The Classical Music Thread

[Eclipse_31]

Post your favorite pieces of classical music.  Doesn't matter if it's Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, soundtrack from your favorite movie, or a very underrated symphonic piece.

[MadmanOnWheels]

I don't normally listen to Classical music, but I have been, recently, because I believe that I should get some or some more music appreciation in that area, as anyone that listens to music ought to, I think.

I don't know pieces very well, but I have been waking up to this one, every so often, for a good while.

 https://open.spotify.com/track/6VG2bmxwMrdGwB4m8Rv2d7?si=Bp3pMvkwRzmMsimzsMk89g

It's famous for being in "The Truman Show", with Jim Carrey.

[AdamDam]

Hi @Eclipse_31, while I haven’t listened to classical music very often, I discovered a track by Terry Riley a few years ago from his The Book of Abbeyozzud album that I really like, called “Zamorra”; it features classical guitarist David Tanenbaum as well as Terry Riley’s son, Gyan, on acoustic guitar also. The intricate melodic passages on this track sound less minimalist to me compared to other Terry Riley compositions that I've listened to, such as In C and A Rainbow In Curved Air, and also remind me of flamenco music at times. I'd say "Zamorra" is my current favorite classical music piece:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4ggfct42CRnjSxUZW1xllj?si=eUOs93RDT6SHwo0dn4jd0A

Cheers!

[Katerina]

Hey @Eclipse_31, awesome thread idea! What's yours?

I have to agree with @MadmanOnWheels - everyone who listens to music should venture a bit more into this genre. Also, great track, I'll be adding it in my orchestral master playlist to enjoy again. I see why you chose it as a wake up track, it's very upbeat/cheery in the best way to start a new day.

I recently got recommended this track in another thread here and while I've heard it before, I never managed to know its title to listen to it fully. The melody is quite familiar even if you actively don't listen to classical music: 

spotify:track:7HSs4srn1qnZhh7WRWBVOk 

[raquelFishes]

Hi! 
Love your thread, I want to share with you my little project called "Los clasicos de Raquel" (Raquel's classics). I started it for a collegue who always wanted listen classical mussic but feeled like he doesn't understand it. I promised that I will create a weekly updated classical playlist, just 1 hour of music, not more, 1 hour per week to listen something different, even for me is really gratefull.
Hope you all enjoy, and subscribe it.

spotify:playlist:1PbDnV1w31gf9blJcYxpWV 

[Eclipse_31]

I’ll start posting my favorites as well.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5DkLlBmaUvPse6p7LdNVSN.small

One of my favorite sub-genres is Impressionism. It always brings a sense of nostalgia and warm, fuzzy memories. One of my favorite Impressionist works, and one of my favorite pieces of classical music of all time, is Claude Debussy’s La Mer, especially the first movement.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1KlauxnXFCSgc605MslOsf.small

This is another favorite one of Debussy’s, Pagodes, inspired by Indonesian gamelan music. The buildup spirits me away, if you get what I mean.

[Ivan]

Hey @Eclipse_31, 

Here are some favorites of mine I listen a lot to recently:

spotify:track:79fyYG0pdMAkaut10Mlj41:small 

spotify:track:7jXqph4yGzPmUk9YDkp8eT:small 

spotify:track:7e8ZbMDwjdbUHWsoMOlZCd:small 

Hope you'll enjoy them 🎼 🎻 🎺 

[Noguri]

I am sorry, but can It be another classical music?

Do You know, classical music is not just european classical music, sound tracks, but also indian classical music (Carnatic and Hindustani), Indonesian Gamelan, Turkish (Ottoman) classical music, ETC.

So, can We post also music from another traditions, than is our tradition?

Thank You.

[d_al]

These are my top 3:

spotify:track:5d7wn8zwM98iGU9ceTHvWB:small 

spotify:track:2u48fVKbO5p3UTSKBPH585:small 

spotify:track:3LOi1V051Obp9hHRgAC0JU:small

[Sebasty]

@NoguriNot many of us are exposed to classical music out of the usual. I definitely didn't learn about any of those you mentioned, so please feel free to post and introduce! 🙂

One of those pieces that makes me feel so many feelings is this Modest Mussorgsky piece:

spotify:track:5oB3nVVSzq8IBtpH39WSrc:small 

Particularly those gentle fluttering parts. They were sampled in a certain electronic song by Amon Tobin and man does it lend so much into that track... 💗

[Eclipse_31]

---

@Noguri wrote:

I am sorry, but can It be another classical music?

