hey guys i am just interested in a good list of classical music that i should buy.
namly the composers. you see we have a stare here that sells classical music CD’s for about $1 - $2 each and most are titled by the composer.
i thought some of it might be good for animations and such.
Alltaken
Start with the basics: Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, et cetera. And don’t forget The Trans Siberian Orchestra. 
-Raseri
Check out Claude Debussy.
(French classical pianist)
Some of the most beatiful piano music I’ve ever heard!
Sort of ambient and reflective.
You can listen to some of his works here:
http://public.srce.hr/~fsupek/
Yes! Yes! Debussy.
My favorites:
-Stravinsky: The Firebird, Petroushka, Rite of Spring
-Liszt
-Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
-Three words: Johann Sebastien Bach
-Shostakovich is cool.
-Rimsky-Korsakov: Scherezade
-Mozart: Jupiter
-Holst: The Planets
-Grofe: The Grand Canyon Suite
I love classical music.
Bach, Beethoven, Handle, Gershwein and Chopin are my favorite, but there are planty more good stuff like. I’ll get back to you on that. There are ofcourse the “MUST” listen composers like Vivaldi, WAM! (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, etc, etc… but I don’t really like them much.
Anton Webern’s string quartets. They are short, very unusual pieces. could be very useful for a student’s animation projects.
Eric Satie. Short piano pieces with comical names (the names alone could inspire you!)
John Cage’s music for prepared piano. Another bunch of short pieces that could work well in many settings.
These have very animated melodies to begin with, I’m sure you could be inspired to animate a whole range of motions with that stuff.
ok thanks heaps people
my next question is, are all CD’s made equal when it comes to this music.
or do some people go and create crappy CD’s using the name of these composers?
if you guys actually own the cds do you have any opinions on th quality fo the recordings on them, or are they all fairly comparable.
Alltaken
Classical music tends to be judged by the performance and the name of the artist (instrumentist, conductor, etc) more than the name of the composer. The music is in many case so well known that certain performances or performers are more sought after than others for the same piece. So the answer to your question is no. Whatever you find in the liquidation bin is likely to be of lesser interest to the connaisseur.
look for big cities orchastras (London, new york, Chicago, Vienna) - they usually have a lot of founding and can hire better musicians and better recording equipment - though you can never really tell… a good small resital can preduce good music too.
You could go to Magnatunes and check out the classical music area.
Haven’t had a chance to do that myself though.
Chopin, Brahms, and Beethoven are good, Debussy is good for some more modern sounding classical. Usually with classical music (especially piano), you can find midi collections. Just use timidity++ or something and you can make your own cds (only if the midi file is high quality and if you have a good soundfont).
If you are buying cds, don’t go for ultra cheap stuff. Usually with classical music, cds are recorded by different pianists or orchestras and the quality of playing is different.
My all time favourite is
Henryk Gorezki: Symphony No 3 - sorrowful songs.
I have thought many times that one day I will try to make an animation for it.
My favourite recording of it is the cheaper ‘budget’ CD. the woman’s voice [Zofia Kilanowicz] is haunting on it.
Naxos is the manufacturer. Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
In the sleeve note:
“The words of the song are none the less tragic, a prayer scratched on the wall of a Gestapo cell by an eighteen year old Polish girl seeking the protection of the Queen of heaven.”
I have a set of CDs called 100 Masterpieces of Classical Music on 5 disks. It is pretty old, so I’m not sure of they sell it anymore. My ultimate favorite classical song is Fur Elise. Actually, I am using it in my current WIP.
But the thing is, classical music is royalty free, so you can download it for free (legally). Search around. I know Amazon has a good selection. All you have to do is sign up (its free) and you can download. I’m sure if you Google it, you will find what you need.
-Laurifer
I like concertos, especially piano concertos.
It’s usually better to buy more expensive CD’s, better quality sound and artists.
if you need to look for a good orchestra, find something done by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
i usually listen to chopin or gershwin…
sometimes copeland (great American stuff!)
