Hello Everyone,
I have been listening to classical music on and off for about 35 years. More recently though it has really taken hold, and most of my listening has been devoted to it. I've actually been lurking around this forum for a few years, using it as an invaluable reference guide to assist in purchase decisions. The depth of music knowledge of the members is incredible.
I mostly listen to symphonic/orchestral music (as opposed to chamber music). Not that I'm opposed to chamber music.
I own about 300 classical cd's, counting box sets as a single cd. Small potatoes to most of the folks around here! Most recently I've become immersed in Mahler...I actually read the entire Mahler Mania Rebooted thread to gain some Mahler knowledge and aid in deciding what to buy! So far I've picked up the Bernstein NY and Bertini sets, as well as several individual recordings. I've also recently become obsessed with Bernstein's NYPO recordings in general, snatching many of them up on itunes.
The other symphonists I enjoy the most are Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Bruckner, Sibelius, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, and Shostakovich. I also love the works of Debussy, Bartok, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Ives.
Anyway, that's it for now,
Joe
Hi Joe, and welcome. Love all the symphonists you mention - and you'll probably meet others here who could say the same. Enjoy yourself!
--Bruce
Welcome. I hope you enjoy yourself here. I see you join already corrupted by the siren calls of what to spend money on within the Mahler thread, dangerous place this.
Mike
Welcome and have fun! It looks like you already have a nice start!
Hello and welcome !! :)
Welcome aboard, Joe! :)
Wow, it must have taken a long time to read the entire 'Mahler Mania Re-booted' thread. Kudos!!
Welcome!! We share a lot of similar interests and favourite composers, so it's good to meet you! :)
Daniel
Hello and welcome, Joe.
We can agree on many favourite composers as well. I hope you enjoy the discussions here.
Jiri
Quote from: Brewski on February 10, 2013, 11:00:47 AM
Hi Joe, and welcome. Love all the symphonists you mention - and you'll probably meet others here who could say the same. Enjoy yourself!
--Bruce
Thank you, Bruce. It's good to finally join!
Quote from: ChamberNut on February 10, 2013, 11:13:22 AM
Welcome aboard, Joe! :)
Wow, it must have taken a long time to read the entire 'Mahler Mania Re-booted' thread. Kudos!!
It did! I would read it each night until my eyes could no longer focus on the screen. Well worth it though, thanks.
Quote from: madaboutmahler on February 10, 2013, 11:17:07 AM
Welcome!! We share a lot of similar interests and favourite composers, so it's good to meet you! :)
Daniel
Thanks Daniel. And I forgot to mention Bach, Haydn, Mozart, R. Strauss, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, and Chopin. So far.
Welcome, Joe!
You've listed a good deal of my favourites.
Didn't notice any mention of Rakhmaninov or Prokofiev, though ;)
Greeting and Welcome, Jersey Joe!
I love NJ. I grew up in Princeton, and try to visit as often as I can.
Welcome Jersey Joe. Love your avatar. ;D
Welcome to the forum, nice to meet you. :)
Great list, many of the composers you mentioned are my favourites too. What about Wagner?
Ilaria
Quote from: North Star on February 10, 2013, 11:43:58 AM
Welcome, Joe!
You've listed a good deal of my favourites.
Didn't notice any mention of Rakhmaninov or Prokofiev, though ;)
Hi North Star, I guess there are too many to mention. I have complete symphony sets of both (Ashkenazy and Gergiev, respectively), as well as recordings of Rachmaninoff piano music and the Prokofiev ballets Romeo and Juliet, and Cinderella. I especially enjoy the recording of Cinderella (Pletnev/Russian National Orchestra).
Quote from: TheGSMoeller on February 10, 2013, 11:51:31 AM
Greeting and Welcome, Jersey Joe!
I love NJ. I grew up in Princeton, and try to visit as often as I can.
Hello and thank you. I live about 30 minutes north of Princeton. I visit with my family several times a year. It's one of our favorite places to spend the day.
Quote from: Scots John on February 10, 2013, 11:52:59 AM
Welcome Jersey Joe. Love your avatar. ;D
Thanks you Scots John!
Quote from: Lisztianwagner on February 10, 2013, 11:53:45 AM
Welcome to the forum, nice to meet you. :)
Great list, many of the composers you mentioned are my favourites too. What about Wagner?
