Composers you don't get

[Papy Oli]

I've always struggled a bit with Villa Lobos - but am enjoying his Symphony No 4.

To continue on the Choros highlighted by Karlo, you could also try the solo guitar with Norbert Kraft (Choros No.1 in this case) - this is stunning :

[asin]B00004YYRQ[/asin]

I do struggle with the Bachianas Brasilieras myself (i own the Batiz but not enjoying it - considering the Schermerhorn as an alternative to give it an other go).

[North Star]

To continue on the Choros highlighted by Karlo, you could also try the solo guitar with Norbert Kraft (Choros No.1 in this case) - this is stunning :

[asin]B00004YYRQ[/asin]

I do struggle with the Bachianas Brasilieras myself (i own the Batiz but not enjoying it - considering the Schermerhorn as an alternative to give it an other go).

+1 to the solo guitar music too, and the Andreas Molin recording in the BIS box is a great recording, Kraft must be good too, I have some of his recordings on a compilation disc.

[Mirror Image]

I've always struggled a bit with Villa Lobos - but am enjoying his Symphony No 4.

For me, it was almost love on first listen. I heard Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7 and it was all over. Really do enjoy his symphonies, all of the Choros, all of the symphonic poems, The Discovery of Brazil Suites 1-4, Forest of the Amazon, the SQs, all of the concerti I've heard, the ballets, the Bachianas Brasileiras, a lot of the solo piano music, chamber music, etc. He really was such a master, but my love for his music shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone here as my love for Latin American classical music is well documented on GMG.

[Karl Henning]

Do! They are wonderful music, all of them. The Introduction to the Choros, for guitar and orchestra, would probably work well as an introduction (what a surprise!). They are quite different from the Bachianas brasileiras.

Well, and that BIS set is now ca. $10 for the download version? Sacrée vache!  No reason not to . . . .

[North Star]

Well, and that BIS set is now ca. $10 for the download version? Sacrée vache!  No reason not to . . . .

That's quite a bargain!

[milk]

For me, it was almost love on first listen. I heard Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7 and it was all over. Really do enjoy his symphonies, all of the Choros, all of the symphonic poems, The Discovery of Brazil Suites 1-4, Forest of the Amazon, the SQs, all of the concerti I've heard, the ballets, the Bachianas Brasileiras, a lot of the solo piano music, chamber music, etc. He really was such a master, but my love for his music shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone here as my love for Latin American classical music is well documented on GMG.

This thread led me to take a look at Villa-Lobos, a composer of which I hadn't heard. I've ended up purchasing five recordings over the last few days. This music is quite wonderful. Thanks folks. I'm glad I keep up with GMG!

[Mirror Image]

This thread led me to take a look at Villa-Lobos, a composer of which I hadn't heard. I've ended up purchasing five recordings over the last few days. This music is quite wonderful. Thanks folks. I'm glad I keep up with GMG!

Excellent! Do let us know your impressions of the music once you've had sufficient amount of time to absorb it.

[vandermolen]

Thanks for Villa Lobos advice, which I will act on. I like Chorus No 10 very much but have invariably struggled with the symphonies. I've just ordered a Naxos CD with symphs 3 and 4 on.
Thanks again.

[Jay F]

I'm planning on a marathon listening of Mozart's Symphonies soonish, maybe even this weekend. So please send in your recommendations, if you would.

Of the ones I've kept over the years (Bernstein DG, Bohm, Marriner/ASMF on Philips, and Hogwood), I listen most frequently to Hogwood. There's also a good 40 & 41 by Klemperer, a 35 by Harnoncourt, and the Prague by Mackerras on Telarc.

Mackerras also has a new series on Linn Records. SACD. I have it but I haven't listened to it much.

[North Star]

I'm planning on a marathon listening of Mozart's Symphonies soonish, maybe even this weekend. So please send in your recommendations, if you would.

René Jacobs & Freiburger Barockorchester, and Mackerras & Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Linn). In fact, I just listened to Jacobs' recording of 'Jupiter', great, great recording. I'm sure Klemperer's is different from it, though. 

[Ken B]

I'm planning on a marathon listening of Mozart's Symphonies soonish, maybe even this weekend. So please send in your recommendations, if you would.

Traditionally admired modern instrument recordings include Bohm, Walter, Szell. I would look to those first if you're looking for modern instrument big-band. I have always liked Bohm. However I would recommend H I P in general. Hogwood is usually my first choice, but Jacobs, and Pinnock are very good. Not all modern instrument recordings are big-band. You can pick up cheaply the vox set with Guenter Kehr. It is nicely done, sprightly tempos in general, avoiding some of the excesses of big band. A better set than many of the more famous versions from the 50s 60s 70s.

