Greetings from Wales

[Mountain Goat]

Hi,

I've been reading this forum for a few months and thought I'd finally join. I have listened to classical music pretty much all my life, at first mainly Classical/Romantic period but in the last couple of years have broadened my tastes into Baroque & 20th Century music. Some favourite composers, in no particular order: Bach, Handel, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler (so put that hammer away Daniel  ), Berlioz, Sibelius, Nielsen, Brian, Simpson, Elgar, Vaughan Williams.

I'm pleased to see Havergal Brian appears to have one of the longest and most active threads on here - since hearing the Gothic Symphony at the Proms last year I've become something of a Brian nut!

[bhodges]

Hi Mountain Goat, and welcome--glad you have been happy lurking and decided to emerge. And yes, there is clearly something of a Brian "movement" here. 

Enjoy!

--Bruce

[Karl Henning]

Welcome! Now we can make our own feta . . . .

[North Star]

Welcome, Mountain Goat
We can be friends, even though I don't see Chopin, Janáček, Bartók, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, or Stravinsky there. 




Karlo

[SonicMan46]

Hi Mountain Goat - welcome to the GMG forum!

[Lisztianwagner]

Welcome to the forum, hope you'll have a nice time here!
Great list, I can see we share quite a few favourite composers, even if I really appreciate all those ones you mentioned (apart from Brian, not very familiar with him I'm afraid). Do you like Wagner and Liszt too?

Ilaria

[Mirror Image]

Welcome Mountain Goat! You don't like Shostakovich? Hmmm....

[madaboutmahler]

Mahler (so put that hammer away Daniel  )

haha, glad to hear this! The hammer has been put away!

Great to meet you, welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy yourself here!

Also very pleased to see you mention Elgar! We share many favourite composers in common, so I think we'll get on very well!

Daniel

[Mountain Goat]

Thanks for the welcome!

Welcome Mountain Goat! You don't like Shostakovich? Hmmm....

I do like what I've heard so far - symphonies 5, 7, 9 & 15, the piano and violin concertos, and the 8th string quartet. Any recommendations on where to go next, and which set of the symphonies I should get?

We can be friends, even though I don't see Chopin, Janáček, Bartók, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, or Stravinsky there. 

I knew I'd end up forgetting someone, Chopin should have been in the list! Haven't really heard enough by the others you mention - any recommendations on where to start?

Do you like Wagner and Liszt too?

I love the Liszt piano concertos and the B minor sonata, though shamefully that is pretty much all I know of him - any recommendations? (I can already see my bank balance suffering because of this forum!)
I like what I have heard by Wagner - as yet this is limited to Siegfried Idyll and a handful of overtures, though I'm sure that will change soon as Welsh National Opera are doing a lot of Wagner next year, presumably as it's an anniversary.

[Ataraxia]

WAHEY!

[Karl Henning]

I do like what I've heard so far - [Shostakovich] symphonies 5, 7, 9 & 15, the piano and violin concertos, and the 8th string quartet. Any recommendations on where to go next, and which set of the symphonies I should get?

Opinion is divided, and especially here on GMG! : )

Personally, I remain fondest of Maxim Shostakovich's set on Supraphon.  Hardly anyone will agree with me; but I stick with that.

[mc ukrneal]

Welome and enjoy. Earl Wild is a safe recommendation to explore Liszt - several discs available there I think. A good place to start with Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky is simply a stunning work with chorus (many good versions including Stokowski, Abbado, Jarvi, Ancerl, and more)). Of course, his ballets are easy recs too. Romeo and Juliet is the most famous with many excellent versions on disc (Ashkenazy, Previn, Maazel, Ozawa and more).  And then there is Peter in the Wolf, which is one of the most remarkable pieces ever composed (in my opinion).

[North Star]

I knew I'd end up forgetting someone, Chopin should have been in the list! Haven't really heard enough by the others you mention - any recommendations on where to start?

Janáček
the string quartets, violin sonata, Sinfonietta, Taras Bulba, Glagolitic Mass, Mladi (wind sextet) - all conveniently in this box, along with other just as great pieces:
[asin]B0001Y4JH0[/asin]

Bartók
String Quartets (Belcea, Keller), Miraculous Mandarin (ballet), Concerto for Orchestra, Music for Strings, Percussion, & Celesta, Violin Concerto no. 2, Piano Concerto no. 2, solo piano (Kocsis)
For orchestral works, this box:
[asin]B002DZX958[/asin]


Scriabin
Piano music
[asin]B000W4E3OS[/asin]


Prokofiev
Romeo & Juliet (ballet: Maazel), Violin Sonata no. 1 (Kremer & Argerich), Piano Sonatas, Visions fugitives

This set includes all the piano sonatas, 10 pieces from Romeo & Juliet (Prokofiev's own, done at the same time with the ballet), Visions fugitives, Tales of an Old Grandmother, Etudes, Toccata, Sarcasms - all absolutely essential Prokofiev.
[asin]B004TWOXGC[/asin]

Shostakovich
The symphonies, string quartets, Piano Trio no. 2 (Argerich, Kremer & Maisky), viola sonata, violin concertos, cello concertos, although I can't recommend recordings (apart from the trio).