Ilaria
Hello Ilaria. Wagner...not so much. I own a few cd's of overtures and incidental music, which I like a lot, but no operas. Maybe someday...
Hello and thank you to knight 66, mc ukrneal, Papy Oli, and fafner. I've posted on several forums over the years but have never had such an enthusiastic welcoming committee as this!
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 10, 2013, 11:57:14 AM
Hi North Star, I guess there are too many to mention. I have complete symphony sets of both (Ashkenazy and Gergiev, respectively), as well as recordings of Rachmaninoff piano music and the Prokofiev ballets Romeo and Juliet, and Cinderella. I especially enjoy the recording of Cinderella (Pletnev/Russian National Orchestra).
Excellent! Pletnev's arrangement for piano duo of a suite from
Cinderella is superb, do you know it? (commissioned by Argerich, Argerich & Pletnev recorded it for DG).
All-night Vigil is perhaps my favourite piece from Rakhmaninov, it's just stunning.
Quote from: North Star on February 10, 2013, 12:13:00 PM
Excellent! Pletnev's arrangement for piano duo of a suite from Cinderella is superb, do you know it? (commissioned by Argerich, Argerich & Pletnev recorded it for DG).
All-night Vigil is perhaps my favourite piece from Rakhmaninov, it's just stunning.
I do not know it, nor am I familiar with All-night Vigil. But I do have a wish list!
One disc that I really enjoy is this:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41JVCACXP2L._AA160_.jpg)
Rach 2, Prokofiev 5.
I bought it many years ago and never listened to it. Then one day last year I read something about it, remembered I had it, and gave it a listen. It knocked my socks off!
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 10, 2013, 12:29:50 PM
I do not know it, nor am I familiar with All-night Vigil. But I do have a wish list!
One disc that I really enjoy is this:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41JVCACXP2L._AA160_.jpg)
Rach 2, Prokofiev 5.
I bought it many years ago and never listened to it. Then one day last year I read something about it, remembered I had it, and gave it a listen. It knocked my socks off!
The Cinderella recording is included here, the whole box is brilliant.
[asin]B003W16TBS[/asin]
Re: All-night Vigil: Sveshnikov's account is legendary (and OOP), but Hillier's more recent account is top-notch with idiomatic singers (like Sveshnikov) and superb sound quality.
[asin]B001716ISY[/asin]
Available here with two other great discs (Gatti's Tchaikovsky 5th and Engerer's Mussorgsky on piano), for only very little more:
[asin]B00699QOWO[/asin]
Quote from: North Star on February 10, 2013, 12:47:01 PM
The Cinderella recording is included here, the whole box is brilliant.
[asin]B003W16TBS[/asin]
Re: All-night Vigil: Sveshnikov's account is legendary (and OOP), but Hillier's more recent account is top-notch with idiomatic singers (like Sveshnikov) and superb sound quality.
[asin]B001716ISY[/asin]
Available here with two other great discs (Gatti's Tchaikovsky 5th and Engerer's Mussorgsky on piano), for only very little more:
[asin]B00699QOWO[/asin]
Thanks for the recommendations!
Welcome aboard, Jersey Joe! Hope you enjoy your time here. :)
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 10, 2013, 05:26:26 PM
Welcome aboard, Jersey Joe! Hope you enjoy your time here. :)
Thank you Mirror Image, love your Rachmaninov quote.
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 10, 2013, 05:30:20 PM
Thank you Mirror Image, love your Rachmaninov quote.
Thank you, Jersey Joe. :) How did you get involved with this music?
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 10, 2013, 05:36:27 PM
Thank you, Jersey Joe. :) How did you get involved with this music?
When I about 4 years old, my father bought an album of Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops. It was called "Pops Goes To The Symphony" or something like that.
On it was Finlandia, The William Tell Overture, Die Fledermaus Overture, and music from Carmen. I'm told that I constantly asked to hear it, and I can remember listening to it through elementary school.
