Took a break from Beethoven and was quite disappointed in playing some Schubert, in particular the last Bb major sonata. He writes variations, not development. He was also not technically skilled - even I could sight read the piece. Pleasant, but thin and repetitive.

Howdy people, this is more of a vent over everything else, so sorry if I didn't post this in the right subreddit. For reference, my brother used to play the piano. He was taking lessons for quite a while, ended up playing for about 4 years and he was relatively good. His instructors loved him because he was a fast learner and picked up concepts super quickly. We had this really old upright piano that was extremely out of tune and always seemed to have a different key breaking. I would always open the lid of the piano and peek inside after he was done practicing to see what exactly was going on in there. One day, my family had head off to run an errand, so I was left at home for about an hour. I sat down at the piano and played around with it for the first time.

I had never gotten the opportunity to actually play the piano since my brother was always using it or people were in the house so I was too shy to mess with it. I sat down and learned carol of the bells by ear.. (I can still play the simple tune that little me was so proud of.) In the process of learning it, my parents had come back and heard me playing. Obviously, they didn't think it was something I was capable of doing since I had never communicated my interest to them. I was put in piano classes with some of the best instructors available..

I got kicked out of 3 different classes. Nobody was willing to work with me because I was unwilling to learn the notes. They would set sheet music in front of me and explain it all to me, and I would come home none the wiser. One of my instructors sent me home with a very simple audible variation of "Somewhere over the rainbow," and I picked it up flawlessly. She refused to teach me anymore because I strictly learned by ear, much like the rest of the instructors had done before. (To this day, I'm not exactly sure if that was the instructors fault, or mine.)

My 8 year old brain would literally shut down any time I saw notes on a page and everything would scramble. It had turned into a chore for me. My parents eventually pulled me out of classes and left it at that.

I continued to play of course, but they didn't take it seriously.

I listen to anything if it appeals to me, most of my time is spent listening to music. As long as it's got some semblance of a melody, it's good enough for me. However, nothing quite compares to a classical piece.

What I came on here to ask is, does anybody else have a word to describe the feeling that they get when they listen to classical music? Whether it be a peaceful tune or something more intense, I always get this surreal feeling in my body. It doesn't matter how many times I've listened to the piece, it's just an indescribable feeling. It's like when you take a deep breath and all the air that you didn't know you needed fills your lungs. It's hard to pinpoint, but I think the most amazing thing about classical music is that it evokes so much emotion through such a difficult form of communication through music. Maybe I'm just romanticizing it, I'm not sure. It just confounds me when I speak to my friends and they call pieces boring. I can't put it in to words. When I listen to it, it invades every single one of my senses. Does anybody have a word to describe this or relate in any way?

Back when I was in the classical music scene, I knew a lot of people (particularly music teachers) who were against more contemporary genres like pop. I never understood that. I was a 90's/2000's kid, so boy bands and girl groups were my jam. My long-term partner is into the alt/metal/goth scene, and Marilyn Manson is one of his favorites. We're currently separated at the moment, so sometimes I'll listen to a few Marilyn Manson songs, just to feel connected to my partner, even though it's not something I would choose. Would love to hear about what everyone else listens to besides classical.

hellooo i’m not too familiar w classical music but im currently taking a music appreciation class and we have to write a paper abt a composer. i wanted to find a composer that is niche but still has a decent amount of info abt them. i was thinking ethel smyth, Kaikhosru Sorabji, or Carl Nielsen. ty

Many of you will know this photograph, but I don't think it's been posted here in a while.

https://preview.redd.it/ftxekbd3nzge1.jpg?width=823&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3843f0e3c833cb9d6375783cf1d676f128b7b8d8

It's Debussy, just about my favourite composer, standing next to a sitting Stravinsky, sometime in 1910 if the internet is to be believed. It was apparently taken in Debussy's home. He's got some Hokusai on the wall, which is cool.

The kicker? Satie took the picture.

That blows my mind.

