Good morrow!

[Wooster]

I'm an Indian (as in from the Indian subcontinent and not a native American) who currently resides in the US (Philadelphia). I've only dabbled in some of the classical music literature, and other than some dog and pony tricks onto some poor uninitiated bystander (such as identifying the timbre of an instrument or explaining the Italian names of movements of a symphony), my knowledge of the genre is rather limited. There's way more for me to learn, and I've only been intimidated by the magnitude and depth of the knowledge covered in this forum from my lurkings thus far.

I've got a mania for Liszt, an unconvincing yet unmistakable attraction towards Wagner, and Bach is what I turn to when pondering the depths of beauty. Mozart always has a way of sliding in to my playlist and Beethoven is a permanent fixture, never far away. But in general though, I am quite ignorant about the histories of the composers/compositions; nor are my ears as acute as I would hope, especially I tend to find it very slow in the uptake in deciding which interpretations by modern day performers I prefer. And so with that, I hope to stick around (and lurk for the time being...)

[Gurn Blanston]

I'm an Indian (as in from the Indian subcontinent and not a native American) who currently resides in the US (Philadelphia). I've only dabbled in some of the classical music literature, and other than some dog and pony tricks onto some poor uninitiated bystander (such as identifying the timbre of an instrument or explaining the Italian names of movements of a symphony), my knowledge of the genre is rather limited. There's way more for me to learn, and I've only been intimidated by the magnitude and depth of the knowledge covered in this forum from my lurkings thus far.

I've got a mania for Liszt, an unconvincing yet unmistakable attraction towards Wagner, and Bach is what I turn to when pondering the depths of beauty. Mozart always has a way of sliding in to my playlist and Beethoven is a permanent fixture, never far away. But in general though, I am quite ignorant about the histories of the composers/compositions; nor are my ears as acute as I would hope, especially I tend to find it very slow in the uptake in deciding which interpretations by modern day performers I prefer. And so with that, I hope to stick around (and lurk for the time being...)

Hello to you.

Life is short, Art is long. Look at the acquisition of knowledge as the steady travel down the road of life. My own interest is history, and I have spent 20+ years to make it only so far as I have. The journey has been most interesting for me. Find something you are particularly partial to and, after sampling much else, begin your own journey.

Cheers,

[ibanezmonster]

Hey, Wooster! 

Keep exploring other composers as well... there's a lot to learn, but it's worth it.

[Sean]

Hi, I made it over to the Kumbh mela in Allahabad UP in Februrary and have a lifelong interest in art music...

[mc ukrneal]

Welcome to the forum!

[Octave]

I look forward to your sharing enthusiasms and preferences in Liszt's music, as he's an interest I've acquired just in the past year.  (Four items I've been enthralled by over several spins have been the Immerseel/Istomin disc of late music on Zigzag, FAUSTs by Muti and Bernstein [DG], and Volkov's 'Odes' disc on Hyperion.  I'm too new to say they are "favorites", but I've enjoyed them very much.) 
And your non-Liszt interests, too, of course...
Enjoy yourself!

[Lisztianwagner]

Welcome to the forum and have a nice time.
Very fine choices, all the composers you spoke about are among the favourites of mine, especially Wagner and Liszt.

[bhodges]

Hello Wooster, and thanks for the very nice, thoughtful introduction. I'm sure you'll find some kindred spirits here - both in composer taste and in level of knowledge (really, all types here) - to keep you interested. Enjoy yourself!

--Bruce

[dave b]

Wooster, welcome to the forum. I've learned quite a bit from sitting back reading the various threads. Eight tenths of it is over my head, but I'm still here, and I know what you mean re feeling intimidated. I wouldn't use that word exactly, but I do find the breadth and depth of classical music knowledge staggering--someone told me that a lot of folks here are professional and semi-professional musicians---it explained a lot as to various members' expertise.

Any time you feel like your level of knowledge in classical music is below what is usual here, think about my level of expertise and you'll feel better.

[Papy Oli]

Hi Wooster ! Welcome !

[Florestan]

Welcome, have fun and post often! 

[Beorn]

Welcome to this delightful forum. 

[North Star]

Welcome!

[vandermolen]

Welcome from me too.

[kyjo]

Welcome indeed