Do You know, classical music is not just european classical music, sound tracks, but also indian classical music (Carnatic and Hindustani), Indonesian Gamelan, Turkish (Ottoman) classical music, ETC.

So, can We post also music from another traditions, than is our tradition?

Thank You.

---

This question is a little hard to answer because of how 'broad' the term classical music is.  

According to Wikipedia, classical music is ". . . produced or rooted in the traditions of Western culture, including both liturgical (religious) and secular music."

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, classical music is "serious or conventional music following long-established principles rather than folk, jazz, or popular tradition."

However, that's when things start to get blurry.  You can clearly tell that music popular at the time influenced the works of Gershwin, Prokofiev, and Joplin:

https://open.spotify.com/track/78dv9BM2N8Ql0vrNE2Cv1I.small

https://open.spotify.com/album/7K4HfPLJ2JwvXBF02SAiXx.small

https://open.spotify.com/track/4AE032Y0x1WPOi5CsmggnU.small

Then there's also composers who were inspired by folk, historical, and traditional music.  (I've already mentioned Debussy being inspired by Asian music with pieces like La mer and Pagodes)

https://open.spotify.com/track/4bW7AShie8ZWYlyJTWviyA.small

https://open.spotify.com/track/3yNHtmi0SbMzzdwVrFg98i.small

https://open.spotify.com/track/6IQ1XK96ipPTqlEXCPYWwR.small

https://open.spotify.com/track/2hyUZNd2OqIRD4LqAfdPYK.small

https://open.spotify.com/track/1usx23O3LHOIAtHV6Tm0w0.small

So, to put it in other words, classical music is not folk/historical/traditional music or songs.  It can be influenced by them, but it is not folk, historical, and/or traditional music or songs.

[Eclipse_31]

In this thread, we can cover pieces of classical music that might appear in a work.  Spotify seems to think of classical music as "anything with orchestral/classical instruments in it", so people like John Williams or Joe Hisaishi get lumped in with Bach or Beethoven in classical-oriented playlists.  

Composers known for composing classical compositions make movie soundtracks, like with Prokofiev doing the soundtrack for Alexander Nevsky

https://open.spotify.com/album/0XKuH9zGYt9DCpuDBRPb4T.small

There's also those who are mainly film composers who do more 'traditional' works:

https://open.spotify.com/album/5gFb2dISA6MQYoY9N1QzTZ.small

https://open.spotify.com/album/7n26GKaWGJ1sx9CXKISyyE.small

We can cover pieces of classical music that have appeared in films, like this famous piece:

https://open.spotify.com/track/43YwOmGUOS3zzGvj1Feszb.small

Spoiler

Fun Fact: The classical pieces in 2001: A Space Odyssey were just placeholders until Kubrick commissioned Alex North to make the score.  During the film's post-production phase, however, MGM became concerned about 2001's progress.  Kubrick put together a showreel of footage to the ad hoc soundtrack of the classical recordings to the studio bosses, who were delighted with the results; Kubrick used these "guide pieces" as the final musical soundtrack in lieu of the commissioned score.  North didn't know about this until he saw the film's premiere screening! 

Spoiler

Here's North's soundtrack, in case anyone's wondering:
https://open.spotify.com/album/02s0JbOukVIsYLk8kp55xW 

[chiquitajhnr]

Here are some of my favorite classical music:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5tiznziCIfizh9V47k7yM2?si=iKjzFVmFS46Mk6Xwiv31RA

And these are my favorite movie soundtracks:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0SgoQKesgOBc7oAfaSSaST?si=iLq6EkJWS7W-Ro7j-tZkqg

[CentroPaoloVI]

Heii,
We are an ancient Palace at the heart of Brescia center: if you want to savour our mood you can press play.
Let us know what you think about it and give it a like: of course, we accept advice on songs to add 🙂

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/23AgyfpHzmvau3C7GhcH9N?si=23213fadbdc94d04 

[davidrsim]

This is a beautiful symphony, and hauntingly sad. The text is from a message written on the wall of a Gestapo cell in World War II.

Gorecki - Symphony Number 3 

https://open.spotify.com/album/4vArLMJQy7aoUgP0D1d2X0?si=CWn9I0FHRwC8ZpyUkYgtbQ