"Aggressive" Classical Music?

Started by mgwolff, June 30, 2014, 07:56:56 PM

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mgwolff

I am quite new to classical music. I have found that I like a certain "type" of classical music, which is more, for lack of a better word, "aggressive" than other types I have heard.
Here some of my favorites so far:

1. Mozart: Requiem (K626), Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Die Zauberfloete, Symphonie Nr. 40.
2. Vivaldi: Four Seasons, especially Summer and Winter. Spring / Autumn not so much.
3. Beethoven: Ode to Joy,  Fuer Elise, Symphony No. 5, 7, and 9.

An example of what I do not like could be Rachmaninoff Piano concerto no 2.

Is there any keyword I can use to find more music like it?
If not, I would be grateful for any additional listening recommendations.


amw

Could try this

https://www.youtube.com/v/2ohyGRis5gA

or this

https://www.youtube.com/v/aGFRwKQqbk4

or... this?

https://www.youtube.com/v/0AdHsa1mXx4

I'm not sure about keywords... just listen to stuff and get a better picture of what you enjoy, maybe.

DavidW

Loud and fast is welcoming to those new to classical music... but you should try to build an appreciation for the subtle aspects of classical music.  If you do that you will also find that there is alot more to that music that you like that you didn't notice before.

mgwolff

Thank you, amw and DavidW.
I really liked Le Concert des Nations. Would you be able to recommend anything else like it?
You are of course right, I should not limit myself to fast pieces, I will have to ease myself into the slower ones.


Brian

Quote from: mgwolff on July 01, 2014, 10:49:03 AM
I really liked Le Concert des Nations. Would you be able to recommend anything else like it?
Oh yes! A lot of minor-key concertos by J.S. Bach and similar composers apply. There are a lot of other concertos by Vivaldi, too, and I particularly recommend the cello concertos. (This one isn't a cello concerto, though...)

https://www.youtube.com/v/RhZS_im2OFs

And here's some pretty amazing choral music by J.D. Zelenka.

https://www.youtube.com/v/RCL2CWQaH4A

Ken B

Quote from: mgwolff on July 01, 2014, 10:49:03 AM
Thank you, amw and DavidW.
I really liked Le Concert des Nations. Would you be able to recommend anything else like it?
You are of course right, I should not limit myself to fast pieces, I will have to ease myself into the slower ones.
Looking at this and the pieces you mentioned earlier I suggest you look for music from the following eras: Baroque, Classical, Early Romantic. Basically music between 1650 and 1850. Just as a start of course! Look for more by the composers you like. Good names for you are Bach, Couperin, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz.

Here's a couple few cheap starts

http://www.amazon.com/Freiburger-Barockorchester/dp/B0054MEHZ8/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1404242056&sr=1-1&keywords=freiburger+baroque+box

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Classical-Symphonies-Various/dp/B007C7FFC2/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1404241915&sr=1-1&keywords=naxos+classical+symphonies+box

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Romantic-Symphonies-Various/dp/B007C7FCMA/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1404241973&sr=1-2&keywords=naxos+romantic+box

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Edition-Various-Artists/dp/B00AC4D5DI/ref=pd_sim_m_28?ie=UTF8&refRID=048YX41TFT065T6XY83Q

mc ukrneal

Many opera overtures would fit the bill. Dvorak's Slavonic Dances (#1 and #8, but the others are wonderful too, just not aggressive). Try the Battle on the ice from Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky (it takes a little time to build). Sailor's Dance from Gliere's Red Poppy ballet. Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave. Polovtsian Dances from the opera Prince Igor. Even if this is not what you meant, it is all wonderful music.
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

EigenUser

Quote from: mgwolff on June 30, 2014, 07:56:56 PM
I am quite new to classical music. I have found that I like a certain "type" of classical music, which is more, for lack of a better word, "aggressive" than other types I have heard.
Here some of my favorites so far:

1. Mozart: Requiem (K626), Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Die Zauberfloete, Symphonie Nr. 40.
2. Vivaldi: Four Seasons, especially Summer and Winter. Spring / Autumn not so much.
3. Beethoven: Ode to Joy,  Fuer Elise, Symphony No. 5, 7, and 9.

An example of what I do not like could be Rachmaninoff Piano concerto no 2.

Is there any keyword I can use to find more music like it?
If not, I would be grateful for any additional listening recommendations.