Jump to 1977, my sophomore year in college. While digging through my parents basement, I came across a Reader's Digest collection of classical music. Mostly little known conductors conducting little known orchestras. I brought it back to school with me and started listening. There were two works that grabbed hold of me: Beethoven's Eroica, and The Rite of Spring. The Eroica clicked immediately and knocked my socks off. I remember the landlord, who lived downstairs, coming upstairs and telling me to turn it down! I also remember buying the individual vinyls of HvK's 70's Beethoven Cycle. That was my first "set".
The Rite completely blew me away. I had never heard anything like that before, and suddenly so much of what I'd been listening to in progressive rock and jazz made so much more sense. I'll never forget that.
So then I started taking music appreciation classes as electives. They were the only classes in which I ever got an "A", ha ha. I also started attending any classical music concerts that were held at the college (Rutgers). I saw some good ones: Ozawa conducting the BSO in Beethoven's 5th, Dorati and Detroit conducting Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin conducting Brahms' Third, etc. These concerts imprinted the music on me, and it's been with me ever since.
Geez, I'm really rambling...sorry! :-[
Excellent story, Jersey Joe. I, too, came from a progressive rock and jazz background. I've only been seriously listening to classical for four years now. Not long at all, but I've heard classical music being played in the house as long as I remember. My Dad was either playing Mahler or Janacek. In fact, I think the first classical work I heard was Janacek's Sinfonietta. That made a rather strong impression on me to say the least. All of those trumpets! :) Anyway, I hope you stick around and don't hesitate to take part in the ongoing discussions. The "What are you currently listening to?" thread is always a good one to 'break the ice' so to speak.
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 10, 2013, 06:30:16 PM
Excellent story, Jersey Joe. I, too, came from a progressive rock and jazz background. I've only been seriously listening to classical for four years now. Not long at all, but I've heard classical music being played in the house as long as I remember. My Dad was either playing Mahler or Janacek. In fact, I think the first classical work I heard was Janacek's Sinfonietta. That made a rather strong impression on me to say the least. All of those trumpets! :) Anyway, I hope you stick around and don't hesitate to take part in the ongoing discussions. The "What are you currently listening to?" thread is always a good one to 'break the ice' so to speak.
Thanks Mirror Image.
Hello,
One more thing I'd like to mention:
My classical music journey, starting in earnest after hearing the Eroica and The Rite while in college in the mid-70's, has for the most part been taken alone. With only a few isolated exceptions, not a single one of my friends, either then, now, or anytime in between, had anything more than minimal interest in exploring this amazing world. Most of the concerts I attended, I attended alone (my sister's boyfriend back in the 70's was a good concert buddy, but after they broke up, well...that was that). Girlfriends and later my wife attended concerts mostly just to be nice.
When I tell people at work I like classical music I mostly get a smile and/or a blank stare. It's like they can't process what I'm saying.
Has anyone else had similar experiences?
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 11, 2013, 04:39:12 PM
Hello,
One more thing I'd like to mention:
My classical music journey, starting in earnest after hearing the Eroica and The Rite while in college in the mid-70's, has for the most part been taken alone. With only a few isolated exceptions, not a single one of my friends, either then, now, or anytime in between, had anything more than minimal interest in exploring this amazing world. Most of the concerts I attended, I attended alone (my sister's boyfriend back in the 70's was a good concert buddy, but after they broke up, well...that was that). Girlfriends and later my wife attended concerts mostly just to be nice.
When I tell people at work I like classical music I mostly get a smile and/or a blank stare. It's like they can't process what I'm saying.
Has anyone else had similar experiences?
Exactly my own experience, Joe. It is, unfortunately, a very common experience. I explored classical music on my own, more by chance, about 7 or 8 years ago. Never looked back. :)
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 11, 2013, 04:39:12 PM
When I tell people at work I like classical music I mostly get a smile and/or a blank stare. It's like they can't process what I'm saying.
Has anyone else had similar experiences?
Sure, nobody outside of my family understands my obsession with this music. Somebody actually asked me one time "Why would you listen to such boring crap?" :) I certainly knew when getting into classical music that there aren't going to many close to me that enjoy it, so I've simply had to go about the whole discovery thing independently without much input from anyone.
Howdy there Joe. Greetings from Beethoven's Heiligenstadt. Welcome to the forum.
