Cheers!

[North Star]

Hello to everybody from the frozen Finland (not so much atm, though, with 80 °F, or 26 °C as we normal people measure temperature. 

I guess I should introduce myself to everyone. Well, here goes -- I don't like too much classical music, mostly it's pieces like A Night at the Bald Mountain, Carmina Burana, some Bruckner, etc. , that is, Power Orchestra Classical









And I've looked at some of the threads already 

Seriously, though. I've been listening to classical music actively for about two years, and was exposed to it before that, since my parents mostly listen to classical music. Although they're not connoisseurs, they do know a lot , especially about classical singers. Despite this, I haven't explored choral or vocal music too much.
Anyway, I guess I should list some of the classical music I like.



Rameu: pieces for harpsichord (I prefer a piano here, and only have Tharaud's piano recording, although Sokolov's performances are sweet)
Couperin: pieces for harpsichord (ditto)
Corelli: sonatas for violin & harpsichord
Vivaldi: concertos, operas and religious vocal music
J.S. Bach: concertos, keyboard works, sonatas & partitas for solo violin, cello suites, WTC, AotF
Handel: concerti grossi, organ concertos, trio sonatas, solo sonatas, harpsichord suites
F.J. Haydn: string quartets (I should expand my nollij )
Mozart (late stuff, or the last pieces in the category): piano sonatas, some string quartets, piano concertos, symphonies
Beethoven: piano sonatas, violin sonatas, piano trios, string quartets, symphonies, overtures, concertos (I really should get that Missa Solemnis)
Schubert: late string quartets, string quintet, piano sonatas (14, 16, 19-21), piano pieces, Die Schöne Müllerin, Winterreise
Mendelssohn: 3rd & 4th symphonies, Hebrides overture, violin concerto, 2nd & 6th string quartets, piano trios
Schumann: piano concerto, solo piano music, piano quintet (no rec)
Chopin: solo piano music
Alkan: Études, op.39, Grande sonate 'Les quatre âges', sonatine op.61
Liszt: Années de pélerinage, Harmonies poetiques, sonata in B minor (I have the Bolet box, although not the 8th CD, and I noticed it too late  )
Brahms: chamber music (got all of it, a magnificient box, that Hyperion one), concertos, symphonies, piano music
Dvorak: cello concerto, symphonies (7 & 9)
Saint-Saens: violin concerto no.3, pieces for violin & orchestra
Fauré: violin sonatas
Rachmaninoff: preludes
Elgar cello concerto
Ysaÿe: solo violin sonatas
Mahler: 5th symphony
Sibelius: violin concerto, symphonies, symphonic poems, songs for male chorus
Janacek: violin sonata, string quartets (no rec)
Debussy: piano music, string quartet
Ravel: piano music (no recs), string quartet, violin sonatas
Prokofiev: violin sonata in f minor (no rec), Romeo & Juliet (no recs), piano music (no rec, will get the Raekallio set)
Shostakovitch: 8th string quartet (no rec, will get either the DG box or Jerusalem Quartet on HM)



Feel free to recommend other pieces, or recordings of those that I've marked (no rec)

And I'd also like to point out that registering here was more trouble than using an Internet bank account - and there's a verification code and questions before posting, too - sheesh! Thank god the last question isn't 'Who wrote Albinoni's Adagio', anyway!

[Gurn Blanston]

Welcome to you, from the not so frozen state of Texas. It was 38° (99F) at my house today, so I know about the extremes too!

Who did write Albinoni's Adagio anyway?



----------------
Now playing:
Salzburger Hofmusik - K 365 Concerto in Eb for 2 Pianos 1st mvmt - Allegro

[Mn Dave]

It hit 100 here, Gurn. Take that!

And welcome to Mr. Star.

[North Star]

Thanks for the welcomes, guys.
I didn't intend this thread to have full-on weather discussion, though...

[mc ukrneal]

Welcome! It looks like you have a nice little collection already.

