestre National de France more.

I just checked Erkki-Sven Tüür's Violin Concerto and it was cheesy but enjoyable. Aditus was complete Lutosławski rip off and Exodus was just annoying.
Am I just too picky or what?

I'm going to do some Xmass gifts for Ya. I hope to upload few things by dead (but still worm) polish composers like Grażyna Bacewicz, Witold Lutosławski, Paweł Szymański, perhaps some Krzysztof Meyer or Kazimierz Serocki. I hope this thread will be good place to do that.

They isn't very much, only bull milking and cow fighting with these assholes Uzbekistan. But great German composers are signing their compositions with Polish names, so like nobody would steal from them.