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 11, 2013, 06:39:02 PM
Sure, nobody outside of my family understands my obsession with this music. Somebody actually asked me one time "Why would you listen to such boring crap?" :) I certainly knew when getting into classical music that there aren't going to many close to me that enjoy it, so I've simply had to go about the whole discovery thing independently without much input from anyone.
While listening to a Haydn String Qt. yesterday at work, one of my staff stood in my office doorway with a disgusted look and said, "It sounds like I'm in the doctor's office."
Quote from: Hollywood on February 11, 2013, 10:56:59 PM
Howdy there Joe. Greetings from Beethoven's Heiligenstadt. Welcome to the forum.
Thanks Hollywood, great to be here. Are you really in Vienna?
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 11, 2013, 04:39:12 PM
Girlfriends and later my wife attended concerts mostly just to be nice.
That answers a question...whether you and Joan (Lisanti) are married ;) You're both from Jersey, you both joined the forum within a couple of hours of each other on Feb 10. I wondered if there was a relationship there. Apparently not.
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 11, 2013, 04:39:12 PM
When I tell people at work I like classical music I mostly get a smile and/or a blank stare. It's like they can't process what I'm saying.
Has anyone else had similar experiences?
Probably 100% of us. I'm one of the lucky ones: I grew up with classical music (my mother was a great pianist). My best friend in high school (and still my best, and now my oldest friend) and both steady girlfriends liked classical music too. In college I dated a french horn major. In Korea (1970) my girlfriend was a fan. I recall her swooning over the Mozart in the film
Elvira Madigan and she got us tickets for George Szell's penultimate concert (in Seoul during the Cleveland's Asian tour). Mrs. Rock is as fanatical about classical music as I am (our first date was a Mahler 2 concert in Mannheim). But I can still empathize with you. The vast majority of people I've known have had no interest or understanding. This forum is a godsend.
Sarge
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 12, 2013, 03:29:38 AM
Thanks Hollywood, great to be here. Are you really in Vienna?
In Austria.
Separately: The first day I was assistant-teaching in Charlottesville, three of my students over the course of the day must have referred to Vienna before I realized that there must be a Vienna in NoVa . . . .
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 11, 2013, 04:39:12 PM
My classical music journey, starting in earnest after hearing the Eroica and The Rite while in college in the mid-70's, has for the most part been taken alone. With only a few isolated exceptions, not a single one of my friends, either then, now, or anytime in between, had anything more than minimal interest in exploring this amazing world. Most of the concerts I attended, I attended alone (my sister's boyfriend back in the 70's was a good concert buddy, but after they broke up, well...that was that). Girlfriends and later my wife attended concerts mostly just to be nice.
When I tell people at work I like classical music I mostly get a smile and/or a blank stare. It's like they can't process what I'm saying.
Has anyone else had similar experiences?
Yes, the same experience here. I usually get a sign of approval when I tell people I listen to classical music, but it ends there. It is obvious they cannot relate and they don't have anything to add to the conversation.
Even in the rare case I find some friends who like classical music and will attend a concert or an opera performance with me, it is just another pleasant evening for them.
"Yes, the music was nice. Now let's talk about something else."Colleagues at work have gotten used to the fact that I am receiving packages of CDs all the time, but they were shocked to learn I own more than 80 discs of Shostakovich alone. The fact that I own more than one recording of any particular piece was clearly beyond their comprehension.
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 12, 2013, 03:29:38 AM
Thanks Hollywood, great to be here. Are you really in Vienna?
Yes, I am really here in Vienna. I am originally from Los Angeles and I have been living in Austria now going on 20 years. (http://www.smilies.4-user.de/include/Flaggen/austria.gif)
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 12, 2013, 03:26:56 AM
While listening to a Haydn String Qt. yesterday at work, one of my staff stood in my office doorway with a disgusted look and said, "It sounds like I'm in the doctor's office."
Are you in charge of this employee? If yes, then tell her that the next negative comment she makes about Haydn will put her on the street. ;) :D
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 12, 2013, 04:04:09 AM
That answers a question...whether you and Joan (Lisanti) are married ;) You're both from Jersey, you both joined the forum within a couple of hours of each other on Feb 10. I wondered if there was a relationship there. Apparently not.
No relationship there Sergeant Rock...but I admit, it was quite a coincidence!
