Hello there

[Madiel]

Gosh, how original, right?

I stumbled across this forum while doing what I so often do: trying to read about classical music at the same time as I'm listening to it!

Tonight it was Vagn Holmboe, and you don't necessarily get all that many places where you can find people talking about Vagn Holmboe. So it was inevitable that when I found a 5-page thread on him I had a read.

And then I thought, well, I do like talking about classical music a lot. And here's a place where I can talk about classical music... here I am!

Let's see. Australian. In my 30s. I have marked completist tendencies so I buy a lot of box sets. I listen to both popular and classical music, the proportion tends to swing between the two.  On the classical side I seem to have a major fondness for, among others, Haydn, Faure and Holmboe.  At least, those are some of the ones I particularly notice because I go through sudden bouts of obsession.

In fact, if you want to know about my listening diet it's pretty easy to find out about, because I keep track of what I listen to and then once a month I put it all down in a blog at http://orfeomusicaldiary.blogspot.com.au/ .  But a blog isn't really a conversation. This forum is, hopefully, a chance for a conversation.

[TheGSMoeller]

Greetings, and welcome! 

[sheffmark]

Hi and welcome from me too!

[TheGSMoeller]

Nice blog. Tori Amos fan I see.

And some Tears for Fears, can't go wrong there. 

[Karl Henning]

Welcome! Have you been listening to the Holmboe string quartets?

[madaboutmahler]

Welcome! I hope you enjoy the forum! Interesting favourite composers, I do hope you like Mahler too!

Daniel

[Madiel]

Welcome! Have you been listening to the Holmboe string quartets?

I only own the symphonies so far.  The quartets are at the top of the shopping list, though. I'm very keen to get them. I've been sampling them through iTunes, so I can say I've been listening to the quartets up to 90 seconds at a time...

[Madiel]

Welcome! I hope you enjoy the forum! Interesting favourite composers, I do hope you like Mahler too!

Daniel

I do! Although not in the totally fanatical way of a true Mahlerian.

Also... Symphony No. 8 really doesn't do much for me yet and seems overblown and empty.  I was quite pleased when I found out from Wikipedia that some Mahler admirers don't like that one either, but I fear the true believers might despise me.

[Madiel]

Nice blog. Tori Amos fan I see.

And some Tears for Fears, can't go wrong there. 

Can we talk pop music here? Shhh...

Yes, I am an enormous Tori Amos fan. Enormous.  And she even managed to do classical crossover in an interesting way.  Thank goodness, there was a risk I'd have to disown her.  But I sadly missed her tour last year with a string quartet, because it didn't come to Australia and I couldn't travel to Europe or America at the time.  Fans were saying it was the best thing she'd done in a decade.

And Tears for Fears were probably the first band that ever made me sit up and take notice, as a child, at their compositional skills.

[classicalgeek]

A warm welcome to you, Orfeo!  As a fellow forum newbie, I can honestly say I think you'll like it here.

I stumbled across this forum while doing what I so often do: trying to read about classical music at the same time as I'm listening to it!

Tonight it was Vagn Holmboe, and you don't necessarily get all that many places where you can find people talking about Vagn Holmboe. So it was inevitable that when I found a 5-page thread on him I had a read.

Excellent choice - I really enjoy Holmboe's Symphonies and Chamber Concertos!

I have marked completist tendencies so I buy a lot of box sets.

You're in good company here!  I'm mostly a downloader, out of necessity more than choice, but I too have completist tendencies.  Fifty-nine Beethoven symphony cycles, and it's nowhere near enough

In fact, if you want to know about my listening diet it's pretty easy to find out about, because I keep track of what I listen to and then once a month I put it all down in a blog at http://orfeomusicaldiary.blogspot.com.au/ .  But a blog isn't really a conversation. This forum is, hopefully, a chance for a conversation.

Very interesting!  I find it fascinating looking over other people's listening lists.  The 'What are you listening to' thread here is great!

Again, welcome - looking forward to hearing more from you!

-James

[Madiel]

You're in good company here!  I'm mostly a downloader, out of necessity more than choice, but I too have completist tendencies.  Fifty-nine Beethoven symphony cycles, and it's nowhere near enough

That thud was the sound of me fainting. Fifty-nine?!

I'm not a completist in THAT sense! It's enough work getting one copy of all the interesting music, I don't generally tend to aim to have more than one, I just try to make it a good one.  I do have multiple copies of some pieces though.

The attraction of box sets is that I then have all the pieces, both popular and hidden treasures, in one hit.  Chopin is a good example. I've got Ashkenazy's box set of all the solo piano works, and so for me that meant I didn't have to go around buying Chopin CDs, hunting down the rarer pieces while inadvertently collecting 35 copies of the 'raindrop' prelude.

[Hollywood]

G'day orfeo. Greetings from Haydn's Vienna. Welcome to the forum. 

[Papy Oli]

hello and welcome ! 

[mc ukrneal]

The attraction of box sets is that I then have all the pieces, both popular and hidden treasures, in one hit.  Chopin is a good example. I've got Ashkenazy's box set of all the solo piano works, and so for me that meant I didn't have to go around buying Chopin CDs, hunting down the rarer pieces while inadvertently collecting 35 copies of the 'raindrop' prelude.

Welcome and enjoy! People here tend to refer to completist when they need every interpretation. What you refer to is what I usually practice myself. Why buy two of something, when there is so much wonderful muisc out there that I've never heard? That said, as my collection fills out, I find I am more flexible on this point.

[Madiel]

Welcome and enjoy! People here tend to refer to completist when they need every interpretation. What you refer to is what I usually practice myself. Why buy two of something, when there is so much wonderful muisc out there that I've never heard? That said, as my collection fills out, I find I am more flexible on this point.

Thanks. And noted! My first lesson in forum terminology.  So I'm not a completist. 

[Lisztianwagner]

Welcome on the forum, I hope you will enjoy it

Ilaria

[david johnson]

hi! 

[North Star]

Welcome, orfeo!

[Opus106]

The attraction of box sets is that I then have all the pieces, both popular and hidden treasures, in one hit.  Chopin is a good example. I've got Ashkenazy's box set of all the solo piano works, and so for me that meant I didn't have to go around buying Chopin CDs, hunting down the rarer pieces while inadvertently collecting 35 copies of the 'raindrop' prelude.

We are a rare breed. Welcome aboard.

[Ataraxia]