GMG Classical Music Forum

Announcements => Introductions => Topic started by: Crassus on October 22, 2016, 01:56:59 AM

Title: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Crassus on October 22, 2016, 01:56:59 AM
Hi everyone,

As the heading states I'm from New Zealand. I'm a Business Analyst by profession who first started listening to serious music when I was 15 (44 years ago). Quite honestly listening to great music has been a big part of my life and been important soul food and has sustained me during the dark times.

My taste in composers and musical genre's/styles is extensive though my first love is Mozart, as I've got older I now rank J. S. Bach on the same level.
Some of the other composers I like are:
Beethoven (especially the String Quartets)
Schubert
Haydn
Brahms
Wagner (love the music but not the man)
Bruckner
Mahler (I don't buy into the neurotic thing as much as others seem to)
Sibelius
Bartok
Berg, Webern, Schoenberg
Tchaikovsky
Prokofiev (love his piano music)
Shostakovich

Favourite conductors
Carlos Kleiber, Karajan, and Furtwangler

Favourite Pianists
Gilels, Richter, Brendel, and Zimerman

Other things about me:
History fascinates me (anything from ancient through to modern history)
I'm a political junkie
I love great cinema (not modern Hollywood blockbusters)


Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: North Star on October 22, 2016, 04:22:04 AM
Welcome to GMG, Crassus!
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: david johnson on October 22, 2016, 04:25:34 AM
Greetings and welcome.  :)
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Mirror Image on October 22, 2016, 05:34:38 AM
Welcome aboard! I hope you enjoy yourself here. Fantastic list of composers, btw. 8)
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Ken B on October 22, 2016, 06:47:19 AM
Hail Marcus Licinius, and welcome.

PS, you might want to avoid the Parthian thread.
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: aligreto on October 22, 2016, 07:02:40 AM
Hello and welcome. With an appreciation of such a range of composers as you list you should enjoy yourself here  :)
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Camphy on October 22, 2016, 08:43:09 AM
Welcome!
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: mc ukrneal on October 22, 2016, 08:50:42 AM
Welcome and enjoy yourself!
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Spineur on October 22, 2016, 08:56:16 AM
Welcome !

With your musical tastes you will have many friends here.
I was in New Zealand a couple years ago around Christmas.  Did 4 o the great walks: Tongariro, Wanganui river, Kepler Track and Routeburn.  Great fun !!
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: SimonNZ on October 22, 2016, 11:31:53 AM
Welcome! Which part of NZ are you in? (if its okay to ask, its fine if you'd rather not say)
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: ritter on October 22, 2016, 12:05:44 PM
A warm welcome from the antipodes!

Hope you have a good time here on GMG.

Regards,
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: ComposerOfAvantGarde on October 22, 2016, 02:25:37 PM
Woohoo another 2nd Viennese school fan! Welcome to GMG! 8)
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Hollywood on October 22, 2016, 11:31:07 PM
Hi there Crassus. Greetings from Mozart's Vienna. Welcome to the forum.  8)


(http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/4503967.jpg)
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Ken B on October 23, 2016, 05:45:32 AM
Quote from: Hollywood on October 22, 2016, 11:31:07 PM
Hi there Crassus. Greetings from Mozart's Vienna. Welcome to the forum.  8)


(http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/4503967.jpg)
Hey, LTNS! Welcome back to you too?
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Crassus on October 25, 2016, 01:04:31 PM
Many thanks for the warm welcome everyone!!
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: bhodges on October 25, 2016, 02:20:50 PM
And another welcome from me, Crassus. Quite an eclectic list of composers there (= good). Hope you enjoy yourself!

--Bruce
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Andante on October 25, 2016, 05:16:26 PM
Gday crassus, Similar tastes to mine, where about in Gods Own? not a jafa!  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: vandermolen on November 19, 2016, 11:59:21 PM
Welcome from me too.
Do you like the music of your compatriot Douglas Lilburn?
His first two symphonies and Aotearoa Overture are favourites of mine.
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Andante on November 20, 2016, 10:40:48 AM
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on November 20, 2016, 12:13:07 AM
Is it just me or is Lilburn NZs Sibelius?  ;)
He studied under Ralph Vaughn Williams.
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: SimonNZ on November 20, 2016, 12:05:09 PM
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on November 20, 2016, 11:50:29 AM
I know that  ::)

I mean that he seems to me to have that sort of cultural idol that Sibelius does. Granted, he's not as popular as Sibelius but still.