I wouldn't worry about trying to appreciate "slow" and "quiet" music yet. Stick with what you like, but definitely keep an open mind because you will definitely find more favorites!

For something more modern, try Bartok. I have frequently described much of his music as "aggressively cheerful". If you haven't heard of Bartok, he was a Hungarian composer (1881-1945) that collected folk music throughout rural Hungary (and other parts of eastern Europe) and pioneered the field of ethnomusicology (it's like anthropology with folk music). This is the fourth (last) movement of his "Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta". It is heavily influenced by complex Bulgarian rhythms. Great fun.
http://www.youtube.com/v/ppsV4HoCVqc

Here's a more "classical" one by early-romantic Robert Schumann. I've been obsessed with this piece recently -- his "Concertpiece for Four Horns and Orchestra". I have no idea why it isn't more popular. The first two chords!! Like classical ""power chords".
http://www.youtube.com/v/DGsU1VDB87c
Beethoven's Op. 133 -- A fugue so bad that even Beethoven himself called it "Grosse".

Holden

#9
Rossini Overtures conducted by Fritz Reiner would be perfect.

YouTube has some of them including The Barber of Seville and La Gazza Ladra

Cheers

Holden

Karl Henning

And, for the listener who digs going from "aggressive" to "slow & quiet" in the same piece:

http://www.youtube.com/v/xPNrvzdn3qI
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

jochanaan

If you want "aggressive," there's plenty out there.  Even if the thought of unchecked dissonance a la Schoenberg or Varèse is still scary, you'd probably dig just about anything by Beethoven (except maybe the Violin Concerto, and even that can get aggressive when certain players play it) or Berlioz or Tchaikovsky or especially Mahler.  The Brahms symphonies and concertos go from aggressive to mellow, but have plenty of fire, as do Schubert's 8th and C major symphonies (which goes either by #7 or #9), many Schumann orchestral works.  (Second recommendation for the Concert Piece for 4 Horns!  I'm also very fond of the Manfred Overture.)

And if you like Vivaldi, be sure to check out J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos if you haven't done so already.

That's enough to go on for now. :)
Imagination + discipline = creativity

EigenUser

Quote from: jochanaan on July 02, 2014, 05:54:14 PM
If you want "aggressive," there's plenty out there.  Even if the thought of unchecked dissonance a la Schoenberg or Varèse is still scary, you'd probably dig just about anything by Beethoven (except maybe the Violin Concerto, and even that can get aggressive when certain players play it) or Berlioz or Tchaikovsky or especially Mahler.  The Brahms symphonies and concertos go from aggressive to mellow, but have plenty of fire, as do Schubert's 8th and C major symphonies (which goes either by #7 or #9), many Schumann orchestral works.  (Second recommendation for the Concert Piece for 4 Horns!  I'm also very fond of the Manfred Overture.)

And if you like Vivaldi, be sure to check out J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos if you haven't done so already.

That's enough to go on for now. :)
THANK YOU!! Geez, every time I mention this wonderful piece on here I get crickets chirping as a response! Perhaps few have heard it. You're a fan, too? I found out about it listening to a BBC podcast on Schumann and I was captivated by the opening clip that they played. The rest didn't disappoint. The french horn is such a beautiful instrument for a quartet. The orchestra part is interesting as well.

I love the "Manfred" overture, too.
Beethoven's Op. 133 -- A fugue so bad that even Beethoven himself called it "Grosse".

DavidW

Quote from: mgwolff on July 01, 2014, 10:49:03 AM
Thank you, amw and DavidW.
I really liked Le Concert des Nations. Would you be able to recommend anything else like it?
You are of course right, I should not limit myself to fast pieces, I will have to ease myself into the slower ones.

I would ignore the recs for Schumann and Bartok, they're hit and miss when you're new to classical.  Some immediately love it, others fall asleep.

That youtube video that you like is Bach.  You have good taste, you've already discovered most of the giants.  Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi.  It sounds like you enjoy baroque and classical.

For more Bach try [asin]B004I4HCUA[/asin] it's packed full of concertos and suites on par with that glorious D minor that you were listening to (that is included too).

You can also go to your favorite streaming site or youtube and put in "Bach concerto" and see what you like.  For Mozart and Beethoven go ahead and try their piano concertos.

