ya know . I likes me some Classical music every so often but....

[Pup]

I never know what to buy.. I'd like to start with some small scale stuff. Cellos rich and resiny (is that a word).

Now that I have admitted that can you folks recommend some LP's to get me started.. Nothing abstract, to me no melody = no music...

Some folks like fusion jazz too, I don't get it.. Technically I suppose it's the next level, but to me it sounds like 4 or 5 guys doin their own thing with no regard for the others... YMMV.. Don't care. My room - my music.

 

[prime minister]

I usually recommend Beethoven as a good place to start with classical music. Lots of different types and scales of music, but melodic enough to be easily accessible.

And I hear you on that jazz. I remember going to a weekly jazz concert in my university days, and it was always four guys on stage, each playing a different tune.

 

[airdronian]

I never know what to buy.. I'd like to start with some small scale stuff. Cellos rich and resiny (is that a word).

Now that I have admitted that can you folks recommend some LP's to get me started.. Nothing abstract, to me no melody = no music...

Some folks like fusion jazz too, I don't get it.. Technically I suppose it's the next level, but to me it sounds like 4 or 5 guys doin their own thing with no regard for the others... YMMV.. Don't care. My room - my music.

Do you use a streaming service ? This is by far the easiest way to begin exploration, IMO. I dabbled in Classical music over the years, but really started listening more in the last five or so. Guided in part by the Classical Music Playlist thread started here by @Juncers .

You mention cello, so one option might be Saint-Saens Cello Concertos 1 & 2. I find Saint-Saens fairly accessible.

Saint-Saëns: Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Saint-Saëns: Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2. Naxos: 8573737. Buy CD or download online. Gabriel Schwabe (cello) Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Marc Soustrot

www.prestomusic.com

Of course, one has to consider Bach. (Ah, Bach !) Bach's Cello Suites are kind of iconic. Lots of versions of this out there, Starker and Rostropovich are famous for their renditions, and there are modern ones as well such as by Yo-Yo Ma below.

Six Evolutions - Bach: Cello Suites - Vinyl Edition

Six Evolutions - Bach: Cello Suites - Vinyl Edition. Sony: 19075854651. Buy 3 Vinyl Records online. Yo-Yo Ma (cello)

www.prestomusic.com

There's a huge ocean of classical music out there, and it took me a while to start building preferences. Good luck. Maybe @fiddlefye could chime in, he's one of the Haven's resident musicians, and will be much better informed than myself.

 

[fiddlefye]

Do you use a streaming service ? This is by far the easiest way to begin exploration, IMO. I dabbled in Classical music over the years, but really started listening more in the last five or so. Guided in part by the Classical Music Playlist thread started here by @Juncers .

You mention cello, so one option might be Saint-Saens Cello Concertos 1 & 2. I find Saint-Saens fairly accessible.

Saint-Saëns: Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Saint-Saëns: Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2. Naxos: 8573737. Buy CD or download online. Gabriel Schwabe (cello) Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Marc Soustrot

www.prestomusic.com

Of course, one has to consider Bach. (Ah, Bach !) Bach's Cello Suites are kind of iconic. Lots of versions of this out there, Starker and Rostropovich are famous for their renditions, and there are modern ones as well such as by Yo-Yo Ma below.

Six Evolutions - Bach: Cello Suites - Vinyl Edition

Six Evolutions - Bach: Cello Suites - Vinyl Edition. Sony: 19075854651. Buy 3 Vinyl Records online. Yo-Yo Ma (cello)

www.prestomusic.com

There's a huge ocean of classical music out there, and it took me a while to start building preferences. Good luck. Maybe @fiddlefye could chime in, he's one of the Haven's resident musicians, and will be much better informed than myself.

My actual Classical listening habits these days are probably far from the mainstream simply because I've performed (often multiple times) a pretty wide swath of the core rep over the many decades. The only core violin pre I listen to with any frequency beyond "it came on the radio" is Bach. No matter how often I here the unaccompanied works of Bach I get sucked right in. If I listen to Classical and Romantic era music it tends to be more from the fringes of the rep, things I haven't played. My ears need constantly to be challenged. When it comes to rock some people seem mainly interested in listening endlessly to what they heard in their youth. The same can often be true of Classical fans. I am not of that line in any genre, not that there is anything wrong with it.

Yes, it is a good thing to be well aware of all of the Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms etc. symphonies, concertos, sonatas etc. Absolutely. We need to have those sounds and ideas in our ears. Then start to diversify I say!

I'll ponder some suggestions over the next while, maybe starting with the absolutely incredible works I'll be performing in the remainder of this orchestra season. Oh my... never in decades have I had a season like this...

Back in a bit...

 

[danomar]

You can do the easy route and get the RCA Living Stereo 60 CD set (I think Vol. 1 gets a slight nod over Vol. 2) and have an instant collection of some excellent performances that were very well-recorded.

 

[JoeThePop]

I too am interested and like some classical, but the length of pop and rock songs better suits my attention span. For melodic stuff, I've always liked waltzes. Tchaikovsky is a good place to start.

 

[Billet]

Lots of good stuff on this page --> Yo Yo Ma, Music, Vinyl LP

I have this one, it is pretty good --> Songs Of Comfort And Hope [BN Exclusive]

You may even be able to get some of these locally.

 

[Mortsnets]

Yeah cellos sound good, and Paint It Black is a classic:

 

[Kpatch]

If I may …

 

[fiddlefye]

FYI - the rep I have on tap to play between now and the end of April:
Mahler - 1st Symphony
Elgar - Enigma Variations
Stravinsky - Rite of Spring
Handel - Alexander's Feast
Fauré - Requiem
Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra
Holst - The Planets
Carlos Simon - Tales a Folk Symphony
A few other works as well that don't spring to mind at the moment including a couple of new works.

Oh, also doing two works with my string quartet - Beethoven Op. 59 No.1 and Schubert 'Death and the Maiden'.

A lot of notes between now and summer!

You could do far worse than listening to all of the works on the list. They're all marvellous.

 

[JoeThePop]

This popped up in my Google feed. The first selection is absolutely iconic and I’d bet nearly everyone here has heard a portion of it at some time their life.

The 8 greatest (and most famous) cello pieces of all time

 

[prime minister]

I figure if I recommend Beethoven, I'd better back that up.

.

The 9th of course includes:

 

[prime minister]

And then of course, there is the fifth. Is there any piece of music more widely known?

And then, of course:

 

[Pup]

very cool! Thanks all . I will check these out!

 

[fiddlefye]

I figure if I recommend Beethoven, I'd better back that up.

.

The 9th of course includes:

Good ol' "Furry Knees"...