Life Changed!

[devoncop]

Hi All.

First day on forum.
Total Novice and have in the last 2 weeks taken the plunge.............Oh wow have I been missing something.........
I am a 47 year old police officer in Cornwall UK..............always intimidated by Classical Music................then I decided to read Gouldings book on Kindle..............and the last two weeks have been a blur........
I have (thanks amazon!)......introduced myself to:
1)......Janacek.............Symfonietta/Lachian Dances/Taras Bulba.............all except Taras Bulba hugely enjoyable and distinctively slavic
2) Haydn and Hummel Trumpet Concertos..........amazing uplifting stuff
Beethoven 5th,6th and 9th.....Berlin Phil with Karajan............mindblowingly dramatic
3) ...Mozart Symphonies 25,28 and 29 Charles Mackerras......Prague Chamber orchestra.....  Now realise why he was considered a genius
4)........Chopin Nocturnes and Piano Sonatas 2 and 3 ...............sublime.
5)... Most of all............this afternoon I spent an afternoon with a lovely bottle of red...........candles and Mahlers 9th......Bernstein.........Berlin Phil................Mahler speaks to me from over a century ago..........

Anyone had similar "Road to Damascus" type conversions?
All of Mahlers Symphonies now on order.............phenomenal

[bhodges]

Hi devoncop, and welcome to GMG! (I took the liberty of moving your post - which was just fine - into the "Introductions" section.)

Glad you have discovered classical music, and hope it intimidates you no longer. There is too much great stuff to enjoy - as you have apparently already found out. Have a good time here; you'll find many people who like the composers you've discovered.

--Bruce

[North Star]

Welcome to the forum, devoncop!
It's a good thing you like Mahler, Daniel is that much less likely spending time in jail.
Janacek, Mahler, Hummel, and Haydn - impressive fortnight indeed.

[madaboutmahler]

5)... Most of all............this afternoon I spent an afternoon with a lovely bottle of red...........candles and Mahlers 9th......Bernstein.........Berlin Phil................Mahler speaks to me from over a century ago..........

Yes... that's Mahler for you! I think we should get on well, as you can see, Mahler is my absolute favourite. 

Welcome, great that you have found classical music! I am sure you will enjoy it here.

Daniel

[Ataraxia]

Welcome, sir. 

[Karl Henning]

Welcome! And what's all this, then? . . .

[Lisztianwagner]

Welcome on the forum, I hope you will enjoy it!
So glad you listened to some of Mahler's and Beethoven's symphonies, those are absolutely masterpieces!

Ilaria

[mc ukrneal]

Welcome! You have some wonderful music ahead of you. I hope you enjoy it. Out of curiosity, which Mahler cycle did you choose?

[Papy Oli]

Welcome ! 

[sheffmark]

I'm also new here too.
Welcome from me too!

[kishnevi]

Hello as well, and to Sheffmark as well.

You will find that some of us here are very serious about music.  Speaking as one of the many Mahlerians here (and also one of the many Bachians, Beethovenians,  Haydnistos, Brianites, etc. etc.) I must warn you that while you will find much to like here, GMG can end up playing havoc with your budget.  But ask away when you have a question.  There was a time for each of us when we all had only one or two classical recordings and no real knowledge of what we were hearing.

[springrite]

5)... Most of all............this afternoon I spent an afternoon with a lovely bottle of red...........candles and Mahlers 9th......Bernstein.........Berlin Phil................Mahler speaks to me from over a century ago..........

Anyone had similar "Road to Damascus" type conversions?
All of Mahlers Symphonies now on order.............phenomenal

My wife was introduced to classical music when we were dating, and the first piece I gave her was Mahler 1, followed by Mahler 9. She was blown away and has been a classical music fanatic ever since. Mahler remained her absolute favorite composer!

Welcome!

[mahler10th]

Anyone had similar "Road to Damascus" type conversions?

Hello, Hello, Hello Officer.
At last we have someone to collar in the most arresting way anyone who does not like Mahler.  I hope you enjoy the beat, and lay down the law when suspects are behaving suspiciously on GMG.
Yes, you will find in GMG a great deal of unusual activity, much of it worth investigating.  "Road to Damascus" type conversions happen all the time, although with the current goings on in Damascus, perhaps we should rename the experience "The Road to Tintagel Castle".  On the road to Tintagel, I have had many conversion moments.  Some of the composers to whom I have miraculously converted to are:

Hans Rott
William Alwyn
Kurt Atterberg
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Ture Rangstrom
Henk Badings
Havergal Brian

and a few more.  All of these composers I had never heard before joining GMG, but like you with the Mahler, I was STRUCK AT ONCE by what I was hearing, and adopted them in my 'favourite composers' repertoire.  No doubt you have many Road to Tintagel moments to come in GMG, they happen all the time.

So welcome Officer, patrol at Leisure, and book the composers you get interested in for future interrogation.   

[Karl Henning]

Johnnie, that av is so you! : )

[Hollywood]

Howdy there devoncop. Greetings from a Yankee living in Beethoven's Vienna. Welcome to the forum.

[Wanderer]

Welcome! 

[coffee]

Welcome!

[classicalgeek]

Welcome from a fellow newbie (to the forum, that is)!   You're off to a great start - and many more amazing experiences await!

[ibanezmonster]

Welcome!


and...

5)... Most of all............this afternoon I spent an afternoon with a lovely bottle of red...........candles and Mahlers 9th......Bernstein.........Berlin Phil................Mahler speaks to me from over a century ago..........

Anyone had similar "Road to Damascus" type conversions?
All of Mahlers Symphonies now on order.............phenomenal

Yes! 

[The new erato]

All of Mahlers Symphonies now on order.............phenomenal

Move on, nothing to see here.

Soon you will be deluged in Mahler (and Mahlerites).