Edit: I major in piano

So my school wants us to do a full length solo recital this May, before graduation, and they only require at least one full sonata, so I went ahead with three. Unfortunately I don't have any 20th century sonatas as I don't have much time. This is also my first solo recital ever

1. J. Haydn - Piano Sonata in C Major, XVI 1
2. W.A. Mozart - Fantasy and Piano Sonata in C minor, K. 475/457
3. F. Schubert - Piano Sonata in B Major, D.575
4. C.V. Alkan - Trois Scherzi De Bravoure, Op. 16a

I was thinking of having the Brahms op 10 ballades instead of Schubert but they might be too dragging and overly serious and heavy? I'm not sure.

I'm also having doubts with the Haydn opening, but my only big Baroque pieces are the Bach Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue and Toccatas in C minor and E minor, the first two being too long and the latter being tonally distant from Mozart.

I’m looking to get a book gift for someone who’s expressed interest in learning more about Western classical music.

From a little research, these titles stood out but I’m struggling to know which one (or maybe two!) to pick:

• The Lives Of The Great Composers by Harold C. Schonberg

• The Illustrated History of Great Composers by Wendy Thompson*

• The Great Composers by Jeremy Nicholas

• The Vintage Guide to Classical Music by Jan Swafford

…other suggestions most welcome!

*I believe the entirety of this book may actually be included in ‘The Encyclopedia of Music: Instruments of the Orchestra and the Great Composers’ by Max Wade-Matthews

General criteria:

• Written by someone authoritative (perhaps unfairly, I discounted The Lives and Times of the Great Composers by Michael Steen as he admits to being a “nonexpert”)

• Accessible to a musical layperson but including some level of musical analysis / explanation (i.e. not just historical anecdotes)

• Entertainingly written (whether philosophical or humorous), or thoughtfully / beautifully laid out as a reference book

• Bias and omissions aren’t too serious as they can be jumping off points for debate

• Bonus points for diversity (I think the latest edition of the Schonberg added a bunch of female composers)

Hello all, Fairly new to classical music, looking to dive deeper into it. Right now I really am enjoying Mahler’s Totenfeier, looking for things with a similar big, bold, sound with heavy string and timpani sounds

Doesn’t have to be Mahler necessarily, recs from other composers also appreciated

Thanks in advance!

As someone who doesn't have synesthesia, it struck me just how orange this piece sounded. If you've heard it and you don't think it sounds orange, have you even heard it? Back me up, you synesthesia lot!

Hello !
I'm desperately seeking for the recording reference of this extract of Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloé".
https://youtu.be/ynS44BmSaZU?si=W_sQ7b0_MTNPv7JW

I just can't find the exact same one, and the person who shared it didn't credit the references. I've heard Charles Dutoit's recording with Montréal's Symphonic Orchestra and it's not the same. I've also heard Boulez and Abbado, it wasn't the same one neither... Or maybe did I miss it !
Could someone help me with this please ? Thanks a lot.

Hello There,

Can anyone recommend me a piano pieces or orchestral pieces arranged to piano with chaotic, loud, banging sound. I've already listened to the following examples of the pieces, so I'd like something comparable or more:

Frederic Chopin’s Ballade No. 1, Op. 23 (Horowitz’s 1947 recording)

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (arr. Horowitz)

Horowitz’s Variation on a Theme from Carmen

Ravel’s La Valse

Prokofiev’s Suggestion Diabolique,

But not into the Rite of Spring just yet.

Thanks for any help you could provided

P.S. And FYI, other than the headbanger one on the lists, I almost exclusively listen to Chopin, Rachmaninoff pieces 😊

been listening to more piano chamber music, esp the romantic piano quintets. my favorites are the dvorak op 81, brahms op 34 and the franck piano quintets.

are there any recommendations for piano chamber music? preferably quintets, quartets, but other permutations are fine too!

Our daughter is currently a sophomore in high school, and wants to major in violin performance. In trying to narrow down our early list, can anyone recommend violin professors for her? I don't think we are considering Julliard (not ready to live in NYC) but she does prefer an area that would offer lots of gig opportunities, and a great orchestra. Thank you!

What's your opinion on the idea that musicality need to be earned, justified, and measured by one's willingness to practice the techniques of classical performance?

Is it possible to be lazy in music?

