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Classical fans, I need advice

I need a bit of advice. I've been listening to sample classical recordings (from tower records and amazon) for over 3 months trying to find a place to start. My interest began when I first became entranced by Alison Krauss + Union Station and Nickel Creek. I've gained a new appreciation for classical styles and the violin (fiddle?) in particular.

I listened to: Hilary Hahn - Bach: Violin Concertos on Deutsche Grammophon and enjoyed it. It wasn't too pretty, nor too symphonic. It's intimate and large at the same time. Maybe not quite as romantic as I might prefer but I honestly cannot say without hearing more. Keep in mind I'm not describing the performance here just the music. I'm thinking I will take the plunge with this Hybrid SACD.

Based on this can I be "profiled" and perhaps pointed in a direction? I know these works come from the Baroque period. I also read this in an amazon review "Shortly after Bach's time, the structure of a concerto changed from an ensemble piece for chamber musicians to a piece for soloist and full orchestra. Hence many recordings of these pieces are done by 'name' soloists and 'name' orchestras and lose their intimacy in the process. This recording does not; kudos to DG and Hahn for the choice of the thoroughly musical and consummately professional Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for this disc." I really don't know if this is significant to my enjoyment of what i've heard but I thought I should mention it.

A few other notes about myself. Sound quality is of extreme importance to me. I simply cannot enjoy music on poor recordings. Something else, I really like the song from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack titled "Concerning Hobbits" composed by Howard Shore and performed by the New Zealand S.O. Again I'm not sure if this points me to a specific classical style or period but I figured I would mention it.

Any comments are appreciated
Vedric
vedric
bomarc
501 posts
 
I haven't heard Hilary Hahn's new Bach disk yet, but you should also check out her very first recording, of Bach solo works. Another thing I'd look for is Vivaldi's Op. 3, L'estro armonico, a set of 12 concerti for one, two, or four violins. It was a favorite of Bach's.

I agree with the general suggestion to find ways to listen broadly. I tend to prefer the simple clean sound of a Hilary Hahn to the ornate emotiveness of a Joshua Bell. More generally, I'll take Baroque over 19th century Romantic any day. And like Jim, I spend a lot more time listening to chamber than orchestral. But that's just me, and everyone else's recommendations will be just them. Be venturesome, and you'll find lots of things to like.
elinor's avatar
elinor
271 posts
 
I suggest that if you live in or near a city with a good orchestra, buy a season subscription and go listen to live music. There are too many audiophiles out there who don't have a clue as to what live accoustic music sounds like. How they go about building a satisfying audio system is beyond me. Guess that's why we have Audiogon. By the way, you might find out what kind of music appeals to you as well.

Regards,
Habitual Carnegie Hall & Met Opera Attendee.
newbee
4,093 posts
 
One of the finest small chamber groups on CD's is The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. They are leaderless but you would never know it! They record for DG. Since you seem to like simple, clean line, americana style music, I would suggest theat you listen to their recording of Copland's Applachian Spring (performed in its original version for 13 instruments). Another excellent disc by them is a recording featuring Wagner's Siegfried-Idyll and Sibelius' Valse Triste as well as some other small pieces which they have orchestrated down to chamber level. For somethiung a bit more modern, but along the same line is their recording of music by Kodaly and Suk titled Summer Evening. This is all very assessible music yet never boring. Highly recommended.
cpdunn99's avatar
cpdunn99
639 posts
 
Vedric,

You are getting lots of good advice here! In your original post, you refer to works for soloist and full orchestra and repeat what you read on Amazon; namely, that many recordings of these pieces are done by 'name' soloists and 'name' orchestras and lose their intimacy in the process."

I agree with this, which is one reason that as I've upgraded my system, I find I'm listening to a LOT more jazz and chamber music. A friend of mine, when I mentioned this same phenomenon, said that recorded full orchestral music is much like a photograph of all the kids at school. "I think that must be Billy.... Isn't than Sally?" It's hard to hear the "pieces."

Give some Mozart quartets (esp. the Op. 76 ones) a listen as well as some Beethoven sonatas for piano and cello.

Happy listening.
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
There are some good suggestions in the previous posts, but as noted, classical music is very diverse. I've been listening to classical music for more than 40 years, and I'm still finding new "treasures".

Rather than add my own specific suggestions about "where to start", I'd prefer instead to give you some reading suggestions that I think will add greatly to your enjoyment of classical music. The list of three books I am about to recommend ranges from basic to more comprehensive treatments of classical music, but all are accessible to classical music "newbies". The following books are available from Amazon.com, and the prices I list are taken from Amazon's web site:

1. "The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music", by Tim Smith. Published in August, 2002. Price: $11.16.

2. "The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection: The 350 Essential Works", by Theodore Libbey. Published in Sept, 1999. Price: $11.17.

3. "The Essential Canon of Classical Music", by David Dubal. Published by North Point Press. Price: $14.00.

Classical music is an art form that becomes more enjoyable and meaningful as you learn about the composers, the types of classical compositions, the major styles, etc., so I encourage you to do some reading. If you decide to buy only one of these books, I suggest #2, "The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection". However, if you want to really "plunge in", then choose book #3.

The other suggestion I'll offer is to take advantage of the wonderful catalog of classical releases on the Naxos label. The list price for their CD's is $7.99 (and often on sale for $6.99), and their label offers a great way to listen to unfamiliar classical music while building a good CD library.
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