[Pat B]

In fact, I just listened to Jacobs' recording of 'Jupiter', great, great recording.

+1 (I have it in the Lumières box)

[North Star]

+1 (I have it in the Lumières box)

+1 
(I've heard the others on YouTube)

[Mandryka]

I'm planning on a marathon listening of Mozart's Symphonies soonish, maybe even this weekend. So please send in your recommendations, if you would.

Harnoncourt.

[EigenUser]

I've been having trouble with Mozart my whole life. When I was four or five years old, my mom told me about how wonderful Mozart is (she was an occasional/informal classical listener) and took me to Circuit City (those were the days!) to buy a sampler CD. I recall not liking it at all, much preferring the other CD we got which had various (mostly baroque) things like Vivaldi "The Four Seasons", Bach "Brandenburg Cto. No. 3", Handel's "Water Music", etc. I loved these works. The only Mozart piece I liked back then was "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik".

I was 5 then. Now I am 23. I still don't like Mozart, except for "Symphony No. 41". I especially dislike No. 40, and I thought that No. 38 was boring (I have the score and listened to it recently). I heard a few piano concertos a few years ago (I forget which), and I felt the same way. At first, I thought "well, I guess I just don't like classical-era music." But, Haydn has become a favorite composer over the past few months, thanks to BBC's "Composer of the Week" that started me off and also to the enthusiastic Haydn fans here who have helped me along. I've read that Haydn was rather well-to-do (especially for a composer) and a very amiable person who loved his work. His music reflects this and it sounds like someone who is genuinely having a good time with music.

I really wish I liked Mozart more because there is obviously so much in his music -- otherwise, it wouldn't be so popular for so long. I also hate to come across as "that modernist who loves Bartok and Ligeti, but who hates anything earlier." It's weird. Mozart's music sounds uninspired and shallow to me, but I also feel shallow for not liking him. Maybe it just takes a certain level of maturity that I don't yet have.

I still need to hear Mozart's "Requiem", though. I suspect that I will like that because I've heard it is somewhat different from his other works.

Thoughts?

[Jo498]

I have often read comments of readers who claimed that they "only liked the Requiem". I find this puzzling (I also find the Requiem somewhat overrated  ). Of course, the Requiem has this "neo-baroque" elements, but this holds even more for the c minor Mass K 427. And a piece like Handel's "The ways of Zion do mourn", on which the great first part (Requiem aeternam dona eis) of Mozart's requiem is clearly based, is almost unknown, so I often think that people are more fascinated by the history/mystery of the Requiem's composition than judging the piece on aesthetic grounds.

I find a lot of the supposedly happy major key music of Mozart quite dramatic (e.g. Symphony #38) and you dislike #40 which is one of obviously dramatic minor key pieces, but if you have not heard them you might want to try some more candidates. Like the minor key piano concerti 20 K 466 and 24 K 491, the piano quartet and string quartet in g minor, the a minor piano sonata and the quartet in d minor K 421. Another "neo-baroque" piece is the adagio & fuge in c minor for strings.

The pieces closest to Haydn I can think of are the last two string quintets K 593 and 614, both also extraordinary pieces, especially the first one. K 593 seems to give a nod to Haydn's lark quartet in the first movement, 614 has a rather Haydnesque andante movement and the outer movements seem to refer to the first movement of the E flat major quartet from op.50 (#3 I think) and the finale of op.64/6.

[71 dB]

I've been having trouble with Mozart my whole life.

I was 5 then. Now I am 23. I still don't like Mozart, except for "Symphony No. 41". I especially dislike No. 40, and I thought that No. 38 was boring (I have the score and listened to it recently). I heard a few piano concertos a few years ago (I forget which), and I felt the same way.

I really wish I liked Mozart more because there is obviously so much in his music -- otherwise, it wouldn't be so popular for so long. I also hate to come across as "that modernist who loves Bartok and Ligeti, but who hates anything earlier." It's weird. Mozart's music sounds uninspired and shallow to me, but I also feel shallow for not liking him. Maybe it just takes a certain level of maturity that I don't yet have.

I still need to hear Mozart's "Requiem", though. I suspect that I will like that because I've heard it is somewhat different from his other works.

Thoughts?

I also struggled with Mozart for a while when I discovered classical music. I found Mozart's music sissy. I think you feel similar way, don't you? After a few years I understood it's not the music, it's me. What if I listen to it as sissy music and accept it as it is? Change my expectations and perspective. Guess what? Mozart started to work for me! It's kind of the best sissy music ever. His piano concertos where the first to really impress me. The music is like wondering around in a flower shop. You just have to admit flowers are beautiful, not sissy. This might be easier when you are older (I was about 40 when Mozart clicked - when I was 23 as you are now I thought ALL classical music is sissy!  ).

