Favorite pieces of classical music

Gabriel Fauré - Sicilienne, for cello & piano, Op. 78


@VoltreAltesse ~ also a particular fave of mine

 

I'm a yuge fan of pro wrestling and always loved it when this was the entry music for Beautiful Bobby and his manager the Grand Wizard.

 

classical music for the peasants

 

Claire de Lune - Claude Debussy



Flower Duet - Leo Delibes - performed by Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanca

 

Ave Maria - Franz Schubert - performed by 9 year old Amira Willighagen

 

My favorite and IMHO the most moving.

Scheherazade

 

Gergiev is a great lead, and I love russian classical music, even if I have some difficulties with late 1800 music.

 

Few fans of classical music on this forum ? How sad. I continue to try to dig some old unknown composers of the Baroque epoch.

I find some interesting things :

 

At present I've got Ton Koopman's solo in the 5th Brandenburg Concerto belting around in my mind. I saw him play it a few years ago but the bloody sound system didn't pick up the harpsichord well enough and it was a strain to hear. Still the man is brilliant.

 

not to unnecessarily politicize this particular thread but please bear in mind that this is a right wing forum - something like 90% of its members belong to the far right which almost always has disdain for the aesthetics

 

I will open a thread tomorrow about that, you're right, it's not necessary to discuss that on this thread.

 

IMO, Spain produced the most classical music in European history. This should not be a surprise considering how the country was a mixture of so many cultural influences. Here, for example, is Qiyan music which is was considered quite classical in its time. The Qiyan were a class of courtesans in al-Andluç who were highly trained in various art forms (much like the Geisha of Japan) and created many great arts which are still in existence though largely forgotten or ignored. Much of their literature is very racy.

 

What do you mean by most classical ? Sorry, I'm more an adept of Baroque music and if you mean the best of classical music in Europe, I can only deeply disagree. Outside europe, I have some interest for mongolian music, and hindu music.

I'm interesting me in middle age music. I listened a lot Saint Hildegard Von Bingen. Her music is awesome :


I have often anxiety crisis, and that kind of music calm me down.

Guillaume de Machaut is a great one :

In more recent things you have Boismortier which is nice :


I love castrati music too.

 

That's a good question and am glad you posed it.

For too long, Westerners have restricted the term classical music to orchestral music from roughly the 17th century to the early part of the 20th century. This is too narrow and restrictive in its scope as the term can and should be applicable to all forms of music from a great many cultures from every corner of the world.

You mentioned Mongolian music of which I have some limited knowledge because of my love for Tuva throat singing:




It may surprise some folks to learn just how popular this is - YT has many videos such as this one. Mongolian classical music is similar as is Inuit (Alaskan). I have also enjoyed Hindu music which has always had a strong following in NYC.


But my all time favorite music is Indonesian Gamelan:










This may not appear to be "classical" to Westerners. But it is very well deserving of such a term.

As for why I feel Spain produced the most "classical" of music, it is because of its historical integration and syncretization of cultures such as Arab, Celtic, Gypsy, Hebrew, Moorish, and Roman. This over a period encompassing well over 1,000 years.

 

I attended a number of chamber music concerts in NYC years ago, including Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Baroque performances. The counter tenor voice was often used in these presentations but I cannot recall whether castrati was used in them. While not my favorite type of singing, I recognize that it is a valid art form, again, well deserving of the title "classical".

 

Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughn-Williams.
It always raises my spirits if I'm feeling blue.

 

Beautiful and haunting ...

This comment was posted on YT ...

"I hear the cries of 58,000 young warriors that never had an opportunity to marry, walk their daughter down the aisle, to hold their first child, I did, I'm a survivor. There isn't a day that goes by I don't think of the War I survived, the men I knew and experiences I'll never forget. This is their music for us to remember."

 

@Mr_Truth One of my favorite hindustan music :

 

Pandit Pran Nath ~ really nice music which sounds like it was inspired by Tuva - or possibly vice versa!

 

I love Couperin. His music is beautifull, but it give me the feeling to have a link with the spirituality of my ancestors, which were catholics.