Stravinsky
the early ballets (Firebird, Petrushka, Rite of Spring), Symphonies of Wind Instruments
[asin]B002XDFOGM[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

I do like what I've heard so far - symphonies 5, 7, 9 & 15, the piano and violin concertos, and the 8th string quartet. Any recommendations on where to go next, and which set of the symphonies I should get?

For the symphonies, I strongly suggest you start with Rudolf Barshai with the WDR Symphony Orchestra. This isn't my first choice (I own nine symphony cycles), but it's a good starter set:

[asin]B00005UW2B[/asin]

For the SQs, this is a good set IMHO:

[asin]B000F3T7RE[/asin]

The general problem for me is there is no one definitive set of symphonies or SQs. You very much have to pick and choose with Shostakvoich. There are so many great performances that the idea may be daunting, but once you become familiar enough with his music and what you particularly look for in a performance, then it should go a lot smoother for you. I also suggest getting more into the concerti, chamber works, the operas, and the ballets. There's a lot of great music waiting for you. If you need any more assistance, don't hesitate to ask me.

[Lisztianwagner]

I love the Liszt piano concertos and the B minor sonata, though shamefully that is pretty much all I know of him - any recommendations? (I can already see my bank balance suffering because of this forum!)
I like what I have heard by Wagner - as yet this is limited to Siegfried Idyll and a handful of overtures, though I'm sure that will change soon as Welsh National Opera are doing a lot of Wagner next year, presumably as it's an anniversary.

Glad to hear that. Concerning Liszt, I particularly recommend the Annees de pelerinage (Berman, Lortie or Brendel/Kocsis), the Hungarian Rhapsodies (Campanella) and the symphonic poems (Haitink/LPO); about the etudes, the Arrau/Magaloff set is excellent:
[asin]B0000041NE[/asin]
Concerning Wagner, all his operas are absolutely worth listening to, especially Tristan und Isolde (Furtwagnler/PO, Karajan/BP, Bohm/Bayreuth Festival), Parsifal (Karajan/BP and Solti/WP) and Der Ring des Nibelungen (Karajan/BP above all):

[asin]B000009CMV[/asin]

[Hollywood]

Hi there Mountain Goat. Greetings from Vienna, Austria. Welcome to the forum. 

[eyeresist]

I've been reading this forum for a few months and thought I'd finally join. I have listened to classical music pretty much all my life, at first mainly Classical/Romantic period but in the last couple of years have broadened my tastes into Baroque & 20th Century music. Some favourite composers, in no particular order: Bach, Handel, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler (so put that hammer away Daniel  ), Berlioz, Sibelius, Nielsen, Brian, Simpson, Elgar, Vaughan Williams.

Greetings, Welsh Goat.

No Dvorak, no Bruckner, nor even Rachmaninov? Get thee some boxsets!


(* I don't normally speak ye olde style.)

[Papy Oli]

Hello and welcome !!

[Brian]

I do like what I've heard so far - symphonies 5, 7, 9 & 15, the piano and violin concertos, and the 8th string quartet. Any recommendations on where to go next, and which set of the symphonies I should get?

Symphonies 6 and 10 and the first cello concerto. (My favorite Tenth is with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Vasily Petrenko; my favorite cello concertos are Rostropovich's.) You should also try Mieczyslaw Weinberg's cello concerto because it's got a lot in common with Shostakovich and I'm trying to make everyone listen to it! Since you like Bach, you should try the preludes and fugues for piano, as these are Shostakovich's tribute/homage to Bach.

There are a LOT of great recordings of the string quartets. The Borodin Quartet set with the yellow cover is an awesome choice, as is the ongoing set with the Pacifica Quartet (they've done 1-8), and I've heard really good things about the Quatuor Danel recordings; plus there are some folks who are really fond of the Fitzwilliam and Mandelring quartet CDs. You really can't go wrong! Well, you can, I'm sure, but I haven't tried it yet.

Welcome to the boards! Wales. I lived in London for a year and there was a day where I almost went to Wales... still wish I had. Mostly so I could impress my friends by knowing what cwrw is and how to pronounce it.

[Mountain Goat]

Thanks for all your recommendations! I'll have to start doing some overtime at work to be able to afford all that...
I think I'll start with the Shostakovich symphonies, as they have been on my list for a while now, so I'll get the Barshai set forthwith.

No Dvorak, no Bruckner, nor even Rachmaninov?

I like all those composers, but I had to be a bit selective or my list would have been way too long. Maybe I should have listed the composers whose music I really dislike as it's a much shorter list!

I lived in London for a year and there was a day where I almost went to Wales... still wish I had. Mostly so I could impress my friends by knowing what cwrw is and how to pronounce it.

Mmmm, cwrw... My other great passion in life, after music and mountaineering!