Ken B

Quote from: DavidW on July 03, 2014, 06:31:56 AM
I would ignore the recs for Schumann and Bartok, they're hit and miss when you're new to classical.  Some immediately love it, others fall asleep.

+1


Daverz

Quote from: mgwolff on June 30, 2014, 07:56:56 PM
I am quite new to classical music. I have found that I like a certain "type" of classical music, which is more, for lack of a better word, "aggressive" than other types I have heard.
Here some of my favorites so far:

1. Mozart: Requiem (K626), Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Die Zauberfloete, Symphonie Nr. 40.
2. Vivaldi: Four Seasons, especially Summer and Winter. Spring / Autumn not so much.
3. Beethoven: Ode to Joy,  Fuer Elise, Symphony No. 5, 7, and 9.

An example of what I do not like could be Rachmaninoff Piano concerto no 2.

I wouldn't describe this music as "aggressive", but rather dramatic, eventful, direct, and tuneful.  It might help if you could describe what you don't like about the Rachmaninoff, but it may be the Romantic tendency to ruminate.

So Xenakis is not a good match (come on guys, try to engage with more than a single word used by a poster.)

Since you already know you like Baroque and Classical Era works, here are some recs beyond that:

Stravinsky: Petrouchka
Bizet: Carmen Suites
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto; Midsummer Night's Dream Overture; Symphony No. 4
Mussorgsky: Pictures
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espanole
Schubert: Trout Quintet
Borodin: Symphony No. 2
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9
Janacek: Sinfonietta
Brahms: Violin Concerto
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1

If you want to give Rachmaninoff another chance, try the Symphonic Dances.



jochanaan

Quote from: EigenUser on July 03, 2014, 02:37:38 AM
THANK YOU!! Geez, every time I mention this wonderful piece on here I get crickets chirping as a response! Perhaps few have heard it. You're a fan, too? I found out about it listening to a BBC podcast on Schumann and I was captivated by the opening clip that they played. The rest didn't disappoint. The french horn is such a beautiful instrument for a quartet. The orchestra part is interesting as well.

I love the "Manfred" overture, too.
I've only heard that piece a couple of times, but it's very fun.  Oh, and the Overture, Scherzo and Finale is very nice too--basically a symphony without a slow movement.  8)
Imagination + discipline = creativity

Scion7

Try Bruckner's Fourth symphony.  The first movement is pretty "aggressive."
When, a few months before his death, Rachmaninov lamented that he no longer had the "strength and fire" to compose, friends reminded him of the Symphonic Dances, so charged with fire and strength. "Yes," he admitted. "I don't know how that happened. That was probably my last flicker."

Peter Power Pop

Quote from: mgwolff on June 30, 2014, 07:56:56 PM
I am quite new to classical music. I have found that I like a certain "type" of classical music, which is more, for lack of a better word, "aggressive" than other types I have heard.
Here some of my favorites so far:

1. Mozart: Requiem (K626), Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Die Zauberfloete, Symphonie Nr. 40.
2. Vivaldi: Four Seasons, especially Summer and Winter. Spring / Autumn not so much.
3. Beethoven: Ode to Joy,  Fuer Elise, Symphony No. 5, 7, and 9.

An example of what I do not like could be Rachmaninoff Piano concerto no 2.

Fair enough.

QuoteIs there any keyword I can use to find more music like it?

How about "forthright"?

QuoteIf not, I would be grateful for any additional listening recommendations.

I don't know if you're keen on anything from the 20th century, but this is from 1926 and it's very accessible:

Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) - Sinfonietta

http://www.youtube.com/v/PScaxSwGa6o

Peter Power Pop

Quote from: mgwolff on June 30, 2014, 07:56:56 PM
I am quite new to classical music. I have found that I like a certain "type" of classical music, which is more, for lack of a better word, "aggressive" than other types I have heard.
Here some of my favorites so far:

1. Mozart: Requiem (K626), Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Die Zauberfloete, Symphonie Nr. 40.
2. Vivaldi: Four Seasons, especially Summer and Winter. Spring / Autumn not so much.
3. Beethoven: Ode to Joy,  Fuer Elise, Symphony No. 5, 7, and 9.

An example of what I do not like could be Rachmaninoff Piano concerto no 2.

Is there any keyword I can use to find more music like it?
If not, I would be grateful for any additional listening recommendations.

Try this:

Edward Elgar (1857-1934) - Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D major

http://www.youtube.com/v/Vvgl_2JRIUs