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 12, 2013, 04:04:09 AM
Probably 100% of us. I'm one of the lucky ones: I grew up with classical music (my mother was a great pianist). My best friend in high school (and still my best, and now my oldest friend) and both steady girlfriends liked classical music too. In college I dated a french horn major. In Korea (1970) my girlfriend was a fan. I recall her swooning over the Mozart in the film Elvira Madigan and she got us tickets for George Szell's penultimate concert (in Seoul during the Cleveland's Asian tour). Mrs. Rock is as fanatical about classical music as I am (our first date was a Mahler 2 concert in Mannheim). But I can still empathize with you. The vast majority of people I've known have had no interest or understanding. This forum is a godsend.
Sarge
You are very fortunate, sir. And I enjoyed reading your comments on the Mahler Mania Rebooted thread.
Quote from: karlhenning on February 12, 2013, 04:11:36 AM
In Austria.
Separately: The first day I was assistant-teaching in Charlottesville, three of my students over the course of the day must have referred to Vienna before I realized that there must be a Vienna in NoVa . . . .
Maybe they had all attended the same Viennese school?
Quote from: Fafner on February 12, 2013, 04:27:47 AM
Colleagues at work have gotten used to the fact that I am receiving packages of CDs all the time, but they were shocked to learn I own more than 80 discs of Shostakovich alone. The fact that I own more than one recording of any particular piece was clearly beyond their comprehension.
I have yet to approach the subject of multiple recordings of the same work! Maybe I never will.
Quote from: Hollywood on February 12, 2013, 07:42:41 AM
Yes, I am really here in Vienna. I am originally from Los Angeles and I have been living in Austria now going on 20 years. (http://www.smilies.4-user.de/include/Flaggen/austria.gif)
Thanks for clearing that up!
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 12, 2013, 03:04:28 PM
Are you in charge of this employee? If yes, then tell her that the next negative comment she makes about Haydn will put her on the street. ;) :D
Yes, I'm the office manager. I told her to get lost! But if I said, "the next negative comment you make about Haydn" she'd be completely clueless. She'd think "Haydn" worked in another department.
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 11, 2013, 06:39:02 PM
Sure, nobody outside of my family understands my obsession with this music. Somebody actually asked me one time "Why would you listen to such boring crap?" :)
Possible retort: "I find
your music boring!"
I can relate to some of what Jersey Joe said - finding people with an interest in classical music isn't easy - but I seem to have had a slightly easier time than others. At any time, I've had at least one schoolmate, work colleague, or friend that I can discuss music with on a serious level.
Quote from: Velimir on February 15, 2013, 09:49:46 AM
Possible retort: "I find your music boring!"
I can relate to some of what Jersey Joe said - finding people with an interest in classical music isn't easy - but I seem to have had a slightly easier time than others. At any time, I've had at least one schoolmate, work colleague, or friend that I can discuss music with on a serious level.
Work update: a colleague stood in my doorway, listened, and asked, "What's that?" I told her I finally decided to listen to music in my office. She replied, "Yes...but you call that
music?"
Quote from: Jersey Joe on February 12, 2013, 04:57:33 PM
Yes, I'm the office manager. I told her to get lost! But if I said, "the next negative comment you make about Haydn" she'd be completely clueless. She'd think "Haydn" worked in another department.
:P
Quote from: Velimir on February 15, 2013, 09:49:46 AM
Possible retort: "I find your music boring!"
Then I would just be putting myself down on her mental level and I don't have time for that! :D
Yesterday after we had closed to the public, I was listening to Bruckner 7 and my assistant manager popped her head in the door, listened for a moment, looked at me as if I was a complete stranger, and said, "I didn't know you liked opera". You really can't make this up.
Well, in a way it's an absurd comment, because there is no singing, of course . . . but (maybe) the hearer picked up on the Wagnerian idiom of the music.
Or, it just may have been arrant foolishness, of course : )
Quote from: karlhenning on February 16, 2013, 10:29:25 AM
Well, in a way it's an absurd comment, because there is no singing, of course . . . but (maybe) the hearer picked up on the Wagnerian idiom of the music.
Or, it just may have been arrant foolishness, of course : )
You know, that's possible. Maybe I need to give her the benefit of the doubt.