My favorite Mozart symphony is no. 39, strangely overlooked compared to 40 and 41.

The thing with Mozart is he makes difficult things sound easy, so you kind of need to listen to it "closely" and carefully, no matter how easy it seems.

I have often read comments of readers who claimed that they "only liked the Requiem". I find this puzzling (I also find the Requiem somewhat overrated  ). Of course, the Requiem has this "neo-baroque" elements, but this holds even more for the c minor Mass K 427. I often think that people are more fascinated by the history/mystery of the Requiem's composition than judging the piece on aesthetic grounds.

I agree. K 626 is a bit overrated and K 427 is underrated, almost neglected.

[EigenUser]

I have often read comments of readers who claimed that they "only liked the Requiem". I find this puzzling (I also find the Requiem somewhat overrated  ). Of course, the Requiem has this "neo-baroque" elements, but this holds even more for the c minor Mass K 427. And a piece like Handel's "The ways of Zion do mourn", on which the great first part (Requiem aeternam dona eis) of Mozart's requiem is clearly based, is almost unknown, so I often think that people are more fascinated by the history/mystery of the Requiem's composition than judging the piece on aesthetic grounds.

I find a lot of the supposedly happy major key music of Mozart quite dramatic (e.g. Symphony #38) and you dislike #40 which is one of obviously dramatic minor key pieces, but if you have not heard them you might want to try some more candidates. Like the minor key piano concerti 20 K 466 and 24 K 491, the piano quartet and string quartet in g minor, the a minor piano sonata and the quartet in d minor K 421. Another "neo-baroque" piece is the adagio & fuge in c minor for strings.

The pieces closest to Haydn I can think of are the last two string quintets K 593 and 614, both also extraordinary pieces, especially the first one. K 593 seems to give a nod to Haydn's lark quartet in the first movement, 614 has a rather Haydnesque andante movement and the outer movements seem to refer to the first movement of the E flat major quartet from op.50 (#3 I think) and the finale of op.64/6.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll listen to these next time I want to give him another chance.

I also struggled with Mozart for a while when I discovered classical music. I found Mozart's music sissy. I think you feel similar way, don't you? After a few years I understood it's not the music, it's me. What if I listen to it as sissy music and accept it as it is? Change my expectations and perspective. Guess what? Mozart started to work for me! It's kind of the best sissy music ever. His piano concertos where the first to really impress me. The music is like wondering around in a flower shop. You just have to admit flowers are beautiful, not sissy. This might be easier when you are older (I was about 40 when Mozart clicked - when I was 23 as you are now I thought ALL classical music is sissy!  ).

My favorite Mozart symphony is no. 39, strangely overlooked compared to 40 and 41.

The thing with Mozart is he makes difficult things sound easy, so you kind of need to listen to it "closely" and carefully, no matter how easy it seems.

I agree. K 626 is a bit overrated and K 427 is underrated, almost neglected.

Haha, that's a good way to put it, actually. I've done that with other music and it seems to work. For instance, I actually like some Boulez now because I just accept that it is "intellectual" (before that I was put off that it was coming from his mind, not heart). I used to dislike the third movement of the Ligeti Requiem, but I accept it as "terrifying" and it seems to work (still not my favorite Dies Irae, but I like it now). Even with Haydn, a year ago I would have said it was too proper. Sure it is proper, but it is damn good proper music.

[Rinaldo]

Mozart's music sounds uninspired and shallow to me, but I also feel shallow for not liking him.

Don't. Hating Mozart without giving him a try, because he's that guy everyone loves.. THAT would be shallow. Give Requiem a listen, it is a valid part of the classical canon after all - but don't feel like you're obliged to hear what others are hearing in Mozart's music.

The music is like wondering around in a flower shop. You just have to admit flowers are beautiful, not sissy.

Hah, that's pretty much spot on. And it also makes the destruction of the flower shop (i.e. Requiem) that much more powerful.

I'm planning on a marathon listening of Mozart's Symphonies soonish, maybe even this weekend. So please send in your recommendations, if you would.

Nobody said Krips, so I'm fixing that.

[TheGSMoeller]

Harnoncourt.

I highly endorse this.

I still need to hear Mozart's "Requiem", though. I suspect that I will like that because I've heard it is somewhat different from his other works.

Thoughts?

Probably because he didn't write it.