Great composers that are not your cup of tea

[Florestan]

For me - Wagner any time.

Not that I really dislike his music, but... I just don't have the patience to sit and listen to anyone of his operas from start to end. I've tried but to no avail.

[marvinbrown]

For me - Wagner any time.

Not that I really dislike his music, but... I just don't have the patience to sit and listen to anyone of his operas from start to end. I've tried but to no avail.

   Hello Florestan, your comments regarding Wagner remind me of the the first time I listened to Wagner 5 years ago. At first it was a struggle, those operas are long, uncompromising and unlike Verdi and Mozart the music is not very accessible.  But I noticed that the more I listened to him (and I started with Parsifal and Tristan und Isolde-not the most accessible operas out there) Wagner's music began to grow on me.  I became addicted to his music and thats when I realized why Wagner is called  "Opera's Towering Intellect".  I recommend you start with Meistersingers and Lohengrin leave the Ring, Tristan and Parsifal till the end.  Wagner is worth the struggle! 

   At the moment I am facing a similar problem you are having with Mahler......I just can't get around this guy...what's he trying to say? His symphonies start with one key and end with a different one, he throws in ethinic melodies then shifts gear to vocal.......   But I am not giving up...not yet anyway....

  marvin     

[springrite]

For a long time, it was Bruckner and Schubert.

I like Schubert's songs, but little else until I heard Richter's Schubert piano music. Now I like some of his piano music and a couple of chamber pieces.

With Bruckner, I am listening to a bit of it once in a while, and strangely, my favorite is symphony #2.

[johnshade]

~
Shostakovich -- I have not listened to his works extensively, but what I've heard in concert and on recordings, his music does not appeal to me. Perhaps I will listen to some of his music in the future. Any suggestion of his music that is not bombastic?

[Florestan]

I recommend you start with Meistersingers and Lohengrin leave the Ring, Tristan and Parsifal till the end.  Wagner is worth the struggle! 
 

Actually, I started listening to Meistersingers but never reached the end. The only operas I managed to listen completely are The Flying Dutchman (live on stage), Tannhauser, Lohengrin and Tristan. For the last three the audition lingered for days... and days... and days...

[Florestan]

~
Shostakovich -- I have not listened to his works extensively, but what I've heard in concert and on recordings, his music does not appeal to me. Perhaps I will listen to some of his music in the future. Any suggestion of his music that is not bombastic?

Yes, his chamber music. IMHO his truest, deepest and most intimate soul is there.

[lukeottevanger]

~
Shostakovich -- I have not listened to his works extensively, but what I've heard in concert and on recordings, his music does not appeal to me. Perhaps I will listen to some of his music in the future. Any suggestion of his music that is not bombastic?

Plenty - just sounds like you ought to steer clear of symphonies and so on and go for the Quartets (especially the later ones), the Preludes and Fugues and so on.


For myself, the one great composer I struggle with is Wolf - can't penetrate his style really, though I can see its quality clearly. I probably need some more recordings - my main one is a big box of stuff recorded in the 1930s and as yet outside a few songs I just don't get it. The fault likes in me - I am probably too conditioned to be expecting Brahms and Schumann, even though I know I shouldn't be doing so - so I will persevere until I've got there.

[karlhenning]

~
Shostakovich -- I have not listened to his works extensively, but what I've heard in concert and on recordings, his music does not appeal to me. Perhaps I will listen to some of his music in the future. Any suggestion of his music that is not bombastic?

Twenty-Four Preludes for piano, Opus 34
Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Opus 67
Cello Concerto No. 1, Opus 107
Seven Romances on Poems of Blok, for soprano and piano trio, Opus 127
String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Minor, Opus 138
Six Romances on Verses of English Poets, Opus 140
Viola Sonata, Opus 147

[Harry Collier]

I've never learned to enjoy Haydn's music; it just seems empty and Telemann-Tafelmusik to me. And Schumann is not my cup of tea, outside of the songs.

My loss, doubtless. But there is so much music out there!

[bwv 1080]

Romantic composers who are not Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Mahler or Reger

[marvinbrown]

Actually, I started listening to Meistersingers but never reached the end. The only operas I managed to listen completely are The Flying Dutchman (live on stage), Tannhauser, Lohengrin and Tristan. For the last three the audition lingered for days... and days... and days...

 Oh dear....those operas are long but not THAT long....no worries though plenty of great opera composers out there beside Wagner  .

 marvin

[mahlertitan]

   At the moment I am facing a similar problem you are having with Mahler......I just can't get around this guy...what's he trying to say? His symphonies start with one key and end with a different one, he throws in ethinic melodies then shifts gear to vocal.......   But I am not giving up...not yet anyway....

  marvin     

LOL, you don't have to force yourself to like Mahler you know. If you don't like it, don't listen to it, listen to Mozart or Haydn or something.

the point is great composers didn't write music to "please", they are often tough for a listener to get, it took me 2 years to get through Mahler's 11 symphonies.

Same can be said about Shostakovich, you either put the effort and try to understand it, or you won't like it. He didn't write it to please anybody, if you want that kind of music, listen to his film music or jazz suites.

[PerfectWagnerite]

Not too many but generally the French impressionists don't do it for me. Also not a big fan of Prokofieff.

[carlos]

On symphonic, I only like russian or french.Never
listened to other. And can't stand opera. Any opera.

[Ten thumbs]

Romantic composers who are not Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Mahler or Reger

Interesting, but have you any idea why?

[Lady Chatterley]

I can't listen to Wagner and I only like Mahler's songs.Oh and Scarlatti is too speedy.

[Harry]

Wagner, no good.

[Harry]

I can't listen to Wagner and I only like Mahler's songs.Oh and Scarlatti is too speedy.

Of course if it is played by Scott Ross, but Belder on Brilliant will fit your bill, I am sure!

[mahlertitan]

On symphonic, I only like russian or french.Never
listened to other.

that's a interesting statement, since pretty much all of romantic Russian symphonists followed the Austro-German musical tradition.

[Don]

Vivaldi doesn't seem to be my cup of tea.  The only impact his music has on me is that it makes me drowsy.