I haven't noticed or heard anything like that. The very few times I hear him mentioned by locals its largely to express indifference - perhaps after hearing him they assume he's a Brit who settled here as an adult. It always surprises me when people from elsewehere speak of him in glowing terms (not that I have anything against him).

Someone like Gareth Farr seems to get mentioned much more regularly as a homegrown composer to be proud of.

edit: on the other hand, the biography of Lilburn that University Of Canterbury published a few years ago was actually a good seller - so maybe there's more interest than I hear about from just my small circle of classical friends etc

http://www.cup.canterbury.ac.nz/catalogue/Douglas_Lilburn.shtml
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Andante on November 20, 2016, 07:32:54 PM
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on November 20, 2016, 11:50:29 AM
I know that  ::)

I mean that he seems to me to have that sort of cultural idol that Sibelius does. Granted, he's not as popular as Sibelius but still.
OK so which work do you consider sounds like Sibelius perhaps give an example, I actually like some of his works.
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: vandermolen on November 21, 2016, 01:13:46 AM
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on November 20, 2016, 12:13:07 AM
I love Lilburn, his third Symphony is more to my taste though. Is it just me or is Lilburn NZs Sibelius?  ;)

Absolutely right I think (Sibelius comment) in terms of his national standing (or maybe not according to above comments) and the sound of symphonies 1 and 2 in particular - which I think do, in places, sound like Sibelius and his teacher VW.
He sent Vaughan Williams parcels of jam from NZ during the war.
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: ComposerOfAvantGarde on November 21, 2016, 02:47:42 AM
The only Lilburn I have ever listened to is 'Three Inscapes' of which the second was the only one that particularly interested me.

Some parts kind of remind me of the way RVW orchestrates, some parts kind of remind me of the seamless shifts from one idea to the next and an almost inaudible barline associated with Sibelius maybe? I have to think hard to make those links and it seems rather silly to make that comparison anyway because I am sure that 'Three Inscapes' is totally different to anything either RVW or Sibelius would have written.
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Andante on November 21, 2016, 08:59:14 PM
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on November 20, 2016, 07:37:21 PM
I didn't say that he sounds like Sibelius.....  ::)
Then why link Sibelius and Lilburn in the same sentence, it would have been more appropriate to have said Vaughn Williams or is there a Sibelius connection there that I am missing  ::) ::)
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: ComposerOfAvantGarde on November 22, 2016, 01:54:48 AM
I recently checked out some other pieces on the recording that Three Inscapes is on and i really enjoyed some of them. None of them really sound anything like Vaughan Williams OR Sibelius to me (unless I squint and tilt my head to one side) so I have no idea what you guys are talking about haha.
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: vandermolen on November 22, 2016, 09:13:56 AM
Quote from: jessop on November 22, 2016, 01:54:48 AM
I recently checked out some other pieces on the recording that Three Inscapes is on and i really enjoyed some of them. None of them really sound anything like Vaughan Williams OR Sibelius to me (unless I squint and tilt my head to one side) so I have no idea what you guys are talking about haha.
I think that Symphony 2 is the most Sibelian - certainly like Sibelius there is a strong sense of nature and a powerful brooding quality to some of the music. All subjective of course.  :)
Title: Re: Hello from New Zealand
Post by: Andante on November 22, 2016, 10:49:48 AM
Quote from: jessop on November 22, 2016, 01:54:48 AM
I recently checked out some other pieces on the recording that Three Inscapes is on and i really enjoyed some of them. None of them really sound anything like Vaughan Williams OR Sibelius to me (unless I squint and tilt my head to one side) so I have no idea what you guys are talking about haha.
I agree, I was only using RVW as a possibility due to his musical relationship with Lilburn. Lilburn has his own sound as far as I am concerned