Romeo and Juliet - there are a wealth of great complete recordings of this ballet (I think it is one of the best recorded pieces in the catalog in terms of quality). Previn, Ashkenazy, Maazel, Ozawa, and Gergiev are all quite good. Previn and Maazel can be had quite cheaply (and I'd probably go for one of these for that reason). All are in excellent sound.

[Hollywood]

Hi there North Star! Welcome to the forum and greetings from hot and humid Vienna, Austria (my outside thermometer says it's 33°C, 91.4°F, and it's only 09:00). 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Welcome from Delft, the Netherlands, North Star!

[karlhenning]

Welcome! Recs a-coming ...

[karlhenning]

For the Shostakovich string quartets, I should recommend the Emerson String Quartet. (There are other good sets, to be sure, but I know the Emerson set well, and it is excellent.)

For the Prokofiev violin sonatas, Gidon Kremer & Martha Argerich (run, do not walk . . . .)

The Emerson String Quartet also have an exemplary recording of the Debussy & Ravel quartets.

For the Janáček quartets, the Škampa quartet on Supraphon (a recommendation for which I have GMGers to thank!)

Quite a few good sets of the Ravel piano music . . . I have a classic VoxBox set with Abbey Simon. I should think you could not go wrong with Jean-Philippe Collard, too. (I have Collard & Béroff in the Ravel & Debussy four-hands piano music, and it is excellent . . . another recommendation for which I have GMGers to thank)

For the Debussy piano music, I have a Michel Béroff set which I like a great deal.

[North Star]

Wow, thanks for the welcome and the recommendations, Karl!
That Kremer/Argerich seems to be great (listening to it from Spotify), now if I only had money to spend...

[Mirror Image]

Welcome aboard, North Star! I'm a fan of your country and its music. Some of my favorite Finnish composers: Sibelius, Lindberg, Salonen, Rautavaara, and Saariaho.

I would like to see you get beyond this thread and start conversing with us on the other sections of the forum. Perhaps for starters, you can go to the "What are you listening to now?" thread and post what you have been listening to. We all would like to see you active and don't be shy about sharing your opinions either. We're all adults here, for the most part (), so we all welcome new opinions.

[bhodges]

And I'd also like to point out that registering here was more trouble than using an Internet bank account - and there's a verification code and questions before posting, too - sheesh! Thank god the last question isn't 'Who wrote Albinoni's Adagio', anyway!

Hi North Star, and welcome. The registration process is a little complicated, only to try to prevent automated spammers from cluttering up the board. Now that you've registered you shouldn't have any further problems.

Hope you enjoy yourself here - many interesting people on this board, listening to all kinds of things.

--Bruce

[North Star]

Thanks for the welcome, guys. I shall do as I'm told, Mirror Image 

[Lethevich]

Welcome! I hope that you find the forum an enjoyable and useful place. That was an impressive list of recent plays that you posted in the listening thread, good choices, all.

[North Star]

Thanks, Dmitri!

[Radioman]

Greetings from London Ontario Canada.  In a most profound example of serendipity I have discovered this site and am deeply impressed.  My tastes in music are eclectic but generally focus on the classics.  As a hobby I host a classical music radio programme every Sunday for three hours which can be heard online.
I can post my playlist, if permitted, to the appropriate forum, usually on Fridays by which time I have finished my show prep.

I look forward to happy and fruitful discussions as I find my way around.

[bhodges]

Hello, Radioman, and welcome. Feel free to just jump right in on some of the threads here!

You're more than welcome to post your playlists, but more important, we hope you'll join in some of the conversations.

Enjoy yourself.

--Bruce

[North Star]

Welcome, Radioman!

[Mirror Image]

Welcome aboard, Radioman! I think Canada is a beautiful country and I also think that there are still so many composers in your neck of the woods that have yet to be discovered. More Canadian classical music needs to be recorded!

[Brahmsian]

Welcome aboard Radioman, from another fellow Canadian from Winnipeg.

I agree with Mirror Image.  More Canadian classical music needs to be recorded, and a perfect example is the music of Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt Gramatte.  Yes, I know she wasn't born in Canada, but lived half of her life in Winnipeg, and I still consider her one of ours.  Kind of like England with Handel.