Who listens to classical music?

Veganic

Try going to a real live concert.  Listen a few times before you go.

You'll be surrounded by some right knobs but it is an experience.

brojangles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5hPdIhTrd4

beed84

stickyfiddle said:

Roland said:

I often wonder what JS Bach would have written for modern instruments.

He'd have loved sequencers...

And Malmsteen!

Snap

I have listened to it from a tiny age, it was part of learning music as a child.

I just like good music that gives me goosebumps. That could be Antichrist Superstar, or Mahler's 9th. If its good, its good. There is some classical music that for me, is incredibly powerful, moves me to tears.

Bach - Laibach did an electronic album of his Fugues, called Contrapunctus. Displays the mathematics of his music very well.

darthed1981

I like a bit of classical.

Especially English composers Elgar, Vaughn-Williams.

One of my best music experiences was driving home from somewhere feeling a bit sad (might have actually just gone for a drive due to extreme boredom) and put on Classic FM, playing the whole of Mahler's 6th Symphony.

In the right setting and the right mood, the classics can be down right spine-tingly.  The elitism around it all really sours it for people.  Too many of us get told "all popular music is sh*t, listen to this" as an introduction and it puts people off for life.

Music is music after all

HAL9000

darthed1981 said:

The elitism around it all really sours it for people.  Too many of us get told "all popular music is sh*t, listen to this" as an introduction and it puts people off for life.

Music is music after all

Wis'd.  Last year a group of us went to 'Classical Spectacular' at the Royal Albert Hall, and I'd absolutely recommend it. Doesn't take itself too seriously plus the sound of a full orchestra and choir is simply breathtaking. It's an event that the RAH put on a few times per year. Well worth it.

holnrew

My favourite classical piece

crunchman

I'm playing with some people with classical backgrounds at the moment for the production at my daughters' school.  We've had some interesting conversations.  One of them is a clarinet player whose dad is a guitarist.  He's very big on his clarinet but he's also big into 70's classic rock.  They aren't all complete snobs about it.  At the same time, the musical director had his eyes opened a bit when we did We Will Rock You last year.  Previous to that he had very much looked down on rock music.

Hearing this stuff live is very different from hearing recording though.  The MD has roped in a few contacts from the Royal College of Music.  Hearing guys of that standard live is stunning.  I never really got the violin until I heard this girl from the Royal College play.  I'd always associated it with screetchy scratchy wailing.  Hearing it played well in the flesh was a completely different experience.  I've never heard a recording that gets that across.  The cello sounds amazing as well.

The funny thing is that for all the "elitist" view of classical music, you can go to classical concerts relatively cheaply.  Seats at the proms start from £7.50. 

Bygone_Tones

Does the Star Wars opening theme count?

DLM

Roland said:

I often wonder what JS Bach would have written for modern instruments.

viz

holnrew said:

My favourite classical piece

\ thread

Axe_meister

DLM said:

Roland said:

I often wonder what JS Bach would have written for modern instruments.

He is totally out of time and too loud.

I appriciate classical music, but on the whole I find it rather boring, more a of classical greatest hits person.

Winny_Pooh

I find alot of it can be like the pop music of its day, a bit bland or alternatively with 20th century stuff, too dissonant..

I do love Debussy and Arvo Part the most. Some Mozart, Beethoven and much of Chopin, Liszt is good listening but i will never specifically listen to any of it. I generally feel that compared to modern music that is drawn from Africa like jazz & blues that it lacks the groove and pulse we're accustomed to.

For better or worse it's a dying genre I reckon If I want cerebral music I'd rather marvel at a great Keith Jarrett or Miles solo than listen to straight orchestral music although there are classically influenced things that I do really enjoy such as the Avishai Cohen gig with the BBC Concert Orchestra earlier this year or Rachel's music for Egon Schiele. 

guitarfishbay

I'm not sure I agree Classical is a dying genre.

For a start it's possibly the only music genre you can go to university to study and actually get a job at the end of it.

It isn't really treated the same in this country vs parts of Europe though.  Not as much investment in it here vs Germany to my understanding anyway

bacchanalian

I think everyone listens to a lot of classical music without necessarily realising it. It takes a bit of work to get into classical because of the complexity and dynamics. I find smaller scale pieces like solo or quartets easier to get on with. I listen to Bach through to Philip Glass but need to be in the mood. 

Yngwie is an incredible player but that is no excuse! Are Spinal Tap his career advisers?

Clarky

Emp_Fab said:

I've always loved certain pieces but I'm not a habitual listener.  I'm just wondering at what age am I supposed to start sitting in an armchair with a pipe and slippers, listening to Chavfuckovski's 3rd symphony in C# by the Royal Bavarian State Orchestra through an expensive HiFi?

I was listening to and enjoying classical music when I was around than 10, pipeless and slipperless on a cheap hifi
I was also listening to Yes, Vangelis, Genesis and Deep Purple at that time..
there is no age to listen to anything at all
apart from Mr Blobby and the Cheaky Girls that is

Clarky

Winny_Pooh said:

I find alot of it can be like the pop music of its day, a bit bland or alternatively with 20th century stuff, too dissonant..

I do love Debussy and Arvo Part the most. Some Mozart, Beethoven and much of Chopin, Liszt is good listening but i will never specifically listen to any of it. I generally feel that compared to modern music that is drawn from Africa like jazz & blues that it lacks the groove and pulse we're accustomed to.

For better or worse it's a dying genre I reckon If I want cerebral music I'd rather marvel at a great Keith Jarrett or Miles solo than listen to straight orchestral music although there are classically influenced things that I do really enjoy such as the Avishai Cohen gig with the BBC Concert Orchestra earlier this year or Rachel's music for Egon Schiele. 

personally I think most of the greatest modern orchestral music is for movie scores..
Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, John Williams etc

guitarfishbay

Definitely.  Having seen a load of that stuff performed live it's really something.  One of the favourite gigs I've been to in the past few years was when the Halle Orchestra played a space themed setlist at Jodrell Bank (Observatory) - included a bunch of Williams stuff naturally.  Saw the Hans Zimmer tour last year too.

bacchanalian

guitarfishbay said:

I'm not sure I agree Classical is a dying genre.

For a start it's possibly the only music genre you can go to university to study and actually get a job at the end of it.

It isn't really treated the same in this country vs parts of Europe though.  Not as much investment in it here vs Germany to my understanding anyway

Classical music is not a dying genre. It has always progressed through eras.  I wonder if any of the Rock, Pop or Blues will be played by bands in 300 years time?  I guess we are already seeing that with the rise of tribute bands.  

ICBM

Axe_meister said:

DLM said:

Roland said:

I often wonder what JS Bach would have written for modern instruments.

He is totally out of time and too loud

with terrible tone and no dynamics.

If it wasn't for his impressive ability to play a lot of notes very fast I would even wonder why he is so rated. That's one of the least musical performances I can think of, and the orchestra must have all been sitting there wondering why this clown gets to widdle along with them.