Even if someone enjoys it, would you say that just noodling around is inherently less productive than playing a symphony as written? What about making music on a computer?

Do you think that terms translating to "loud" and "fast" require a person to think on a social scale: would an educated person think that bang was quiet?

Do you see value in correcting people? Perhaps the genre reminds you that you aren't incorrigible, and even if you think something sounds fine, that could just mean your ears aren't trained enough.

I can definitely tell that most classical recordings were recorded from at least 30 feet away. Even the bass instruments really don't produce that strong of fundamentals below 100hz as recorded – the overtones will fill you in on what note they're playing, but you don't get that sine sub-bass frequency you'd expect from a hip hop track. Of course, you can turn down a pop recording. You cannot turn down a piano – you must play softly and exercise more forethought slowly depressing the keys. Perhaps this makes rapid flurries more eventful. Perhaps this allows the player to prioritize wispy sounds.

Maybe overcomplicating the process of playing anything like Spiral by Vangelis prevents hearing loss and carpal tunnel syndrome. Maybe playing loud, fast, repetitive music should be treated as akin to nail-biting or perhaps driving under the influence.

Would you say that playing acoustic instruments is better since the lack of a volume control, compressor, or distortion-type FX means you need to be really mindful of your projection? Perhaps this makes you more empathetic – trying to imagine what your audience hears instead of fixing it in post or outsourcing it to the live soundman is effectively practicing social empathy. (I'm actually autistic and have been told I have a hard time controlling the volume of my voice for different situations.)

In any case, it seems like situational awareness is very important in classical music. You're listening for specific objects in the room, not for digitally generated signals in a stereo field, and listening with the idea that the recording is a literal record of an event (and furthermore, that doctoring the recording is akin to photoshopping a magazine cover). 1000 hz is considered extremely high, not a midrange frequency. I also noticed that a lot of the music was made to convey specific emotions (happiness, sorrow, anger, etc.) rather than general expressions (sounding cool, etc.). Would you say that this paradigm encourages a stronger sense of community?

As the child of a cellist, I always felt like I was unsuccessfully raised in a cult.

I'm a huge fan of Rimsky-Korsakov and Scheherazade in particular. I've loved it for some 50+ years now ever since my college girlfriend introduced me to a recording Eugene Ormandy conducting. Can anyone make a recommendations for a recording of this piece that just blew you away? Thanks.

I wanted to buy tickets to the Rite of Spring but I accidentally got Petrushka instead... Is it still worth to go to the concert ?

I'm thinking of such examples as Scherschen's preposterous cuts in this recording of the Mahler 5 Scherzo and finale or Toscanini's clumsy cut in the finale of the Manfred Symphony. There also are some hefty cuts in Stokowski's recording of Glière 3. Mind you, I'm talking about cuts within a movement, not the omission of entire movements (as is occasionally the case in ballets).

I will soon listen to Sibelius violinconcerto. What is your favoritpart. What would you pay extra attention at.

So, at school we have classical music instead of school bells. Each year, there's a theme. Like last year, it was all Gershwin pieces. This year, the theme is probably Beethoven, as one of the rings is sonata Pathetique, another is the opening of the 5th symphony. I cannot identify the last one, and it's a very short excerpt. It's probably a cadence like iv, iv, v, i The rythm goes like duum da duum duuum. (I don't know English terms for rythm, sorryyy) I think the top melody is do, do re mi. It's an orchrestal piece (could be a concerto but there's no solo). Fully orchestrated, string, horns, everything. Tempo is andante probably. It's soft, so I guess it could be from a second or third movement.

Thanks if you try help me figure it out

Hello, good people of Reddit. I saw Herbert Blomstedt conduct the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra last week (I will post a report if there is interest; the punchline is I said to my wife, that's the last time I'll see him performing, and she replied, well, you said that before the pandemic when he was in his nineties already). Every now and then, the drummer would tap the drumhead gently, or scratch it. We were seated in the side terrace, looking right at him. Then he'd put his head down with his ear to the skin to listen very intently. This happened a half dozen times. It made me curious.

What was he doing exactly and why so often? Was something wrong?