~Delta
I like classical music that is played by some good guitarist…
I like:
At Vance - Beethoven’s 5th symphony
At Vance - Caprice No.16
At Vance - Antonio Vivaldi, Four Seasons
At Vance - Chopin Etude No.4
At Vance - Antonio Vivaldi, Summer
steve vai - Beethoven’s 5th symphony
steve vai - Paganini’s 5th caprice
joe satriani - Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
etc.
In addition to old standbys (Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi, etc.) some quality modern music might be good.
Also, if there is any wind ensemble/band music, especially if there’s any Mercury Living Presence stuff with Frederick Fennell, don’t be shy. Look for Holst, Wm. Schuman, and orchestral transcriptions especially.
Oh, and if you can, try to double check ratings at places like Amazon or Barnes & Noble - these reviews can tell you what to look for. Also, look for good orchestras (as above) with good conductors (Dorati, Mehta, Ormandy, Toscanini, Szell, Bernstein, Karajan, etc). Again, online ratings can usually give you a feel for certain lesser known conductors.
wow i opened a huge can of worms on this one LOL.
yeah xintoc some modern classical pieces are also somthing i might be interested in.
i like the idea of having some newer music done with orchestars.
thanks heaps everyone.
Alltaken
I agree with Delta, you need to find something with an excellent orchestra. Not only that, you need to find stuff with excellent soloist’s. Conductors too. Buying super cheap ‘Classical’ music (it was only an era) is probably going to return mediocre results. A great song can suck if the band isn’t there. Ask around to people that you know and trust for music and ask them what they recommend.
By the way, Mozart’s 20th Piano Concerto in D Minor is spectular. The Bach fugues are always intersesting. Chopin and Dubussy’s piano works are usually good to great. But again, if the performers aren’t great, the music won’t be either.
Alltaken, as a pianist who knows a LOT about classical music…
I would advise Ravel. You can NEVER have too much Ravel.
Seriously, Ravel and Debussy, the French Impressionists are my favorite. Email me at [email protected] if you want some recordings. I have about 3 different Complete Works for both composers.
Aside from Impressionists, everyone loves the Romantics. Chopin and Liszt are always good. Chopin is famous for, among other things, his great etudes. Pollini is my favorite pianist. The CD is here. I love these. I’m playing the Op. 25 No. 11 one right now (the Winterwind) and it’s track 23 on that CD. It’s a good example of advanced pianio writing and the shock tactic.
Modern, or Contemporary music is good also. Here is an example of great contemporary piano music. Good modern orchestral music can be seen in Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Just listen to the rythmical drive of track 2 and or the fury of track 14.
Classical music isn’t always overthetop sappy Mozart or Handel. Infact, I never listen to things like The Messiah and Mozart’s Symphonies.
My favorite pianist is Martha Argerich. My favorite CD is this one, where you can hear the sarcasm of Prokofiev (track 4), the absolute kickass-ness of Ravel (track 5) or the over-the-top Hungarian rythms and melodies of Liszt (track 7).
The most common thing I listen to are piano concertos. They are often some of the best things from the composers and there are a LOT of good ones. The Bartok 2nd (particularly the 3rd mvmt, track 6, disc 1), the Ravel G major (mvmts 1 and 3 are great, tracks 1 and 3, mvmt 2 is better is you’re looking for a slow piece, track 2), the Rachmaninoff 3rd (mvmt 3, or track 3 has a great opening). There are MANY more great piano concertos and I can list some more if you’d like.
As for very modern music. Hehehe… I have strange tastes here… I’ll list some good modern pieces:
-Ginastera’s Danzas Argentina (tracks 12 - 14) - This one is relatively tame. I’m playing these right now. No. 1 is ok, no. 2 is better but no. 3 kicks ass big time.
-Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians - I like minimalism and this is a good example of it.
-Ligeti’s Music (some examples, CD 1, CD 2 - Ligeti is one of, if not the, best modern composers. You may recognize a lot of his music from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. He writes all that creepy stuff.
-Stockhausen’s Kontakte - Hehe, I really don’t know what to say about this one. It’s way out there and you either like it or you don’t.
Anyway, like I said, I have MP3s of just about everything listed above and if you like the sample, give me an email ([email protected]) and I can send you some.